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.

Blank Chalkboards, Roses, and Our Attention: Congo Peace School and Peace in the Midst of War, with Messages from the Students

“As long as there is no justice, millions of peace agreements can be signed but nothing will change on the ground if the perpetrators are not held accountable.” – Amani Matabaro

With the distant pops of gunfire and threat of encroaching war part of daily life, it’s hard to imagine how the students at the Congo Peace School (CPS) are still laughing and playing on the school’s campus, and yet they are. They are, also, stressed and shaken from passing armed soldiers on their walks to school, from learning that a friend or family member was killed.

I’ve been to the Congo Peace School several times, from its construction in 2018, when I ducked under beams and watched a section of blank wall painted into a blackboard. A rectangle now demarcated by a deep charcoal color that holds anticipation and the unknown – future mathematical challenges to be puzzled out on it, a space to hold language and stories written by small hands gripping chalk.

I met and recorded the stories of the community members excited to be hired to lay the foundation of such a special school, a beautiful campus ​and Amani's long-time dream of a peace school made possible through the Dillon Henry Foundation and the financial support of many of you reading this. Once opened in the fall of 2018, I heard the gleeful laughter and sound of feet running around the grounds. In the summer of 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to celebrate with the first graduating class: students who had been orphaned by war and AIDS and poverty, or whose parents could not afford the nominal school fees of the nearby public schools, were now celebrated as success stories of diligence and perseverance in their studies.

The Congo Peace School remains open in the current war. But the students are in survival mode, traumatized on a daily basis amidst armed violence, the sound of gunfire, stories of a beloved friend, family member, or neighbor killed. There are protocols that inform them and their families if it is safe to walk to school that day – a place that for many of them is the only chance to eat a meal.  

How do you speak of peace when surrounded by violence? How do you act in nonviolence in the midst of gunfire? Those chalkboards still hold their promise, and the students continue to write their own stories of dreams and hopes for a future where they have peace, so they can pursue lives as doctors, teachers, social-workers, chefs, parents, artists, all the dreams we all share, regardless of where we live.

We asked the staff to speak to the preschool teachers, current preschool students, and several who matriculated into primary from the preschool classes (called Nest Congo, and possible because of the amazing work of our partner Nest Global) what their experiences have been, and how pedagogy rooted in curiosity, agency, peace, healing, and nonviolence has changed them.

“I thought that school was just for learning to read and write, but I already understand that school also helps us to think and define our dreams. I like Congo Peace School (CPS) because of the subjects we are taught. I will be surrounded by good people and have good relationships with everyone, studying in good conditions. 

“Regarding the DRC, I want the whole world to know that we are going through times of war, that hatred must be put aside so that peace can return.”

-              Nouria, 6th grade student and alum of the Nest Congo

“The difficulties I encounter in teaching 4-year-olds are that they get stressed when they hear the sound of gunfire, which has become more frequent lately. When I arrive in class, I bring them in to help them forget certain things.”

-              Congo Peace School preschool teacher Cibalonza

Shortly after a peace deal signed in Washington D.C. between DRC and Rwanda on December 4, the armed violence escalated in the eastern provinces of Congo. The Congo Peace School provides a safe space for students to not only learn, eat healthy meals, and also process the daily trauma from living in a war.

It can feel helpless to look at the violence and resulting suffering of so many in the world, and we are grateful that you continue to turn your attention to the people of Congo. Know that your attention and your financial support is making a lifelong impact in the ​lives of the student​s, staff​, and the community, who are practicing daily the peace and healing they long to see in their ​world.

“The message about my life and my country is that I am a little girl who loves peace and fears violence. I ask everyone outside the DRC to fight and dialog so that the war in our country will end, and we will congratulate them.”

-              Ines Imara, 3rd grade

Rape as a weapon of war, an ongoing horror for the past 30 years in Congo, has escalated as well during this war. Content warning: this piece reports on the rape of children. If you are able to, please read it. Please ring the alarm bells by telling others about it – about the war in DRC, about how the children and communities who simply want peace are living in constant trauma. How we benefit from the land and labor of Congo – its minerals fueling our tech. How we can make a difference – investing in daily lessons in peace and trauma-informed education by supporting the Congo Peace School.

::Take Action::

Call your representatives and tell them you are paying attention to what the government is doing in light of the horrific humanitarian crisis. Scroll down to learn more about how pressure on Rwanda is working (see PAEMA’s recent news bulletin, link below).  Tell them you do not want a celebration of the riches that the minerals and economic deals might provide, but a real plan for de-escalation, for disarmament of militias and accountability for war crimes, for reintegration into civil society. For investment in education and jobs in Congo so that people are not so desperate that they pick up a gun in order to eat that day.

If you are able to, please choose Action Kivu as part of your year-end gift giving. Your partnership allows students like Ines and Nouria and the little ones currently in the preschool program (see below) know that the world is paying attention, that we care about them. How to give, here.

We refuse to turn away from these students. They are our hope for the future peace of Congo, and our world.

“My best memory of preschool is the corrections the teachers kept giving us. Since preschool was our foundation and inspiration, we continue to refer to it even in some classes when answering questions.

“Before preschool, I thought school would be difficult, but when I started, I didn't find anything difficult. I like CPS because the teachers are experts in their subjects.

