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