School for 600 children victim of war in DR Congo

For almost a year, our region (the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Fizi Territory from the Middle Plateau, on the border with the Province of Tanganyika, passing through the peninsula of Ubwari and the Ngandja Plateau) was administered by the armed group called Yakutumba without affecting the proper functioning of school and sanitary facilities.

This February, the government army launched a counter-offensive in the region. The rebel (The armed group Yakutumbu) was defeated; most surrendered and others fled. For three weeks, all activities were paralyzed. Many people have gone into exile in Burundi or Tanzania.

The School's activities were resumed with 117 students and about 53 left with their parents in exile. As we go along, we count returns.

Regarding the progress of the construction work, the stored material (cement, bricks and reinforcing bars) is intact. However, our two masons went to a shelter in Tanzania. We must replace them to continue building.

The existence of our School in the region is an ongoing challenge to war, all forms of violence and various crimes.

Our School is a call for peace, peaceful resolution of conflicts and dialogue.

Dark plateaus and black hills with deafening sounds of cannons, in full cries of hatred and tears, Glenn Paige Nonkilling School, rises masterfully and sounds the trumpet of peace and love.

Dear Donnors, together let's peace for a new world, for another life. This is the deep meaning of your generous donations.

Through your donations, you call on all belligerents to stop war as one inhabitant of kazimia said in kiswahili "tunachoka na vita", that means in English “we are tired of war”.

We thank you sincerely.

No more killing!

Links:

• http://www.mleci.edublogs.org
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/169165736508152

The 200 students of our School have been on Christmas holidays since yesterday. Two long weeks of rest after a studious and tumultuous first term.

Important facts that marked this period are:

- The success rate during this quarter is satisfactory: 87%. We hope improvements in the coming quarters.

- The teacher of the 3rd elementary school left us to pursue university studies. We had to recruit a (qualified) teacher to replace him.

- We had to release the children for a week following the diarrheal disease (cholera) that hit our area. 6 of our students were hospitalized and unfortunately 2 succumbed. The entire School actively participated in the funeral ceremonies.

- Given the repetitive cycle of this epidemic in our region and of which we are still victims, we decided to rehabilitate, with the support of the populations, an old abandoned public tap, which is on the site of our school under construction so that our students will drink clean water, not Lake Tanganyika water nearby.

This water well will also help the entire local community of Kazimia and reduce the high mortality rate due to diarrheal diseases. Work has just begun. The director of the school understood the stakes and said "Notre Ecole a déjà perdu plusieurs élèves  à cause de cette épidémie. Il est temps que nous ayons de l’eau propre à l’Ecole et que nous contribuons à la bonne santé de notre communauté” this french sentence means « Our school has already lost several  students from cholera. It is time for us to have clean water at school and to contribute to the health of our community”.

- Controversies, demonstrations, imprisonments and deadly repressions that accompany the electoral process in our country create various tensions and are sources of insecurity in several regions. Our school keeps the line of apolitical.

- After the storage of materials, the masons are preparing to finalize the concreting of the walls.

Dear friends, we are proud of your actions. Your generous donations are preparing a new world, a nonkilling society, a better future for thousands of children. Dream together of this world and act for it !

To all,

Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year 2018 !

Links:

• http://www.facebook.com/groups/169165736508152/
• http://www.mleci.edublogs.org