“We are at war in the DRC, and we are asking for help because life has become very difficult and uncertain here.

“Attending preschool prepared us to think carefully and adapt to higher grades. When I was still at home, I was told that children are whipped at school, and that scared me, but once I arrived, I found that my teachers loved me and didn't hit me.

“Let the whole world know that we are suffering from war, and let them come to our aid.

“I would like to thank the teachers at CPS for their kindness and for teaching me to think for myself.”

-              Ampire, 5th grade

Our Founding Director Amani Matabaro shared more of his thoughts: “Economic drivers, especially the illegal exploitation of Congo's critical minerals through foreign interference, have been at the center of the ongoing Congo crisis which unfortunately is now spilling over into the entire African Great Lakes Region.  As long as the culture of impunity remains and no one holds accountable the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rape will continue being used as a weapon of war, millions of people will be forced to flee their homes and livelihoods, children will continue to be forced into fighting, and the final consumers of the conflict minerals will remain willingly and unwillingly involved in the illegal  and nontransparent supply chain. This crisis needs individual and global attention.”

“I love Congo Peace School because it teaches us peace, reconciliation, and good values. My message to the whole world is that I love all our friends who care about us and support us, but please know that we are suffering. We want the war to end. We are losing our parents, friends, and brothers in this war.”

-              Akonkwa, 3rd grade

“My best memory of preschool is games and poems. Those of us who went to preschool find it easier to adapt to questions asked in class compared to the others. Before, I thought school would be the hardest thing, but I found it very easy. I liked preschool.

“I am Nice, a girl from the DRC. I want people to understand that we are suffering because of this war.”

-              Faraja Nice, 5th grade

CURRENT PRESCHOOL STUDENTS

“I prefer the art area. I like the art area because I can write whatever I want, such as drawing people, houses, etc.”

-              Munguampire, preschool student

“I prefer the construction area because I want to build a house. I like magic squares.”

-              Kamerhe, preschool student

“I prefer coloring books in the library. I like the library area because I can see colored drawings. I like coloring every day.”

-              Cikuru, preschool student

More news on Congo:

From our friends at PAEMA via their DRC news monitor:

On 19 December in New York, Security Council members unanimously voted on the renewal of MONUSCO for a year (more information on the negotiations is available through the Security Council Report). The U.S. representative stated that the negotiations had been disrupted by ‘Rwandan and M23 efforts to sabotage a viable peace process’ and called M23’s commitment to withdraw from Uvira ‘not sufficient’, instead asking the group to withdraw at least 75 kilometers from the city.

(Head over to PAEMA’s DRC News Monitor for their special focus on the capture of Uvira and its fallout, the implications for a wider regional war, and the heavy humanitarian casualties, and the U.S. response.)

​Your commitment to the people of Congo is making a difference. I recently read a metaphor by Thich Nhat Hanh in his book How to See that described a different way to look at and see an object, a rose in this instance, as a way into understanding our interbeing with the entire cosmos. It cracked open a little greater understanding of Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings for me. (CLICK HERE for pdf of How to See, - page 20 for Looking Into the Rose.)

By your choice to focus on the place and people of Congo in this light, with this attention to their human rights - the right to live and live in peace - this attention is changing your own view of our interconnectedness, and thus leading to more and more interconnectedness and actions for justice and human rights for all. 

​"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”​ - Martin Luther King, Jr. from Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

​Thank you so much for your gifts, of financial support and of your attention. They mean more than you know. 

Amidst war, the Congo Peace School celebrates the class of 2025, and starts a new school year with song

Was there a moment in your life when you felt seen for who you might become? A teacher or parent or friend who gave you a word of encouragement, that in hindsight was a turning point for you?

When Amani Matabaro, our Founding Director and the visionary leader behind the Congo Peace School’s curriculum, learned the 2025 results of the national exams for the Congo Peace School students, he had a call with many of this summer’s graduating class. “I told them, some of you got better scores than I did when I took this test!” he said. “You could do more in the world than I have!” (A recent Harvard Fellow, speaker of many languages, trained in several studies around public health, pedagogy, and peace, Amani is a marvel in his own right.)  I wonder, for how many of those students, that message will sink in and inspire them to overcome the obstacles that this world has unfairly placed in the way of the people of Congo.

I marvel at the mission of this school and its success thus far, thanks to your partnership, and the commitment of the teachers, staff, students, and community: to serve the poorest and most in-need children in that region, which, in the world, are some of the most overlooked and underserved children on the planet. 100% of the students in both primary school 6th grade and secondary school 6th grade (12th grade in the U.S.) passed, many with honors, while, we are sad to report, a majority of the students in the surrounding schools failed.

These are kids who sometimes take care of themselves when they’re not in school, orphaned and living with relatives who can barely afford to feed their biological children, let alone a niece or nephew.

These are kids who, with your support, now not only feel seen and loved, that their story matters, but also that their potential and possibility for learning and being leaders is endless. 

Amani shared his thoughts in a brief video here, and, with the new school year (2025/2026) having started on September 1, sent a couple videos of the students stepping outside the classroom to sing and dance, including our preschool kids, supported by our amazing partner, Nest Global.

This, in the midst of war, where the campus is a haven of peace. (Scroll to the end of this post to read an excerpt from an earlier post about the safety protocols the school has instigated to best protect the students and staff as they decide each day it is safe to open the school.)

