Matabaro and Mukwege: Daily Inspiration for Peace and Equality

From our Founding Director, Amani Matabaro, who is a community organizer in every facet of his life, from his work with Action Kivu his commitment to the mission of Rotary International. Read Amani's words, as his Rotary Club delivers medical equipment to Dr. Denis Mukwege for use at the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC: "What an honor being a founding member of the Rotary Club of Bukavu Mwangaza! Today is an unforgettable day whereby my club officially hands over this medical equipment (Digital X-Ray / Brivo-F) to the Panzi Hospital, a life changing project whose vision came from Dr. Mukwege, the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. [The equipment donation] is possible thanks to the generous support of Rotary International District 1620 in Belgium and the Rotary Club of Bukavu Mwangaza in south Kivu, DRC."

Dr. Mukwege is a man whose sense of humility and compassion will inspire you every time you meet him. Today was not the first time I met Dr. Mukwege, but I felt moved by his words calling everyone to make a difference and not just stand idly by doing nothing."No matter where you are, you can make a difference and change the lives of so many, whether through the Panzi Hospital and Foundation, or through Amani's work in education, from literacy to organic farming to sewing workshops to the newly opened Congo Peace School, paving the road for peace ambassadors.

If you want to support this groundbreaking, life-changing school, visit patreon.com/congopeaceschool. Even $3 per month makes a difference, and the need is great, as we grow from four grades to the full school of 12 classes. The school is already changing the lives of the students and staff. Read more about their stories here.

Feminist Manifesto: Teach her to reject likeability

Bulangalire did not hesitate to speak up as we talked about what equality means for women and girls in Congo. "I'm very angry about the discrimination," she said. "My father told me I shouldn't go to school, that my brother should. My father knows he owes me a debt for not putting me in school."

In her book A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes, "Teach her to reject likeability. Her job is not to make herself likeable, her job is to be her full self, a self that is honest and aware of the equal humanity of other people. ... teach her to be honest. And kind. And brave. Encourage her to speak her mind, to say what she really thinks, to speak truthfully. And then praise her when she does." (Eighth Suggestion)

Bulangire speaks her mind, sharing her story in order to change her world: "I got married, and the marriage ended, and I had to move back home. I told my father, see, if I'd had an education, I could be teaching right now."

Bulangalire may have missed her opportunity for a formal education, but thanks to support from Action Kivu's generous donors, she is learning the latest in organic farming, using new skills to grow nutritious food for her family, her community, and to sell to the Congo Peace School so that the students eat healthy meals, grown locally!

If you want to partner with us in this movement for equality, education, and peace, click here to donate today, and consider making it monthly. Our family of monthly donors allows us to plan ahead in sustainable growth.

Congo Peace School: Training in trauma-informed care

The Congo Peace School teachers and staff continue to be trained in the tenets of peace & nonviolence. Amani Matabaro, trained at the University of Rhode Island in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s prinicples, leads the sessions, and reports that the teachers and staff are deeply engaged in the training.

One teacher responded: "We are training and educating these children differently. I wish I had had a chance to get educated on these topics when I was [the students'] age. They will not be violent, they are very lucky to grow up understanding what equality, humility, respect, peace, courage, self-worth and especially what healing and forgiveness mean."During the training last week, the faculty practiced the principles of nonviolence and peace through role-playing, learning to identify and respond to the signs of trauma.Some of the examples given to the teachers and staff to understand when students are showing signs of trauma:

· Weeping/crying for no reasons

· Sadness· They may want to stay very close to a grown up person of their choice because they have fears

· They have nightmares

· They want to stay in isolation

· They show signs of delay in physical development

· Their sleep is disturbed

· They rebel· Disobedience

· Wet the bed beyond the age of 6

· Disrupted appetite

· Physical health issues: stomachache, headache

The teachers are trained to respond to trauma in the following ways, and to immediately refer them to the school counselor.

· Showing or expressing affection to the students, affection can help them to heal

· Take them in their arms and talk to them gently

· Be very patient and nice with them

· Help them express themselves in words or drawings and games for those who can

· They need to be comforted, use easy and clear language with them

· Listen and respond to their questions

· Give them space and time to speak about their dreams

· Encourage them to make friends and build their hopes together

If you want to join the movement, a monthly donation of as little as $3 / month helps us plan for the future as we grow from the current four grades to fill the school's classrooms with all 12 grades. Learn more and make a commitment to peace at https://www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool.

Thank you to our Action Kivu family, members around the world who are part of making this vision of peace a reality!

Pascaline's Determination: Education in Congo

"My plan was to apply for a job at the Congo Peace School, but I realized that priority would be given to those with an education. So I enrolled in Action Kivu's Literacy Program." Pascaline, 18 years old, was only able to attend school through the 3rd grade. Learning to read and write through Action Kivu's adult Literacy Program, Pascaline wants more, to go beyond what we currently offer, and get the equivalent of a GED, to have an official certification that she has the education of a high school graduate, to be able to apply for good jobs, and possibly attend university.We love Pascaline's vision and determination. While DRC *does* have remedial education programs where a student who did not attend school can combine all six grades of primary school into three years, and then all six grades of secondary school in three years, these, like other schools in Congo, are not funded by the government, and Pascaline cannot afford six years of school to get her diploma. As we seek full funding for the Congo Peace School, we look to include the remedial classrooms as "night school" in the future.

