Friends of the Congo
Our History
For ten years, a young priest, Father Jean Ikanga, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a land plagued with political unrest, poverty, and lack of dependable water and electricity, studied in the United States to become a medical doctor with the intent of returning to his native country.
After seeing the high level of care and medical facilities that people in the United States have access to, his goal was to develop the medical skills and bring this care to his people.
Fr. Jean and his associates are generating a multi-phase plan to construct a new clinic in Yassa in order to fufill the needs of women in this remote region of the country. To support their efforts, a non-profit corporation, Friends of the Congo Inc., has been formed to help raise the needed funds. The non-profit has been granted 501 (c) (3) status by the IRS.
Fr. Jean Ikanga
The clinic has been established in Yassa because of its central location between two neighboring cities, Kikwit (85 km from Yassa) and Idiofa (71 km). This thereby enables all three cities to receive care. The clinic plans to provide care to more than 1,500+ women each year.
Meet Our Officers
RAYMOND R. KHAN
Treasurer
Mr. Khan received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University and was Senior Vice President and CIO at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He also spent 30 years in various engineering and management positions at General Motors. He currently serves on the boards of Cranbrook Institute of Science and Lawrence Technological University.
JOSEPH HULWAY
President
Rev. Mr. Hulway earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and spent his career in a variety of engineering and management positions in the automotive industry. He was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in 1999 and has served at several parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
JOHN W. BRADY
Secretary
Mr. Brady received double BA degrees in Marketing and Journalism from Wayne State University and has held numerous senior and executive management positions with domestic consumer products companies and US divisions of multi-national corporations. He is currently a business consultant with a faith-based investment bank and an officer with a Detroit-area Knights of Columbus council.
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