Amani highlighted one of the graduating class of 2025, Cubaka Germain, a great soccer player, Amani notes (Amani a proud footballer himself). Cubaka was an orphan who was in the Educational Assistance Program we started several years ago, before the CPS was built, with the support of many of you, our longtime partners, with Jewish World Watch, and with years of support from our community in Rhode Island. We started paying for Cubaka’s school fees in elementary school, before he transferred to the Congo Peace School.  

Cubaka in primary school, before the Congo Peace School was built.

He just scored 76% on the national exam. (In terms of the U.S. GPA standards, this is graduating with honors.)

Cubaka, Congo Peace School Class of 2025

Denise Bora was also part of the Education Assistance program, and is now a brilliant high school graduate. She is pictured here alongside her fellow classmates, from left to right: Denise Bora (70%), Nzigire Pascaline (70%), Cynthia Hamuli (she graduated last year) and Ciragane Bitakuya Divine (75%).

As Amani noted in the video, these children are amazing, and they did not accept war to take their dreams and hopes away.

In other Congo Peace School news, Blessing, one of Amani’s daughters, risked returning to eastern Congo to finish her university degree in agronomy, and is helping with the farm that serves the school as a teaching farm and providing some sustenance to support the meal program (though we need to expand on that in the coming years). One way to help keep kids in good health, especially to get a dose of potassium? Bananas. Blessing saw how the Chinese construction workers building the road had dumped dirt on the hilly portion of the farm, and suggested using the organic fertilizer created by the farm animals and compost to grow bananas for food production.

I hope, in the midst of so much terrible news of war and division, that these stories give you hope that a different path is possible. Peace within ourselves, within our relationship to each other and the planet, is possible.

Thank you for investing in this vision that is already becoming a reality in the lives of this community.  Thank you for being part of the message to these students that others, people they have not met, believe in their beauty as humans and potential to thrive and lead, in whatever way that suits their unique talents and heart for the world. Asante sana!

To read more on the latest on the war, be sure to subscribe to the DRC bi-weekly news monitor from PAEMA, trusted friends in peace work.

In gratitude,

Rebecca, with Amani Matabaro

Rebecca Snavely
Executive Director, Action Kivu

(Below: the repost regarding the school's security protocol during war)

Déo, the CPS Secondary School Principal, shares how the Congo Peace School remained open most of the school year, when so many other schools shuttered for weeks due to the war.

“We have been shutting down only based on security assessment with our senior larger management team with guidance of the school founder, Amani Matabaro, who has experience with issues such as international humanitarian law, human rights, human and personnel security, and humanitarian ethics—it is not easy trying to manage all of these issues at this time.”

The Peace School posted banners with the information that read: “Schools, hospitals, and places of worship must be protected even during wartime. It is an obligation of international humanitarian law” both inside the campus and on the outside wall for anyone passing to read.

Deo continued, “This war deeply disrupted us at the school and community levels, but we have been learning many lessons from it, including the resilience mechanism that we are developing each day. For example, every day before going to school we have to find out about the security situation in the area. There are many questions to ask: Is it safe to walk to school? Are the teachers and students safe? Is the school safe? And even when we would begin the school day, we were not sure how it would end. Such uncertainty creates constant fear because of the ongoing insecurity in the region.

“With the students, despite sometimes hearing gunfire from some corners of the campus, we had to remain courageous. We always tried to understand the situation before making decisions: either to let the students and staff leave school and return home before the usual time, or to keep them in class until the end of the day. The wall around the school has been very helpful in terms of child protection during these difficult moments.

With our Congo Peace School Founding Partner, the Dillon Henry Foundation

CPS Summer Update: Voices from Congo as the war rages on, despite peace processes

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a conversation I had with a friend, how our brains and our nervous systems are not meant to take in the entirety of the world’s suffering. How our connection via the internet, the very connection that allows us to alleviate some of that suffering through direct support, threatens to overwhelm us to the point of inaction. Thinking, it’s all too much, how can I possibly make a difference?

I’m here to tell you what you already know: things are atrocious in many parts of the globe right now. And maybe what you haven’t heard, that the eastern part of DRC has not improved with the various peace agreements and processes, and the most vulnerable amongst us, children and women, are suffering the worst of it.

I’m also here to tell you that you are making a difference, and it’s significant.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday, August 22, to address the ongoing attacks on civilians in eastern Congo. From the report on that meeting, the UN writes “the DRC is currently facing one of the most acute humanitarian emergencies in the world, with food insecurity on the rise and 5.9 million Congolese currently internally displaced.”

In our small corner of Congo, with your financial support, we are feeding children who might otherwise die from malnutrition. It’s that stark, and it’s that hopeful. Girls are safely inside the walls of the campus, the safe place protecting them against the rise in rape as a weapon of war. Boys are safely going to school, kids who might otherwise be kidnapped and forced into being soldiers.

Below, you’ll hear from some of the Congo Peace School staff and students, as well as from some of the community members and internally displaced people (IDP) who are finding a safe place to live near the school, and receiving support from the community you are a part of, no matter how many miles away from the physical campus you may live.

