Sister Margaret Rose Scullion, from Brucehill,was working in a mission when war broke out in the African country in 1998.

When she returned, generous people began donating items and funds to her after hearing her stories about Congalese orphans — and in 1999 the Gorsilaure Project was born.

Each year the community has raised money to send to Father Simon and Father Laurent who work in Kisantu, to provide clean clothes, medical supplies and to build schools for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Catherine Mary McBride, Gorsilaure co-ordinator, told the Reporter: “These past 15 years have seen absolute miracles taking place through God and the community working to help the people and the orphaned children.” Due to illness, and the advancing years of the project’s volunteer workers the Gorsilaure Project will cease at the end of 2014.

She said: “We really just want to thank everyone in Dumbarton and the Vale for their donations.

“The generosity of the people has been outstanding. We’ve made these people self-sufficient. We’ve ensured they can feed themselves, generate their own income, nurse their sick, and educate their children. How much they have come on in 15 years is just amazing.” Through fund raisers in schools, churches and donations from the community, Gorsilaure has built a medical centre, a maternity unit, a home which houses 150 orphans, and a school which teaches up to 2,000 children, 10 of which are now at university.

Catherine added: “Father Simon has sent his eternal thanks to the people in the area. We just want everyone to know the work could not have been done without their help. These people are no longer starving.

“Every penny went straight out there and their donations have created two cafes, a shop, a banana plantation and sewing factory. The village is now being used by the government in the Congo as a model for self sufficiency for others to replicate.” The project held a Thanksgiving mass on Sunday in St Martin’s Church, Renton to thank the community for their generosity.