Give 100 Kids in Angola the Chance to Go to School

Traveling to Angola the first two weeks in June, we visited amazing schools under construction, several completed and awaiting dedication, and some in which kids are in class and learning is taking place!

Upon arrival at Cambanda, a 15-classroom school dedicated in July 2018, we found hundreds of kids in class. The 4th graders were in gym (which is not the norm) – playing soccer, running relay races, and participating in group games. One in which two kids were blindfolded in the center kicking, as students in the circle around them shouted directions until one of them hits the cardboard box, and the cheering explodes. The principal is inspiring and effective, and the school is well-run, clean, orderly, and working beautifully.

An hour inland on a rutted, dirt road, we reached Denda to find students in their white batas (school uniforms) lined up, singing and clapping in welcome. Parents, teachers, and community leaders joined the children to express joy and immense gratitude for the school, and gave us bananas, beans, tangerines, avocados and a goat in thanks!

Our last day was spent at Njele, a school dedicated a year ago, where over 800 students are in new classrooms, and 1200 more kids still long for one. The principal and teachers are dedicated and grateful beyond words. Students shared that they like the quiet of the classroom where they can concentrate without distraction, that they don’t have to carry chairs from their homes, and that even if it is raining, they don’t get wet. One 5th grader added, “…we like your work, and ask that you please continue. Thank you!”

Thousands of kids will have the chance to go to school, and yet there are over 2 million kids without access to primary education. We can give more kids that opportunity. Thanks for your part in making a tangible difference in the lives of others!

The school year in Angola is underway. You see children heading to class, in cities and rural areas, walking on dirt paths, and alongside the road – some attend in beautiful new classrooms, many in temporary structures or under trees, carrying their own stool, chair or can to sit on. Last year, Maria Teixeira, the Education Minister, reported that more than 2 million primary age children are not attending school – for these kids there is no classroom, no teacher, no curriculum, no learning. More than a decade after the end of the 27-year civil war, the country still faces huge socioeconomic problems – poverty, high maternal and child mortality, and illiteracy.

Schools at Caluco and Nharea were dedicated at the end of January. Several are currently under construction, which will give more children access to education in areas of great need. Teachers and students excitedly await the completion of their schools, with real classrooms for the first time, and protection from rain, wind, mud, distraction and noise.

Every child has the right to education, and more kids are in school this year because of your generosity, multiplied by our partnerships... the children, their families, and communities are grateful beyond words. You can help give 28 more kids the chance to go to school, and help us reach our goal. We are part of telling their story, of giving them access to education, of helping make their dreams a reality. Thank you for making a difference!

Links:

• View our schools