“I was so impressed by the quality of the services the students are getting at the Congo Peace School. The day we received food and necessities was a new hope for me, even if we don’t know when we will go back to our community and restart our lives there.”

–Cecile, mother of five children, who fled fighting near her home.

With your daily dose of reality, we want to add a dash of hope. Investing in the daily lives and nutrition and healing of the students and staff and their families and communities through the Congo Peace School and our emergency assistance fund is a tangible way to create the world we want to see in our lifetime. A world in which people have good, healthy food. Where people are educated, no matter their sex, gender, ethnicity, income level, or any other factor than being human. Where kids and adults are healing their trauma so they don’t transfer it to other people.

It is summer at the Congo Peace School [CPS], and the new year is scheduled to begin September 1. During the last months of the school year, that ended in early July, we are thankful the school remained open, a safe place for learning, albeit a much-altered schedule, with students leaving shortly after classes, no longer able to hang out and enjoy the library, the computer lab, as it was safer to return home immediately.

We are also thrilled to announce that the Congo Peace School was a Primary School National Examination Center, and four schools sent their elementary school sixth grade students to the campus to take their exams. Local authorities in the education sector praised the campus for its offering of clean running water, toilets, as well as for its physical protection for children in school settings, especially during this moment of armed violence. The elementary school 6th graders took their national exams on July 1st and 2nd,  and the CPS  had 100% of success with very high scores: the top student scored 86% and the last scored 61%. (These ratings are very different from our U.S. understanding, and many other schools’ students’ top results did not reach 61%.)

Déo, the Congo Peace School Principal

Déo, the CPS Secondary School Principal, shares how the Congo Peace School remained open most of the school year, when so many other schools shuttered for weeks due to the war.

“We have been shutting down only based on security assessment with our senior larger management team with guidance of the school founder, Amani Matabaro, who has experience with issues such as international humanitarian law, human rights, human and personnel security, and humanitarian ethics—it is not easy trying to manage all of these issues at this time.”

The Peace School posted banners with the information that read: “Schools, hospitals, and places of worship must be protected even during wartime. It is an obligation of international humanitarian law” both inside the campus and on the outside wall for anyone passing to read.

Deo continued, “This war deeply disrupted us at the school and community levels, but we have been learning many lessons from it, including the resilience mechanism that we are developing each day. For example, every day before going to school we have to find out about the security situation in the area. There are many questions to ask: Is it safe to walk to school? Are the teachers and students safe? Is the school safe? And even when we would begin the school day, we were not sure how it would end. Such uncertainty creates constant fear because of the ongoing insecurity in the region.

“With the students, despite sometimes hearing gunfire from some corners of the campus, we had to remain courageous. We always tried to understand the situation before making decisions: either to let the students and staff leave school and return home before the usual time, or to keep them in class until the end of the day. The wall around the school has been very helpful in terms of child protection during these difficult moments.

Lydie, Congo Peace School Primary School Principal

Lydie, the Primary School Principal shared a story that in June, “some students from Nyangezi and its neighborhood were caught in a situation whereby the area became a battlefield between the M23 and the Wazalendo. They were fighting almost every day and three teachers under my supervision in the elementary school level came to me to ask what they should do with the students from Nyangezi who were not attending school while the others were taking quizzes and exams. My feedback to them was clear, I asked to refer to our principles and beliefs: ‘Every child, every student can succeed as long as they are given a chance.’

“Now that this ongoing violence is stealing and shutting down the power of the dreams of these many children, our role is to stand up for the kids and support them. Those who have missed classes and homework, quizzes and exams, let’s give them time to catch up and no one should be left behind. Everyone was welcomed back to school when it was safe to come.”

Pascaline, Third Grade Elementary Teacher

Pascaline is now a 3rd grade teacher. Before the war, she survived an attack by gunmen while traveling on the road to Bukavu.

Pascaline shared, “I am teaching the principles of nonviolence but to be honest it is challenging to teach about peace and nonviolence in the middle of violent armed conflicts. I am currently teaching the principle: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice and not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evil doers are also victims and are not evil people. I have been giving examples [to the students] that even these people committing the violence [in this war] are also victims of the same injustice and violence they are creating, because they are killing and they are also dying. This illustrates how nonviolence is beneficial to everyone and violence is against everyone, but at different extents and levels.”

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DONATE TODAY TO INVEST IN THE PEOPLE OF CONGO – TO  SHOW THEM THEY MATTER, THAT THE WORLD IS PAYING ATTENTION.

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STUDENTS

Marie Muderhwa, 17 years old, 5th grade of secondary school (Female), will be a senior in September.

“In July, I worked hard so that I would succeed in all my final school year exams. We’ve been confronted with difficulties of war and this school year has been very challenging, but no matter what, I have to succeed. Even if the war continues, I will not give up my dream to become either a medical doctor or a social worker and work with the communities to tell people about behavior change and engagement, how we can participate in the change our country needs.

“I can’t wait to see my dreams achieved. As the school year closed, I’m excited to stay home and not walk to school because of the distance, especially during these moments when attacks by armed people are happening any time. I hope staying home minimizes the risks of seeing the armed people. One worry I have is how I will get enough food. I live with my grandmother, and she has nobody to help us get food. The school is a reliable source for me to get food.

