Knipsbrat players in Winnipeg this weekend will be forever changing the lives of three young men across the globe. 

The organization Congo's Children is making a difference in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An orphanage and school in Kinshasa are benefitting and the children there are seeing a brighter future.

John David Pankratz is the Chairperson of the organization. He explained that Congo's Children primarily supports the feeding and education of 54 children in the orphanage.

Pankratz said that the organization holds a Crokinole tournament when money needs to be raised for tuition. "On a monthly basis we raise money for food, but three times per year we need tuition money. We hold the tournament and make appeals during the tournament. "

Pankratz explains that the crokinole playing itself doesn't actually raise money but it's a venue in which we let our crokinole players know what's happening and what the details of the tuition are.

This time the money being raised is going to three young men who are taking driver mechanics training so that they can change their income from the "sometimes" income of day labour into a full-time position as someone who needs their services as a driver-mechanic.

These three men were all street children of 12 years old with no education. Now years later Congo's Children is looking at getting the men some marketable skills.

When asked about getting involved, Pankratz said, "Kinshasa is one of the most difficult cities in the world to live in, to make money in." He goes on to say that the unemployment rate is 95 per cent, and that it's not that the people aren't working, they're still finding ways to put food on the table on a daily basis.

"That just creates an ordered chaos that's actually been the subject of Ph. D. studies," Pankratz said.

The Crokinole tournament is taking place Friday, January 25, 7 p.m with registration from 6 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. at the Folio Cafe - Canadian Mennonite University 2299 Grant at Shaftesbury, or for more information go to congoschildren.org