Barrington church's goodwill on hold

For nearly a year, parishioners at Barrington's St. Anne Catholic Church have been raising money to build a new school in a small village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

With more than $60,000 collected, work was set to begin on the new school last month in Nkokwe, a village in the North Kivu province, when chaos ensued there.

Civil war erupted after a renegade general in Congo's army began gathering troops and attacking local villages.

Nkokwe residents fled their homes in fear, seeking safety in refugee camps closer to Goma, the capital of the province and an area protected by the Congolese army.

"We were all set to break ground when this conflict broke out," said Adrienne Kalmes, a chairman of the church committee charged with raising the funds.

With the village empty and construction on hold, Kalmes said church members are now looking to see if there are other opportunities for them to get involved.

Even though the money was originally earmarked for the school, Kalmes said church members have told leaders of the Nkokwe village that if needed, the funds could be spent in other, more pressing areas.

"The money we have collected is in their name and for their use," Kalmes said.

The church got interested in helping Nkokwe after meeting former villager Jacques Bahati during a conference on Africa in 2003.

Seeing the church reach out to his home community has been uplifting, said Bahati, who serves as a policy analyst for the Africa Faith and Justice Network in Washington, D.C.

"I was very pleased to know that there was an interest in the lives of the Nkokwe people," Bahati said. "The forgotten were finally being remembered."

While the church is preparing to provide whatever relief support may be necessary in the coming months, Kalmes said leaders of the village say they still hope to use the money for its intended purpose when the conflict ends.

"We are in a bit of a holding pattern since communication has become difficult," Kalmes said.

In the immediate future, Kalmes said church members are trying to make sure the nearly 500 students who would have attended the new school are taking some sort of classes in the refugee camp.

"We are trying to set up some schooling in the refugee camp," Kalmes said.

The yearlong effort to raise money for the school was the first step of a five-year commitment the church has made to people of Nkowke.

For the last 12 years, Kalmes said the church had been raising money for different charities and projects as part of its lent almsgiving.

"This year, we decided to make a more concerted effort," Kalmes said.

Nkowke was chosen, Kalmes said, because of the relationship with Bahati and his younger sister, who lost both her legs in a 2004 car accident.

The church helped raise funds to bring the 20-year-old woman here to be fitted with prosthetic legs. She has since returned to Nkowke.

"We have been able to grow connected to their family and this village," Kalmes said.

Kalmes said the committee entrusted with the fund-raising efforts has about 30 members.

"We have a whole team of people," Kalmes said. "It has really been a collective effort."

Bahati said the effort fits with his view of people he's met in the United States.

"I am not surprised because my experience of the American people is that they are very generous," he said.

Despite the conflict back home, Bahati said the residents of Nkokwe still remain very thankful to St. Anne's.

"As people of hope, they still are excited to know that help is there," Bahati said.

How to help

What: St. Anne Catholic Church in Barrington has made a five-year commitment to help the people of Nkokwe, a village in the Congo.

Who: A 30-member church committee has raised more than $60,000 the first year.

To get involved: Call the church at (847) 382-5300.