“It is so unfortunate that the minerals which could be used to create wealth for the country are at the center of this ongoing violence and consequently masses of people have been getting killed every day. This war between the M23 rebels against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Wazalendo should stop. We have no power to end this war, but we just pray to God that the two sides come to an agreement and that peace returns to our country.

“Nothing has brought me joy during this period of war except when I meet my schoolmates alive every morning. My family was attacked by unknown armed people; they traumatized us. Another source of joy for me was taking my exams to close the school year.”

Iragi Mwaka, 18 years old, 5th year of Secondary (female), a senior in September

“I am excited about my internship at the Nyantende Health Center, and after my internship, to be in the 6th year of secondary which is the last year in secondary school.

“This year, I’ve grown in my knowledge compared to previous years, not only improving my social techniques skills (social work) but also how to behave during war, how to take care of my personal safety. Before, I had no confidence in myself, I was afraid to speak in public, but I'm trying to do so.

“Nothing brought me joy during this period of war except still being alive, and completing this school year, which looks to be a miracle for us.”

Bakonkwa Balolebwami Clément, 18 years old, 5th year of secondary (senior in September)

“I was expecting the war to end with the signing of different representatives, but unfortunately the reality on the ground is extremely different. I will make sure to put into practice the safety protocol that we learned from school. I will continue building community with my schoolmates. We will lead discussions about different subjects learned in class.

“As of the ongoing war, it is very clear that the critical minerals of the Democratic Republic of Congo are at the center of the war, they are the main reason of the war. We have learned that Congo’s neighboring countries and many other superpowers need the minerals from Congo for the world’s technology. Our teachers advised us to be careful about our safety at home to and from school.

“What made me happy in the middle of this war is the fact that we continued getting all the necessary support at school, we have continued being fed, get primary health care and that is particular and will never forget it in my life. And the courage of our teachers really made me so happy.”

COMMUNITY MEMBERS
When the war started, many supporters of Action Kivu asked how, in addition to their support of the ongoing projects, also directly provide for those at risk of starvation / extreme malnutrition due to the war. We received funds for Emergency Aid, and want to share some of the impact that funding made in the lives of those most in need:

Cecile Tantine, 40, the mother of five children who are all internally displaced, unable to return home, continued,

“Peace is all we need, the mission of this organization is very important, especially teaching children and the community about peace and nonviolence in these times of war. The entire country needs to learn about peace and nonviolence.”

Marcelle Esther:

“I am 48 years old. Before the food distribution, I had no connection with ABFEC. I was in serious trouble and was forced to flee my community. I am currently internally displaced here in Mumosho, I had nobody in this new community. I heard there was a school feeding the children and taking care of the community and we approached the school to tell them about our children and the food issues we were facing. A few days later, we were invited to the Congo Peace School. We got huge support getting food and necessities, and we ask God to bless the Congo Peace School and whoever supports all the programs they do and that this won't be the last time they care about other people in difficulty. I have seven children, only three are in school.”

Alphoncine Cikwabi:

“I'm 73 years old. I discovered this amazing organization on the day of the food and necessities distribution. I really like the Congo Peace School. I no longer have children in the age of going to school but I’d like to recommend everyone to have their children enrolled in such a program, and I hope my grandchildren will come and study here. The quantity of rice, beans, oil, soap, and cooking salt I received lasted me for almost a month.”

Vumilia Francine:

“I am 33 years old. My husband was a soldier. They were dispersed by the rebels and I haven’t heard from him, his phone is off, I’m not sure if he is alive or dead, and that's how we were abandoned. We've been here in Mumosho for five months now. We've been well received here. I didn't know ABFEC*, but this organization has been helping us a lot. I might even want to stay here in Mumosho after the war to send my children to the Congo Peace School if my there is space for them to be enrolled. I have four children; out of three who were studying, only one finished the school year. (*ABFEC is our Founding Director Amani Matabaro’s Congolese nonprofit.)

“I would like to recommend all organizations and schools to follow the example of the Congo Peace School, teach people about peace and nonviolence, it is the only way everyone will know the importance of peace education and there will be no more violence and people will stop killing each other.”

·      Read the statement on the Citizen Barometer of Peace and Security that was created for the special attention of the members of the United Nations Security Council ahead of the August 22 meeting from Pamoja kwa Amani (Together in Peace) Consortium, C-PKA / with the support of PAEMA.

We are deeply grateful for your partnership in providing education, food, and healing resources for the most vulnerable amongst us. Thank you.

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The Puzzle of Peace: Update from the Congo Peace School and news from DRC / Peace Agreement

This moment captured in time has stayed in my mind’s eye the last week, seeing preschool students at the Congo Peace School playing with puzzle pieces. Thinking of the overwhelming puzzle we are trying to solve – how to overcome violence with peace, discord with nonviolent conflict resolution. How to break this global cycle of endless wars and division.

It’s not a light task, or topic. And to be honest, preparing this newsletter I have been struggling with trying to find a connection to the active hope we believe in to be real, and powerful. It feels like its own puzzle: how to fit the pieces of the terror and trauma these little ones are surrounded by together with the safety of the Peace School, with the space created for them to play, to learn to read and write, to practice healthy disagreements and the sharing of resources. To practice how to transform and heal their trauma, so that they don’t take it out into the world for it to hurt others, and feed the cycle of violence.

