Ebola & the Congo Peace School: News, needs, gratitude

Thank you for continuing to give your attention to the people of Congo.

As we noted in our earlier post, the Congo Peace School student body and staff immediately began a response to the Ebola outbreak by engaging in safety and prevent-the-spread protocols as best they can, but we need to wire emergency funding to help ensure the most stringent care. If you can make a gift towards this need, please donate here, and note “Ebola” or “emergency” in your donation.

New needs have come up, as expected. As the Peace School prepares to host the national exams, the staff is assessing the wear and tear on water pipes that need to be fixed for maximum sanitation and safety.

Thanks to an $8500 gift from our preschool partner Nest Global and donors like YOU, we are halfway to $25,000 in support of a broad emergency response, including necessary water pipeline improvements and life-saving needs. Match these generous gifts to help us continue to support students and families during these challenging times. 

That funding will serve not only the 600+ students and staff who are daily engaged at the Congo Peace School campus, but their families and surrounding community​ of more than 80,000, as they take their education about health emergencies in large populations (acronym HELP - something our Founding Director Amani Matabaro was trained in at Johns Hopkins University)​. Education about how Ebola is spread is critical to stop this from escalating, and part of our needs include printing flyers and posters to reach those in surrounding rural communities.

The people of eastern Congo are already terrorized by the ongoing violent occupation of armed militia – which in turn creates greater risk of spreading Ebola as people flee their homes from violence. Reliable water supplies allow frequent handwashing with soap, the cleaning of contaminated surfaces and safe disposal of waste. The local health facilities treating Ebola patients generate large amounts of contaminated waste such as personal protection equipment, and adequate water is is essential for disinfecting equipment, and laundering protective clothing. In villages, clean water will prevent cholera outbreaks, dysentery and other waterborne diseases that can overwhelm an already fragile health system.

Ebola update:

"On Monday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ... has said the Ebola outbreak is outpacing urgent efforts to scale up a response adding that responders were "playing catch-up'.

"Ebola has also been reported in DR Congo's North and South Kivu provinces, as well as in neighbouring Uganda, where there have been seven confirmed cases." (SOURCE: BBC)

Thank you for your partnership in this life-saving and world-changing work.

In gratitude with our Congo Peace School founding partner The Dillon Henry Foundation,

Rebecca Snavely and Amani Matabaro
Executive Director       Founding Director

DONATE HERE

Congo Peace School Ebola Response & Emergency Funding: Action Alleviates Anxie

Last weekend, news broke about a strain of Ebola in eastern DRC that, at the time of writing this, is a “has no proven vaccine and kills about a third of those infected. So far, the outbreak centred on DR Congo has resulted in 177 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases.” (Source: BBC) The Congo Peace School student and staff immediately began engaging in safety and prevent-the-spread protocols as best they can, but we need to wire emergency funding to help ensure the most stringent care. If you can make a gift towards this need, please donate here, and note “Ebola” or “emergency” in your donation.

The total needed (see details below) is $8500, for cleaning supplies with chlorine, hand soap, thermometers (every student and staff member will have their temperature taken before entering the campus each day). A ventilated tent will be used for rapid isolation of anyone showing symptoms, before they can be safely transferred to a nearby clinic.

That funding will serve not only the 600+ students and staff who are daily engaged at the Congo Peace School campus, but their families and surrounding community​ of more than 80,000, as they take their education about health emergencies in large populations (acronym HELP - something our Founding Director Amani Matabaro was trained in at Johns Hopkins University)​. Education about how Ebola is spread is critical to stop this from escalating, and part of our needs include printing flyers and posters to reach those in surrounding rural communities.

The people of eastern Congo are already terrorized by the ongoing violent occupation of armed militia – it is heartbreaking to put ourselves in their shoes, in their classrooms, in their homes, in the clinics where a loved one enters violently ill, and then, if they cannot be saved, must be buried without the traditional ceremonies due to the risk of spread, even after death. (Reuters article here.)

A friend once taught me the therapeutic mantra “action alleviates anxiety.” One way to take action today is to help the Congo Peace School purchase these preventative tools, as well as to continue to invest in the powerful, live-saving work of the school. You are literally saving lives through your support: students who wouldn’t have enough to eat at home are fed nutritious meals, students who have trauma that might lead to self-harm are given therapy and healing modalities to find self-love and connection to their community. And now, together, we can help prevent the spread of this deadly disease and stop further unnecessary death and grief.

