From preparing for exams to tending onion nurseries, the students at the Congo Peace School learned hands-on about the value of patience, care, and hope this past month. We heard from three of them for our April update!
Arsene, April 2021
"I am always happy to be here at the Congo Peace School, my home, my new hope, my beloved community. This past month I focused on preparing for my exams, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to have this lovely space to get an education. Working on the farm preparing the nurseries for red onions was great this month, it’s amazing to learn to put seeds in the soil and watch them become plants, grow and become food or money. I learned patience and courage and the care it requires to make sure they grow.” – Arsene, 4th grade secondary
Arsene, 2015
Shortly after Cate Haight and I founded Action Kivu in the U.S. in 2010, we traveled together to Congo, and Arsene was one of the children we met, over a decade ago. His father murdered near a gold mine, Arsene was brought into Action Kivu’s family through Amani’s loving network of support for education assistance and job training. That initial welcoming embrace planted the seeds for Arsene to be part of the first cohort of the Congo Peace School.
I met up with Arsene again in July 2018, when I visited as the Congo Peace School was under construction, and again in September 2018, after Arsene had newly begun his education there. Over the course of those months, I asked him twice about his definition of nonviolence, a core principle of the school.
Before Arsene began classes at the Congo Peace School, 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 hear this school will be a blessing. Maybe I will graduate and become president.”
Arsene, July 2018
From September, 2018: Now a student at the Congo Peace School, Arsene defines nonviolence as "a way leading to peace, love, and equality." His understanding of peace has already deepened: "I think nonviolence is needed everywhere, with my classmates and at home with my mom and siblings. At this school, we have people who care deeply about us, they give us food, school uniforms, pens. The teachers do not beat us, they do not shout at us, the school principal and teachers encourage us to read books. We feel very safe in this school."
It’s fitting that regenerative, sustainable farming is a foundation that feeds into the Congo Peace School and community. Your partnership in giving is water that creates the fertile soil for children like Arsene to flourish!
Francine, April 2021
When Francine's father died, her family was unable to afford to send her to school, and she was forced to drop out. Two years later, she was able to resume her education thanks to our Congo Peace School supporters, and at 18, she is now in 4th grade of secondary school. When Amani asked what she had learned during the month of April, first Francine laughed and laughed, then paused and smiled: “This month of April I spent much of my time reading my notes to prepare for exams, they are going on and I am hoping for the best. I also enjoyed time on the farm working on different activities. I most liked transplanting the onions from the nurseries to the farm to start preparing them for growth. All it requires is attention and care on a constant basis. I learned care and patience!”
Musezanciko, April 2021
“The month of April we focused on two things: preparing for our semester exams and working on the farm to connect with our nature and soil," Musezanciko, an 18 year old student in 4th grade secondary. "This is our second week of the exams and they are going well, while the crops at the school farm we worked on are also growing well. When you learn to plant something, you need to be patient and hopeful. Learning to grow plants as we are doing at the Congo Peace School connects us with the soil and what we eat and this means a lot for me, to understand that we have the power to grow healthy crops using the animal manure in the compost.“
Thank you for your commitment to the students, staff, and community of the Congo Peace School!
Please join us in a fun, entertaining game night to benefit the school on Saturday, May 15th. Details & RSVP here, and please invite friends and family!