As our visionary leader Amani Matabaro often reminds us, trauma that is not transformed is transferred.

And ​as we view the cycles of violence, we ​hold the knowledge that joy and laughter are also contagious. One of the healing practices at the Peace School is laughter therapy.

In the midst of the following horrific news from Congo, we find a place to fit in the puzzle piece of active hope that a peace plan is underway, and that it will be implemented and vigorously monitored by our global community, using the power of people paying attention and calling out human rights violations. By calling our representatives. By calling companies that source the minerals from Congo and reminding them our purchases fuel their wealth as well.

A friend recently gave me the gift of the mantra: Action Alleviates Anxiety. When my anxious thoughts and worries and the barrage of bad news begins to make my heart race, I remember it and take action. And it does help.

Know that you, providing funds for the Congo Peace School to continue this transformational project, that you, engaging with the people in Congo, sharing their stories, sharing the news – that you are taking action to create more peace in the world.

 We​ recently updated our Congo Peace School (CPS) video with information about the war and M23, and added a portion of testimony from the CPS Nest preschool students – please watch here, and share​ with others.

::RECENT NEWS::

·      A peace deal: “Officials from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached a draft agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict.

“The breakthrough, mediated by the US and Qatar, provides for the ‘disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration’ of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo. Coverage from the BBC here.  (See a response from fellow civil society leaders and Amani’s take below).

·      Could Africa’s Forever War Finally End? How U.S. Diplomacy Could Resolve the Conflict Between Congo and Rwanda – Foreign Affairs piece here (one free story before paywall)

·      A devastating attack on civilians in a part of South Kivu (not near the Congo Peace School) on Sunday, June 22.

DRC government communique linked here, and translated from French into English below:

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

ARMED FORCES GENERAL STAFF

The Parte Punale

PRESS RELEASE NO. 17 OF JUNE 23, 2025.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo inform national and international opinion of the summary execution of 17 civilians by the RDF/AFC/M23 coalition on Sunday June 22, 2025 at around 6.30pm in the village of MUNZINZI, in the Chefferie of NGWESHE, in the territory of WALUNGU, Province of South Kivu. Several houses were also set on fire, and the terrorized civilian population was forced to take refuge in the nearest military positions.

The population is accused of collaborating with the Armed Forces and the WAZALENDO by the enemy, following the failure and enormous losses suffered in their attempts to attack the positions of the loyalist forces.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo condemn this umpteenth pogrom and call on the population to be vigilant.

Kinshasa, June 23, 2025:

EKENGE BOMUSA EFOMI Sylvain

Major General

Contact: +243 971 800 424. Email: sfoml.elnge@amali.com

·      DR Congo: M23 Armed Group Forcibly Transferring Civilians – Rwanda as Occupying Force May be Responsible for War Crimes (Read the Human Rights Watch report here.)

·      DR Congo Investigations Needed More Than Ever: UN Funding Crisis Should Not Delay Commission of Inquiry (Read the Human Rights Watch report here)

·      A statement of response to the proposed peace agreement from our friends in peace at Pamoja kwa Amani (Together in Peace) – linked here in English, and here in French.

·      Amani’s thoughts on the above statement in response to the proposed peace deal: “In addition to the peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda under the facilitation of the US administration, there is a huge need to organize an internal Congolese dialogue bringing different political, social figures, forces, and voices to the table in order to work for the people of Congo. Addressing internal local Congolese issues (such as access to clean water, healthcare, exposing and eradicating corruption, free and fair elections, etc.) by using the truth and love for Congo as tools to lean on, we learn to engage in dialogue even during moments of disagreements in political views. From a nonviolence perspective, Martin Luther King Jr is totally right: ‘choosing love, even in the face of adversity or hate, is a more sustainable and ultimately more powerful path.’”

To stay informed of the latest from DRC, please also subscribe to PAEMA’s DRC News Monitor, a bi-weekly roundup of the news.

A note of hope from one of the Congo Nest preschool teachers, when asked about the importance of the early childhood education program during a time of war:

“During these moments of war, the preschool program is so important. We see how the children come to school with high symptoms of trauma, they come with fear, it is a very difficult moment in their lives but the program is helping them especially when it comes to playing and working together. During these moments of war, the Nest program is the only place the children feel safe.

“We continue teaching them about the no retaliation practices, forgiveness … in the middle of war, we are teaching and preparing future ambassadors for peace.” –Preschool teacher Bulonza

When we zoom out from Congo to a bigger picture of the globe, and all our places in it, we see how the​se students fit into our larger society – as we are all planting seeds of peace and healing for them to grow into adults with the tools to be agents of peace in our world.

We continue to send funds to the school, as well as emergency funds to meet the increasing needs of the people and families surrounding the school, who are such an integral part of its vibrancy and sense of community and safety. Please share our work with others, so we can continue to grow and deepen the impact we are all making!

The War and the Congo Peace School: a brief overview to share + video

The children of eastern Congo have never known peace. Raised amidst the threat of violence from three decades of armed conflict and what are known as Africa’s World Wars (major conflicts from 1996 to 2003), in January 2025, “fighting in the eastern DRC surged once again … and the M23 have captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, leaving devastation in their wake.”