$105 buys 30 boxes of gloves

$120 buys 3 thermometers

$200 buys 40 face shields

$240 buys 40 protective gowns

$300 buys 10 boxes of soap (the Congo Peace School has running water and multiple handwashing sinks)

$400 buys 100 boxes of masks

$500 buys 50 liters of hand sanitizer

$2,000 buys multiple posters and flyers to spread the word and educate folks in rural communities on how to prevent the spread of Ebola

$3500 buys a large, ventilated tent for temporary isolation until an ill person can be safely transferred to a clinic.

A good follow on Instagram is Moses Sawasawa - @mosessawasawa (the photojournalist who took this photo) - he is thoughtfully reporting on the daily experiences of folks in eastern Congo as the story unfolds.

*See updates on blog feed*

Spring at the Congo Peace School: Positive vs "obnoxious" peace, updates from alumni + tree planting to practice nonviolence

I first heard the term positive peace when I began working with Amani Matabaro. Previously, I’d not been taught much about Martin Luther King Jr.’s concepts of peace and nonviolence beyond the overarching ideas referenced in quotes every February. Amani (whose name translates as “peace” in Swahili), not only amplifies King’s teachings about positive peace, but, through your support, is instilling the foundations of it in the children in eastern Congo, in the midst of war.

In a sermon titled “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious,” King taught that “Peace is not merely the absence of some negative force—war, tension, confusion, but it is the presence of some positive force—justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God.”

Before meeting Amani, I’d not thought deeply about the implications of negative (obnoxious) peace, “this peace of escapism, this peace that fails to confront the real issues of life, the peace that makes for stagnant complacency,” as King explained. From my place of privilege, I’d not explored the question: what does positive peace look like when embodied, and even more so, made real in a region decimated by decades upon decades of violence?

The current war in Congo, this most recent outbreak of active violence that started in January 2025, drags on, despite occasional headlines that give a surge of hope for peace​, reports that tout a return to the negative peace that has been the status quo​ for the people of Congo living in extreme poverty and outbursts of violence while the world is enriched by the country’s rare earth minerals, a norm that Amani and his community of civil society leaders have been working to change for over 30 years. This active war and occupation of M23 in cities in eastern Congo must end, and the implementation of positive peace must be closely monitored, with civil society advocates leading the way.

Through Amani and his community building in Congo, you too are a partner with the people of Congo in creating positive peace, through your gifts of money and attention. Together, we’ve been laying the groundwork for positive peace in building capacity for equality for women and girls and an end to domestic violence and rape as a weapon of war. We’ve been working to eradicate violence in word and deed through trauma healing. We’ve been planting trees to address the climate crisis (read more below). We’ve been planting seeds to feed families and teaching vocational skills and literacy to alleviate extreme poverty. Together, we’ve all been planting seeds of hope and a better future in the students attending the Congo Peace School.

As spring unfolds in eastern Congo, trees are leafing and fruit is starting to grow to feed the Peace School students and their community. Students are continuing to weather the war through the hope for lasting, positive peace that the school teaches is possible.

Six of the graduates of the Congo Peace School [CPS] are currently attending university, thanks to our CPS founding partner, the Dillon Henry Foundation’s Harriet Zaretsky. Harriet embodies putting her money where her mouth is (and heart / soul); when she first heard Amani speak about his dream of a school rooted in the teachings of peace and nonviolence, she found the means to build the campus and then engage many of her community in committing the funds to pay teachers, feed the students, and buy supplies alongside Action Kivu supporters. When the first class of seniors graduated in 2023, Harriet started a scholarship program for six of the top students, three young women and three young men. (We wish we could send more students to higher education, but first we must meet the Peace School’s annual budget, and secure funding for that year-over-year. More on how to help with that below!)

One of the college students recently needed to take a break. The six in university are supported not only financially but also by regular visits from one of the CPS staff members. After speaking to the young man who was struggling, it was agreed he needed to continue in his psychological healing before he could take on the rigors of university.