Scroll through our site to learn more about how everything we do is based in education, from educating communities in human rights and equality to preventing HIV/AIDS to organic farming. 

Bahati's Education: From Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop to Small Business Studio

Everything we do through your support of Action Kivu is grounded in education - education about equality and human rights that is taught and practiced, education in the new classrooms of the Congo Peace School, daily lessons on the sewing machines or at the blackboard in the Literacy class, or in the dirt of the organic farm, an open-air classroom that is teaching sustainable, healthy food-growing practices.It was an honor to meet one of our graduates in her own new classroom, her sewing studio, where, with the profits from her new business, she was able to invest in a second Singer sewing machine, and charge for lessons for a young high school graduate who plans to study fashion. Meet Bahati, who graduated Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop last year, in the class of 2017. Only 28, Bahati is the sole provider for six children, three of her own, and three of her husband's, who recently passed away. Bahati, who was forced to quit school one year before graduating secondary school, knows the importance of an education, and uses the profits from her sewing business to send her children to school.Bahati has a message for you, the supporters who made it possible for her to learn a new trade and skill, and start her business with a sewing machine. Click on the video below, or here, to hear from her. Invest in education and equality today! Click here to give a one-time or monthly donation.

Sara's New Hope: Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop Community

Sara Quote aug 2018

We hear over and over from the sewing students and recent alumni - how being a part of a community, learning marketable skills, and embracing their equality as women is opening new doors for hope, for planning for the future. Sara, whose father died in the conflict, only attended school through grade 5 of elementary, as her mother couldn't afford the fees. Now 20 and a mother to a three-year-old, Sara lives at the Teen Mother's Center, supported by Jewish World Watch and their partnership with Amani's work, and is a part of the Sewing Workshop, Class of 2018, thanks to our Action Kivu family of donors.  Hope has been restored through living in community with the other teen mothers, and in her sisterhood of sewing students and the graduates who are modeling the way to earning income and creating a new life.

"Being here has taken me out of danger," Sara told us. "Being with others has helped me balance my thoughts and feelings," Sara told us. She had been desperate, but now, "living with others in community gives me hope, I can focus on tomorrow."

This is a marked difference from when we began Action Kivu. On a visit to Congo in 2011, when we asked the first cohorts of students in the Sewing Workshop what they hoped to do with their new machine and skills, the question was often met with silence. Action Kivu's Founding Director Amani Matabaro paused in his translation, and explained, for most of these girls and women, they do not know how to hope for the future. They need to focus on survival for today: how will they feed their children? Will they be safe tonight?

Your investment in Action Kivu's community building work is changing lives, opening the door for the women and girls to step through with their brilliance and determination, bringing back hope and planning for a brighter future for themselves and their children.The impact of your support is palpable in Congo. It is seen in the smiles of the women as they work. It is heard in their voices as they share their stories, hopes, and plans with ease. Please share these stories with others in your community, to help us continue to provide opportunities for peace and hope to flourish!

Nonviolence and Peace Put into Practice: Amani and the Congo Peace School

nonviolence training AK logo Tony Mancilla photog Aug 2018

The Congo Peace School opens its doors on Monday, September 3rd! This month, our Founding Director Amani Matabaro trained the teachers and many of the students in some of the practices of nonviolence and peace. We've posted a video and more photos that are accessible when you support the school via our Patreon page for as little as $3 per month! That's less than a morning latte in most places - can you commit to being a Congo Peace School patron today? Each month you will receive an exclusive video update from the school. www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool

Photo credit: Tony Mancilla

Sewing Student Justine's Plans to Lift up Congo

Justine 2018 quote

Meeting Justine today, it might be hard to tell that she felt scared on her first day at Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop, not knowing what to expect, how to operate a foot-pedal sewing machine. Today she is confident, talking about her plans to start her own business, how she became the matriarch of her family when her mother spent six months in the hospital for a hip problem and her father could not find work.

Justine's parents decided that each of their children should complete elementary school, to be able to read and write, so Justine, now 22, finished 6th grade, but was unable to begin secondary school, in order for her younger siblings to get a basic education. Enrolling in the Sewing Workshop and already earning money from clients in her village, Justine now helps pay the school fees for her siblings. "People ask me to make something, and I bring it here," she says, gesturing to the Mumosho Women's Center, "and my colleagues, my fellow students, help me.""I've seen how working in community makes a difference," Justine says. "Learning sewing skills, I've become part of a family. I know how to sew now, but I'm still learning. We work together on orders, learn from each other. That's community for me."