“The fighting has killed about 3,000 people and worsened what was already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with about seven million people displaced. M23 is one of about 200 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich eastern DRC near the border with Rwanda. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 soldiers from neighbouring Rwanda, according to UN experts. Despite the DRC’s army and M23 having agreed to work towards a truce this month, fighting continues in the eastern province of South Kivu.” – Al Jazeera, 1 May 2025

A driving force behind the constant conflict is the mineral wealth in Congo that tangibly connects us to the country. If you’re reading this on a smartphone or laptop, you are touching a part of Congo, as the Democratic Republic of Congo holds about 60% of the global coltan reserves, and 70% of the planet’s cobalt production, critical minerals needed for our electronics and move into a green energy future. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern DRC’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology. (AP) And the people of Congo suffer. 

The Congo Peace School is answering the question “is peace possible?” with a resounding YES. The one-of-a-kind campus in South Kivu educates, feeds, and cares for children from preschool age to grade 12. In addition to the Congolese curriculum, the students learn Martin Luther King Jr.’s tenets of nonviolence and peace as taught to our Founding Director Amani Matabaro through the University of Rhode Island. The students are fed daily meals, for many the only food they will eat that day, especially as the ongoing war has ended people’s means for earning income, made food more difficult to source, and malnutrition and starvation is a reality for many in the region. Through Action Kivu’s emergency fund, the school is also providing food for the most in-need families in the area, with $120 buying the provision for three weeks of food for a family of six.

The students watch the world crumble around them in violence and division, but inside the safety of the campus’s walls, they practice peace: with their thoughts, their feelings, their relationships with each other and their teachers. With your partnership, we are giving students the agency to be strong leaders who will refuse violence as a means to solve problems. We are sending out into the world agents and ambassadors of peace.

::How you can help::

Donate to this life-saving work – actionkivu.org/donate

Share stories: Remind friends and colleagues that these kids are who we are fighting for, for these children to grow up safely and be our future leaders, emboldened with the knowledge of and practice in nonviolence, equality, and healing from trauma.

In this HRW podcast, the host's father is one of the Congolese people he speaks to, and it is heartbreaking to hear him reflect on how many people have died from the wars in Congo (over six million) and that "nobody in the world – excuse me the word - gives a damn. Nobody cares."

Thank you for caring.

 Further reading / listening:

• Understanding the Goma Attack (January 2025)

• The U.S. State Department hosted DRC and Rwanda for a peace initiative April 25, after Qatar hosted talks that led to an agreement for a truce, an agreement to halt fighting had reportedly been brokered between Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance, representing several militias including Rwandan-backed M23. Read here. Read the Declaration of Principles from the U.S. State Department here.

• The two parties agreed to a May 2 deadline for the peace deal, but now reports state a deal to be made by late May or June, with Reuters reporting that the U.S. is pushing Congo and Rwanda to sign a peace accord at the White House in about two months, accompanied by bilateral mineral deals that would bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, President Donald Trump's senior advisor for Africa told Reuters on Thursday.

         "When we sign the peace agreement ... the minerals deal with the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) will be signed on that  day, and then a similar package, but of a different size, will be signed on that day with Rwanda," Massad Boulos said in an interview in the Qatari capital, Doha.

• This podcast from Human Rights Watch that quickly and thoroughly sums up the history of the recent and current wars between Rwanda & Congo (DRC).

• Read about conflict minerals here.
  
  VIDEO: Filmed in early May 2025, we're told the students seen playing in the safety of the Congo Peace School campus could hear distant gunfire from the fighting.

A Declaration of Peace and Words from Peace School Students

Update from Congo: April 25 2025

A declaration for peace signed by Rwanda and DRC, updates on sanctions, M23 movement, and words from Congo Peace School students

It's not hyperbole to say your support for the Congolese people via your partnership with Action Kivu is saving lives - paying the staff in Congo and sending funding for food is staving off the starvation that is rampant in the midst of the war. After the news updates, read on; we spoke to some of the girls at the Congo Peace School following the attacks in March on local houses, including the student who was taken from her home and by defending a neighbor, saved his life. (Read that story below, and highlights from our conversation.)

 Updates and links to the most recent news from Congo:

• The U.S. State Department hosted DRC and Rwanda for a peace initiative today, after Qatar hosted talks that led to an agreement for a truce. Read the Declaration of Principles from the U.S. State Department here.
  

  The two parties agreed to a May 2 deadline for the peace deal: Read here. 

• On Wednesday, an agreement to halt fighting had reportedly been brokered between Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance, representing several militias including Rwandan-backed M23. Read here.
  
  One thing we can do is put pressure on our representatives that all parties adhere to the agreement established, and that they hold actors to account for any violations of the agreement. After 30 years of fighting, we do not expect to see an immediate end to the reach for control over the mineral-rich land, and need to continue to apply international pressure to the actors involved to ensure peace for the people.

• The EU issued sanctions on March 17, and Rwanda and Belgium severed diplomatic ties. Read here.

• Reports from colleagues in eastern Congo describe how M23 is not advancing to take more territory, due to the lessening of logistical support from Rwanda, and lack of pay or access to food. (International pressure is working.)
  
  However, that tenuous hold of power means even more chaos for the civilians trying to survive. Banks remain closed, and people’s livelihoods have disappeared. People are starving.