When he stepped away, a CPS alumnus named Kaliwe was chosen to take his place. Kaliwe graduated in 2024 at the top of the class, and is known as “a friend of books,” Amani shares.

We had first highlighted Kaliwe in an update in 2020, pictured holding a book about Napoleon. (Whatever your take on Napoleon, know that Kaliwe was introduced to this part of world history in the context of the Peace School’s curriculum that elevates and platforms local leadership and decolonizing one’s mind.)

Kaliwe today:

Kaliwe was 11 years old when he first came to the Congo Peace School. He lived with his mother and five older brothers at the time, one of whom was also a CPS student. Now in university, Kaliwe shares: “I am studying Business Information Systems and English. I made this choice thoughtfully, because I am convinced that today's world demands both technical skills and an international outlook. English allows me to communicate beyond my borders and access a vast world of knowledge, while Business Information Systems gives me the necessary tools to analyze, organize, and solve real-world problems in businesses and organizations.

“When I received my state diploma from Congo Peace School, my future still seemed uncertain, but I always held into a great hope and determination. I dreamed of one day setting foot on university campuses and pursuing higher education to acquire solid knowledge and skills that would allow me to build a better future. Despite everything, I remained determined to move forward and not abandon my ambitions and dream. I had nobody to support my university education until the founder of the Peace School sent Mr. Bertin to ask me if I could take a spot of a student who had stepped down and that day was a big joy in my lifetime.

“For me, education represented a gateway to a better future. I wanted not only to succeed academically, but also to become someone capable of making a positive contribution to my community and my country in general.

“After completing my university studies at the Universite Officielle de Bukavu, if possible, I would like to pursue a master's degree in either data science (artificial intelligence) or computer networks. My goal is to deepen my knowledge in one of these strategic fields in order to better understand and master modern technologies. I am convinced that these fields play a vital role in the development of today's world and especially the DRC which needs to make good use of its critical minerals and Artificial Intelligence and IT skills have a great role to play in this sector. In the long term, I hope to use these skills to contribute to a better future for the DRC, by providing technological solutions adapted to the realities of our country, particularly in systems management, communication, and innovation, despite current challenges (the war in the East). I also want to be part of this generation working for peace, progress, and stability using my academic skills.”

We asked Kaliwe, What would you like people in other parts of the world to know about you and about Congo Peace School?

“I would like people in other parts of the world to know that, despite the challenges we face, particularly in eastern DRC, I remain determined to continue my studies and build a better future. There is war going on and we need solidarity of the rest of the world to step in and put an end to this war.

“As for me, I would like them to understand that I am a committed young person, driven by a desire to learn, grow, and contribute positively to my community. My journey hasn't always been easy, but it has taught me resilience, perseverance, and the importance of never giving up on one’s dreams. I am who I am because of the solidarity of the supporters of Congo Peace School.”

Amani asked the same question of Samuel, one of the university students and Peace School alumni. He texted Amani the following: 

Congo Peace School, Beacon of Hope

“In a world where education is often a luxury, the Congo Peace School is a beacon of hope. Congo Peace School is more than a school, it is a fountain where broken and stolen dreams return to life, a place where broken hearts regain courage. Many among those who were about to give up regain strength and move forward. When you see darkness, Congo Peace School is a candle of light. 

“Congo Peace School is that hand we have been given to move towards a bright future. Congo Peace School is that voice that you hear every day telling you that you can make it, you can achieve your goals. It's a school from where you do not get only the intelligence from books, but you grow with positive character, hope and peace within. Many young people like me who thought there was no hope for a new future, that school made me feel everything was just beginning.

“Thank you to this school that is building leaders, shaping a destiny and is a living example of how peace is built from within and through education. May Congo Peace School live longer and keep educating our spirits and remain that place to heal our souls.”

I don’t know about you – but I needed to hear all of this from these students today. As Amani has said so many times, the world is torn apart, but together, we can repair the world. We cannot do this without you!

Ways to take action to keep the Congo Peace School open, educating children, and providing the means for lasting positive peace:

1.     Donate! A huge thank you to those of you who give annual gifts as Guardian Donors (folks giving $5K or more at a commitment of three years) and those who give generously either annually or monthly via Patreon or our Action Kivu website. If you’re not committed financially, please consider even $3 a month. We know times are extremely tough for many right now.