"I like the word," Justine replied when asked what the word equality means for her. "It means no discrimination. I still feel like men are getting many more chances, and that's not equality. When I come here, I feel safe, and equal."When asked about sharing what she's learning about women's rights and equality, Justine's face lights up. "I always share what I'm learning about equality with the people in my village," she says. "And when I get a sewing machine at graduation, I have a plan. My head is full of skills now. I already help my family, I help buy food and medicine. My mom spent six months in the hospital with a hip problem, and my father has no job, so I took over."I have to do it, but I am not afraid. I feel like when I am successful, I can lift up the entire of Congo in my hands."

In addition to learning the traditional curriculum skills, Justine has joined the alumni group learning to make men's fashion as well. "I want to be able to do it all!" she says.

Thinking about her community, and Congo, "the need is huge. There are many other young girls who could not attend school, who need a program like this. Wherever I go, I am not afraid. I can work, I am empowered.""I want to continue to thank and pray for the people who support this program, it is changing lives."Thanks to your support, girls and women like Justine are discovering the power that they hold, and teaching others.

Read more about the Sewing Workshop here, and please consider a donation today to invest in this life-changing work!

Meet Claudine: Organic Farmer, Future Literacy Student

Claudine with quote july 2018

"I wish I was a child to be able to attend the Congo Peace School! I want to be educated, but I was never given the chance to attend school." Claudine, 25, is one of the farmers learning organic, aquaponic techniques to grow healthy food for herself, her family, and her community. Claudine will start with Action Kivu's Literacy Program in December to pursue her goal of an education, made possible by you, our Action Kivu family of donors!Learn more about our Organic Food for All program here, and about the Congo Peace School on our Patreon page.

Join the movement for equality in education and support our farming program, literacy courses, HIV education and prevention work, and sewing workshop here!

Congo Peace School Student Stories 2018

Shadrack Quote July 2018

To Shadrack, the word peace means stability. "Congo needs that," he told us in July, as he thought about what a school based on the principles of peace and nonviolence will mean for him, his country, and the world. Shadrack lives with his grandparents, after his father, a soldier, died when Shadrack was just six years old, and his mother recently passed away from HIV/AIDS.13 year old Shadrack will enter his first class at the Congo Peace School as a secondary student in grade 1. He's excited to learn who his French teacher will be, and continue to study his favorite subject a this new school. "I've heard the term nonviolence," he said, "but I don't really know what it means.""My only dream is to be admitted to this school," said Shadrack."Oh!" Amani paused in translating for Shadrack. "He says, 'I want to be like Amani, to do the work you are doing, to help others.'"

Amani is Action Kivu's Founding Director and the visionary leader behind all we do in Congo, inspiring the community that peace is possible, and it starts within each of us.  https://www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool

Arsene _ CPS student entering grade 2 secondary - 1

When asked what the term "nonviolence" means to him, Arsene replied: "I've only ever heard of violence, not nonviolence. Our teachers tell us about what is happening in the world, and it is all related to violence." I asked Arsene what expectations he has for this new school, based on the principles of peace and nonviolence. "We never know," he said. "I hear this school will be a blessing. Maybe I will graduate and become president."

From our U.S. ED, who is in Congo reporting on our ongoing programs and the Congo Peace School:

Thank you to the newest members of the Action Kivu Congo Peace School Patreon family. Your monthly commitment helps ensure the ongoing education grounded in peace and nonviolence for students like Arsene, who will enter grade 2 of secondary school at the Peace School this September.

Thank you to all our Patreon donors, Guardian Donors, our partner Dillon Henry Foundation, and PLFDreams for making this vision of peace possible, investing in future peace leaders. It starts here.The need is great, if we reach $650 / month on the Patreon page we can pay 2 of our secondary school teachers a living wage. Jim us for as little as $3 per month!

patreon.com/congopeaceschool

"But I have no uniform."

Our U.S. ED reports from Congo: ​Visiting Action Kivu's Literacy Program, I noticed that one student appeared much younger than the others. Asking the age range​ of the group,​ ​I ​learned that Anouarite, pictured here, is 10 years old. After a few students shared their thoughts on equality and community, and Amani and I started to say our goodbyes, Anouarite stood up and addressed​ our Founding Director and leader​ Amani, telling him she is an orphan who has no one to pay for her education, so she joined the Literacy Program, determined to learn how to read and write. Barely four feet tall, she stood strong​ and confident​ and asked if she could attend the Congo Peace School when it opens in September. Amani said yes on the spot, as part of his criteria to select students is to find those most vulnerable, who have no one to look out for their education, as well as to find strong leadership potential, students willing to assert themselves.​ ​As we celebrated her drive and determination to get an education, she interrupted: "But I have no uniform." Amani assured her that the uniform and supplies are part of the school, and she will be well cared for. ​Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop students and alumni will be paid to make the school uniforms for the 160 students will will launch the school this September in grades 1 & 2 primary, and grades 1 & 2 secondary, part of the synergy that is implemented across much of Action Kivu's work on the ground in Congo.

Anouarite CPS first grade quote logo July 2018

Celebrate Anouarite's courage and determination with a monthly commitment to her education and students like her! A pledge of $3 / month ($36 / year) will purchase 3 uniforms for students at the Congo Peace School. Learn more and sign up at our Patreon Page - www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool