By Annette Scarpitta | Project Leader
Life in Democratic Republic of the Congo has never been easy, but increasingly, political unrest has sparked renewed armed clashes, including in South Kivu, the region of our project. At 4AM on February 28, the Rwenena community experienced a skirmish between the Congolese army and rebel groups. The event was initiated by the plundering of cows, so critical to the local economy (for more on cattle-related conflicts in the area, see article link).
Following the skirmish, the women and children of Rwenena fled while the men stayed behind. Thanks to the welcoming generosity of the more secure village of Luberizi, our school relocated to the church there, where classes have been held. One can only imagine the fear and trauma that the community has experienced.
With security so uncertain since our last report, we postponed the prolonged stay of our Girl Ambassador, Moza. This week she traveled to Luberizi to assess the feasibility of her 3-month stay to serve the community, including with literacy training for mothers and a workshop for parents. Unfortunately, communications systems between Luberizi and SAFECO headquarters in Bukavu have been too unstable to receive her report. We will provide that information in our next report to you. Please know that we put safety and well-being of our staff ahead of non-essential services. In the meantime, the children are still learning.
Why continue to support such an unstable community and a generally unstable nation? Funders and investors often freeze all developmental activities in such environments. But for the single village we serve, it’s personal. The children and parents need your support now more than ever. We still plan to lead two literacy classes for mothers. We still plan to hold a community workshop informing the parents of their rights and responsibilities regarding their children's education. And we remain vested in providing for children’s education where otherwise there would be none. Our timeline may be uncertain, but our commitment is not. Thank you for your critical support during this challenging time.
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