2.     Invite others to partner with the people of Congo: host a small gathering, a coffee meet-up, a dinner, and share some of the stories from Congo and why you continue to turn your attention to the children and their communities there. Invite others into the movement for peace through healing and education. More stories are here.

3.     Introduce us to a board member of a foundation you know! We can take it from there, setting up a zoom with Amani and beginning that relationship of trust.

GROUNDEDNESS & TREE PLANTING:

Within the Peace School’s curriculum, the students and staff learn not only the six principles of nonviolence from Martin Luther King, Jr., but also 64 daily practices, linked here. Earlier this spring, the Peace School students focused on the nonviolence practice of groundedness, learning to consciously calm oneself in difficult moments by remembering our connection to the ground and to our environment. The practical aspect of the lesson took the students outdoors, to plant seedlings. The marsh farm near the school that Action Kivu has long supported for community farming, animal husbandry, fishing ponds and regenerative farming practices offered the nursery space for the seedlings to grow and be planted during rainy season in March.

Each secondary school student planted three trees, mindful of their connection to the earth as they dug their fingers into the rich soil, as well as contemplating how the trees play a role in combatting climate crisis and preventing the degradation of the soil, shoring up the land against biodiversity loss and pollution. Inherent in the hands-on approach of learning the principles of nonviolence, the tree planting is also an implementation of Zero Waste Education, empowering future generations. This summer, the nursery will yield fruit trees for each student to take home and plant at the community level, to provide nutrition for local families.

This final photo is Anouarite, a student whose path we have highlighted since the construction of the Congo Peace School. At that time, Anouarite had joined the adult women’s literacy program, so desperate to get an education that her family could not afford to give her. She boldly asked Amani if she could be a student when the Peace School opened, and has flourished ever since.

May Anouarite’s open hands, covered in the rich dirt from planting trees that will bring her community cleaner air and fresh fruit, be a reminder of our gratitude to you for investing in the lives of the children of Congo, in healing trauma, and in creating positive peace for us all.

Unreported stories of war, plus hope, curiosity, and healing at the Congo Peace School

Driving to the grocery store and listening to the radio, I heard the words “in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, government forces supported by militia groups are engaged in fierce fighting with M23 rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda.”

I audibly gasped – a news story on All Things Considered about the war in Congo? With all the horrors in the world’s and nation’s news cycles, it’s not common to hear about DRC without specifically searching for a story. (And with all the horrors of the news cycle, we appreciate you turning your attention to Congo right now, and sharing in the stories of the folks who are so often overlooked while we all benefit from the wealth being extracted from their country.)

The story is not a run of the mill report, but in merely four minutes they speak to soldiers and survivors and touch on some of the causes of the war. One soldier with the Congolese army noted that he has not been paid in six months. How does one survive without pay, you might ask (as we all hear increasing reports of AI taking jobs). If you’re a civilian, people are NOT surviving.

Below, reports on how the war, now over a year old, is killing folks through hunger and preventable disease, and how your partnership with the Congo Peace School community is actually saving lives.

Also below, some of the students share what life has been like for them at the school during these first months of the new year, and send a message of thanks.

And lastly, we need your help / connections / ideas for a musician for an upcoming fundraising event. The backstory: for several years the Congo Peace School has been generously supported not only by you, but through our Founding CPS Partner the Dillon Henry Foundation, we have received annual funding from the Judy Bork Trust, ranging from $50K to over $100K per year. That support has come to an end, as planned by Judy herself, to fully spend the trust in a specific period of time. We are so grateful for that support, and received some sustainability funding from the trustees as well, and plan to use some of the funds towards a big fundraiser to bring more and more people together and raise some significant money to keep this critical school open.

To do that, we need a name that will draw people who will buy tickets! Do you have a connection to a popular, amazing musician that you could introduce us to? Other ideas to find someone? Email me (Rebecca) at actionkivu@gmail.org.

Unreported effects of war

Our Founding Director Amani Matabaro shared how before the war, the women in the Mumosho community used to earn small amounts of money through small shops, selling goods to local Congolese neighbors that they had purchased wholesale across the border in Rwanda. With the sales, they were able to feed their children a small amount of food each day. Mothers, Amani said, used to do cross-border trade, to keep their children alive.

