By Amy Baty-Herbert | Project Coordinator
Dear Project Supporters,
The students at Bitame Lucia Nursery and Primary School (BLIS) are back in school and thanks to generous donors like you several students have received tuition support and school supplies. One of the students that started school this year is Nebimi. Ajomuzu Collette Bekaku – Founder and Executive Director of CAPEC, tells the story below about Nebimi who went from working at a car garage at the age of 11 to going to school this year.
On the way to my office, I saw a child working in a garage. I was shocked and decided to have a conversation with him. I asked him “how old are you and why are you not in school?”. He answered, “I am 11 years old”. At this point, a young man approached us and interrupted our conversation. He introduced himself to me as the owner of the garage. So, I asked him “why has he employed a child to work in his garage?”, and he said ... “the father of this boy is a refugee from the Central African Republic, and since he hasn’t any money to sponsor the boy in school, he gave him to me so that he can be trained and be able to take care of himself in the future.” I was emotionally broke and asked the garage owner if I could speak with the boy’s parents. To cut a long story short, before leaving the garage for my office, I asked the little boy what his ambition is and if he is happy receiving the training at the garage? He smiled and said “without education, I will have to forgo my ambition of becoming an influential somebody in society. All I dream of is going back to school”. With the sole support of CAPEC’s scholarship programme, Nebimi is now in school
However, CAPEC later found out that Nebimi has 3 siblings who are not attending school because their parents don’t have the means.
There are many such cases were children, from poor homes, are left on their own and found working in hazardous conditions in different communities. Formal education is the only thing these children are expecting from us. We are deeply convinced that your support can get back these children to school, enabling them to fulfill their full potential.
Donations from generous donors like you will help more children like Nebimi have the opportunity to go to school. Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated. We encourage you to start a monthly recurring donation here. Even a few dollars a month will go a long way. Please also share this with your contacts and invite them to consider supporting this ongoing project. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at GlobalGiving@developafrica.org.
Warmest Regards,
Amy & the Develop Africa Team
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