By Eileen Walmsley | Program Manager
We have bid farewell to a busy but fruitful second trimester. It was an eventful season as the girls voted for the new Student Council and their family members selected their representatives for the Parents’ Committee.
This is an important year for me because I promised my mother I’d make her proud and do well in my studies. I’m also a flutist, so I have to practice a lot to achieve my goals. There’s no time to lose!
Alphonsine, Grade 5B
This year, we have placed a special emphasis on health, doing all we can to ensure our girls have both strong bodies and minds. We’ve held assemblies on the importance of basic hygiene in preventing the spread of disease. In particular, the girls have learned how the simple act of washing one’s hands can dramatically decrease rates of infection.
Our girls are not simply our students: they are family. As such, our staff has always considered their health and wellbeing—both inside and outside the classroom—to be of the utmost importance. When Rosa, a student in Grade 6, recently took ill with symptoms of appendicitis, our staff rallied around Rosa and her family. Dr. Franck, head of Malaika’s health program, quickly diagnosed Rosa’s urgent condition. Headmaster Sylvain escorted her to the hospital and oversaw her successful surgery and subsequent recovery. Malaika also offered to cover all of Rosa’s medical expenses. This is particularly significant because at the time of her illness, Rosa’s parents (father Jacques is head of the Parents’ Committee) were already caring for two other sick children, one of whom passed away tragically. Rosa’s story is a perfect example of Malaika’s steadfast commitment to caring for both the minds and the bodies of its students. It also highlights the immense need for safe, reliable health care in Kalebuka and why one of our top priorities is the construction of an infirmary at the School.
Your donations have a direct impact on the lives of these 252 girls, as they allow us to offer a quality health program that will ensure they grow up to be strong women who will be the leaders of their generation. Thank you for joining in this mission to empower Congolese girls and their communities!
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