Educate Medical Professionals in DR Congo

We are pleased to announce a new initiative to strengthen the impact of our program. Our mission continues to enable vulnerable children to attend school rather than remaining at home; to provide them with school uniforms and supplies; and to promote joy, mutual respect, and acceptance of one another, regardless of circumstances, through our Sport for Peace program.

We have been concerned, however, that the level of support from mothers could be stronger. In Rwenena, it is mothers and other women—most of them single and vulnerable—who care for children. In early 2017, SAFECO’s Girl Ambassadors for Peace spent about a week providing literacy training for these women, leadership training for 5 promising teen women, and community awareness-raising focused on the importance of including women and girls in all aspects of life. During the assessment period, we learned that 90% of Rwenena’s women and girls (ages 17 and up) are illiterate. The mothers clamored for more literacy training, but we were unable to pay costs for return visits.

Now, thanks to availability of new funds from donors like you, we are pleased to report that Rwenena mothers are getting their wish. The literacy training begins in January and will include components of health and hygiene, human rights, and small business. Earlier this month, the community welcomed back Girl Ambassador extraordinaire Ariane Moza as she worked with them to lay the groundwork for her 2-month visit over 3 months. The mothers were comfortable enough with her to make a winning conviction for 2 literacy classes: one for women who have had at least some primary school education; and the other, for women who have never been inside a classroom. Said one mother: “Men used to say that girls don’t deserve education, that girls must work on a farm waiting for their marriage age. That is not true. We must end this misunderstanding by allowing girls as well as boys to access education.”

Moza’s mission will encompass far more than literacy training. At times joined by other Girl Ambassadors, she will also conduct leadership training for promising young women and community sensitization workshops on the critical importance of girls’ education and mothers’ roles in their children’s education. As important, Moza will be well situated to collaborate extensively with other villagers and school authorities for maximum impact on student learning.

We  are integrating these components into our program in hopes of improving overall success of our young students. We strive to bridge the generational divide between educated and illiterate family members. Through newfound literacy, mothers look forward to playing a more active role in supporting their children’s education.

Thank you for making this progress possible; we hope for your continued support along the way.

Links:

• Video about Girl Ambassadors visit to Rwenena, early 2017

The last school year was not as successful as we had hoped.

We were disappointed to learn that student scores—particularly for last year’s first-grade class—were low. Student attendance was irregular, supplies were left behind, and uniforms were not adequately maintained or worn. The church-owned school management and 3 teachers wanted higher supplemental fees for participation in the program, which we did not approve. Overall, although our activities remained intact, their level of effort did not meet our expectations.

The launch of this school year—with 30 new first graders and a total of 90 sponsored students—was a sober one. With Boniface Rukumbuzi serving as new manager at SAFECO’s headquarters, we held the first of a series of sensitization workshops planned throughout the year. Participants are the principal, the pastor, the teachers, the parent leadership group, and other parents. Boniface explained to them that their lack of responsibility is resulting in poor-quality education and that they cannot rest easy just because bazungu (foreigners from Western cultures) provide funding. The change of mindset needed must be real, not professed.

Here is the community’s challenge:

• Principal: Maintain order and accountability of the school; the results reflect on you and your integrity. Activities must be carefully planned, implemented, and evaluated, with SAFECO monitoring your school's progress at least once monthly.
• Teachers: Take a proactive approach to educating the next generation of Rwenena. Submit student progress reports.
• Parents: Make sure your children attend school regularly with clean uniforms, supplies in hand, and determination to succeed in learning. Follow up with the progress and supervision of your children and of their teachers.

Besides parents realizing that their children’s education has not been what it should be, the principal, pastor, and parent committee were, as Boniface reports, “in shame, and realized that they had not lived up to their educational responsibility. Together, all agreed that this must be a year of recovery for education in Rwenena.” Our new workshops will foster this effort. We will closely monitor the recovery process.

Please affirm your encouragement to the children of Rwenena with a generous donation. For those who trust their memories and calendars, please mark October 2-6 as Giving Week, with Thursday, October 5, as the pro-rated Bonus Day. Otherwise, consider a donation today. Many thanks for your continued support!