This school is built in a very poor outlying district of Lubumbashi and caters for children who come from the very lowest of society. Many of their parents are unemployed casual labourers. There is much thieving and banditry in this area. The school itself came into being on the initiative of a mission worker in DR Congo.
Due to this level of poverty in the community, the children’s families are unable to contribute financially to their schooling costs. In a government school in DR Congo half of the teachers’ costs are paid by contributions by the children and the capacity to do this determines whether a child is allowed into the school. This is a government registered school and receives some public funding. Shared Hope provides the balance of the funding to pay for teachers’ salaries, books etc. Porridge is provided three times a week and the school is now engaged in growing crops to minimise the cost of the feeding programme.
There are 350 children in the school who are taught by seven teachers, with half the children coming in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. It is unlikely that these children would have the opportunity of education if this school was not there. It is to the credit of the teachers that they work for whatever salary finance provides and they show a real commitment to the wellbeing of these poor children. This school operates under continuing challenges as this area has experienced significant civil unrest over the years and there continues to be tensions in this part of the country. There have even been incursions of the MaiMai, a rebel group who threaten the stability of this community. In such an unsettled environment enabling children to have an education is doubly important.