The war has closed borders and banks in Congo. For those women who *are* able to cross into Rwanda, they are no longer offered wholesale prices, so there is almost zero profit for their labor. Women are not able to feed their children. Even more students at the Congo Peace School only eat because of your support and our cafeteria. (With the banks closed, our team has created a workaround with checks and mobile money, and your donations are making the most impact possible.)

The destruction of USAID support in Africa without a plan in place for local communities to work towards building that infrastructure has also killed people who were depending on medicines and vaccines – your support of the Congo Peace School, whether it is through a financial gift, a bake-sale, or connecting us to others who can help, will save lives, and invests in a future of peace-filled leaders. As Amani often reminds us, trauma not transformed is transferred.

These students are transforming their trauma:

Young students in blue Nest Global sweaters (the Congo Peace School’s preschool partner) bounce on a trampoline inside a safety enclosure.

Bahati Akonkwa Emmanuel

“I am in 2nd grade of secondary school (7th grade in the U.S. system) at the Peace School, and I’m 13 years old. I live with my grandmother; I don’t know where my parents are since this war broke out. This is the most difficult situation I’ve ever lived in my life. I am praying every day to see this war come to an end. I like the Congo Peace School, at least [here] you have support when you feel exhausted, hopeless and anxious, our school trauma program is highly helpful.”

Mwaka Munguakonkwa Jean de Dieu

“I am 18 years old, in the 5thgrade of secondary at the Congo Peace School (11th grade in the U.S. system). I live with my mother, my father passed away. I have five brothers and two sisters. My mother sustains us as a family by doing small scale agriculture after her other small trade business was ended when the war in our country broke out. I am here at the Peace School as a new student as we were forced to flee our home and learned the surrounding area of the Peace School was safe, and this is how we settled in Mumosho. The Peace School is better than where I was studying before. Peace and Nonviolence are good subjects to talk about even if there is war going on right now in our country. This war is all about minerals, we did not know before until we started seeing almost all the agreements are about the minerals the DRC has.”

 Faraja Mihigo Nice

“I am 10 years old, and am in 5th grade of elementary school at the Peace School, which has become home for me. This time of war is very difficult, we are suffering. We are living with fear because you do not know what could happen, anything could happen any time. We have no money to buy food, medical care, and other things we need. I wonder if the Congo Peace School was not taking care of us what would happen, maybe we would have died.”

Amani shared recently how it feels the world has turned away from the suffering of the people of Congo. World leaders know that the critical minerals are being smuggled across the border to Rwanda, washed and put into our supply chains, making all of our lives easier and richer, with our cell phones and laptops and electric cars and airplane engines, blood minerals that fuel a life that these innocent faces have to endure in fear of violence and not knowing if they will eat enough to survive.

We are grateful beyond the words we have to express the gratitude, that you have turned your attention to the innocent children of Congo. For you to share these stories with others so our circle of connection and work for peace around the globe continues to grow. That you are investing in a future of peace and social justice for us all by investing in peace in Congo.

“Thank you so much to Congo Peace School! Thank you! Asanteni!”

Bonus: We will soon have bananas to supplement the students’ meals! Amani’s daughter Blessing majored in agronomy in university, and wanted to put her new knowledge to use to benefit the students at the Congo Peace School. The young banana trees were purchased with Action Kivu funds from an agricultural research center, and will be part of the regenerative farming plan, especially necessary after a company working on the road above the marsh farm dumped infertile dirt onto the land. We will soon know more about the harvest yield and will share that with all of you, our beloved community.

Blessing at work

Take action for these kids in Congo:

• Share this post with one person you think may not know about the Congo Peace School

• Read or listen to the four minute news report here.

• Call your representatives and let them know you want the U.S. to take more action to end Rwanda’s support of the M23 and their takeover of Congo and its minerals. (Read the latest DRC News Monitor from our friends at PAEMA to learn more about the latest news from Congo.)

• Host a baking party for a sale or dinner party in which you read about Congo and talk about our connection with the people there.

• Donate – your gift helps us keep the doors open so these children can access a quality education rooted in peace, nonviolence, and equality, healing, curiosity, and joy.