• Action Kivu has found a workaround and is paying the school staff and providing meals for the Congo Peace School student body, as well as sending emergency funding to provide food for the most in-need families in the community.
  

  Our staff in Congo shared that it’s very challenging for so many organizations in eastern Congo to provide for their workers right now, and thus for the workers to take care of themselves and their families during these moments in which everyone is caught in overlapping vulnerabilities including danger of travel, starvation,and the destruction or total absence of livelihoods. The staff said: “We have continued experiencing the solidarity from Action Kivu’s supporters and partners which enables us to survive, not only us but also our families and the entire Congo Peace School community.”
  
  Thus far, with the daily limits for mobile banking, we have been able to pay the staff salaries, send the money for the month’s meals for the 600+ student body to eat daily, as well as send emergency funds. The team reports that a small portion of that funding was used to buy whistles and noisemakers for the community to alert one another to an armed attack, and thus far, a total of 34 families are receiving food items that allow them to eat for almost three weeks.
  

  With your gift of $120, the most vulnerable families (those with a large number of children, with pregnant women) receive rice, beans, oil, salt, sugar, and a bar of soap.

• The Congo Peace School remains open, though for safety reasons, the students leave campus immediately after classes are over, and are not able to make the most of the school’s resources, a library stocked with books via our friends at Books for Congo, a computer lab with connection to the internet, the basketball court, the soccer field, and the beautiful green spaces to play and relax.  When asked what message they want to share with the world, they say they simply want peace.
  
  
  

• With its safety protocols so strong, the school was selected to be the official location for the local 6th grade elementary national exam at the end of the school year, to graduate students into secondary school.

• Erik Prince reaches deal for U.S. / DRC critical minerals agreement. (Read here.)

• Rwanda says it is in talks with U.S. on possible minerals deal. (Read here.)

::Update from the students at the Congo Peace School::

After we learned the following attacks on community members had happened, we scheduled a Zoom to speak to some of the students, to give them a platform to share their experiences with you, the supporters of the Congo Peace School.

Over the night of March 12-13 the community near the school was attacked by armed people who have not yet been identified. They went through different households using guns to fire rounds to terrify people then force open doors and break into homes. The attackers could be any of the following: uncontrolled M23 soldiers (M23 members who have broken away from a commander), remnants of FARDC (Congo's national army) soldiers who could be hiding in the jungles near the community, or armed criminals who escaped during the Bukavu prison break that happened when the M23 took control of the city of Bukavu. A few weeks ago, uncontrolled M23 soldiers were caught by local community members in Bukavu and M23 authorities recognized they were their troops, but were no longer obeying orders by M23 commanders.

The attackers were forcing people to give them money and taking anything of worth. More than 10 families were attacked. As the community learned about the attacks via mobile phone messages, they called the closest M23 positions that are stationed in Nyangezi, south of Mumosho at 4 km, but M23 did not send any support to end the attacks. (As the M23 is now in control, there is no local police force to call for help, only M23.)  Every house they looted they stole the families' cell phones and took young people with them so that no one could alert their neighbors.

The group of attackers broke into the home of a senior at the Congo Peace School, the proud captain of the school's girls' basketball team. The perpetrators took her from her family after looting some money and other objects of value, and held her captive from 8:30pm to 1am, forcing her to move with them as they attacked each next home. She was not raped, a common weapon of war in Congo. She is aware of the stigma of reporting rape but is not afraid to speak up. In fact, we learned that when the attackers were about to shoot a neighbor for having no money, she spoke up and defended him, saying, "I know him, and I know he has no work. How is he supposed to have money?" The attackers did not shoot the man.

A few weeks after that attack, the basketball captain and several of her classmates joined us for a Zoom conversation.

I asked how their daily lives have changed, and in addition to talking about the limited amount of time that they now spend at the school, one girl noted: “We are living in a battlefield. Nyangezi, where some of our classmates come from, is where the fight, the actual fighting, is happening. We are affected by what is going on directly.”

I asked how they define a good leader, and the basketball captain responded: “How do you want us to define leaders where we have no leaders, we no longer have models, we no longer have people taking the situation in charge. I was kidnapped from my home not far from the Catholic Church, and everyone in the community was alerted. They tried to call the so-called leaders, but no one came to my rescue or to help the others being attacked.

“So we have no definition of a leader right now, because the people who were leaders are supposed to be in charge, but they are not in charge. The M23 are not in charge because they were called and did not come for our rescue. So we are worried.”  

I asked her about that trauma, and if she has been able to speak to the school counselor about it. She replied, “Yes, and my classmates and some of the teachers came to see me to support me.”

Asking again what they want to share to those of us outside Congo, one of the girls pulled the laptop toward her and looked directly at the screen, quoting the 6th Kingian Principle of Nonviolence that they study, the universe is on the side of justice. “But what is justice for us?” she asked. “We want the world to work for justice in Congo.”

NEXT STEPS:

• TAKE ACTION: Sign the Amnesty Petition to ask the NBA: HELP STOP RISING VIOLENCE IN THE DRC. Click HERE, and share.

• CALL your representatives and voice support for the Congolese people, that they hold to account any party that violates the peace agreement and that any critical minerals agreement will center Congolese citizens’ human rights.

• DONATE: Invest in the people of Congo through emergency aid and long-term peace-building projects.

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