Rosalie's Story & Charlene's Studies (March 2022)

“The present changes the past. Looking back you do not find what you left behind.
”

— Kiran Desai

In our fourth year of the Congo Peace School, we see that some changes are gradual, and some are seemingly instant. More gradual is the deepening understanding of how the practices of peace, nonviolence, and equality affect one’s life, family, and community, while some changes are immediately visible, like the change we witnessed in Rosalie from July 2018 to September of that year, and now, four years later, in her leadership at the school.

In July 2018, Rosalie and her brother came to the school while it was still under construction. They had recently lost both their parents to AIDS, and were naturally devastated, and in shock and grief. Amani immediately enrolled them in the first year of the Congo Peace School, promising them everything that entails, daily meals, uniforms, and access to the nurse and the school counselor, trained in psycho-social techniques.

When I returned to the school only two months later, shortly after we opened in September, 2018, I didn’t recognize Rosalie. She smiled, she posed for her portrait with confidence, and told me that she dreamed of using her education to be president of Congo one day.

Now, Rosalie is in the 5th grade of the secondary school, and acted as the student representative for the International Women’s Day gathering held this March at the Congo Peace School, where the students, staff, and community honored the progress made and challenged each other and the world to work harder for women’s equality and equity.

Speaking to a room of fellow students and adults, Rosalie concluded her speech on leadership by the following words: “Dear friends, brothers and sisters, we all have to understand what leadership is all about, a leader is someone who is able to inspire, guide. … You are a girl, you are a woman, do not underestimate yourself that you cannot lead a group. My wish is that the DRC’s next president is a woman and maybe through a woman DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] will change, that is what I wish. Thank you.”

Photos of Rosalie and her brother in July 2018 to her the first semester of September 2018 to now.

As we continue to work with students in a trauma-informed model, we are excited to share that our Founding Director Amani Matabaro’s eldest daughter Charlene is back in Congo and volunteering at the Peace School after graduating from Hope International University in Fullerton, California this past December (2021) with a degree in Psychology, Counseling and Child Development.

Having been away from Congo for over five years, Charlene shared, “In my mind, I was coming back home to rest, spend time with my family, friends and above all, I was excited to visit the Peace School.”

“The week I arrived,” Charlene wrote, “I went immediately to discover what the Congo Peace School really is. I drove 50 minutes from Bukavu, my hometown, and upon arrival I was amazed by the building and how clean and green the school is.

“I was curious to see if the same beauty and greenery were also in the hearts of the students, teachers and the community around the school,” Charlene shared. “I was interested in discovering the school has a dispensary where children and teachers get some first aid assistance, the school has a cafeteria where they take lunch and a light breakfast every morning. This is unlike almost all other schools in the entire country.

“I went deeper to see how the school children were doing as far as their mental health is concerned and to see if they needed social support.”

Charlene reflects on the trauma of living in Eastern Congo, where the threat of armed conflict creates instability and fear: “After speaking with a few elementary and secondary school students whose ages range between 6 and 18 years old, I started seeing and feeling the level of trauma among the children. I arrived at the school the same period of time when one of the preschool teachers was returning from hospital after she had survived an attack by gunmen, and she was shot in the face. The school children knew about it, and some children told me they are very much afraid because of what might happen any time to any of them.”

(Our preschool teacher Pascaline continues to receive treatment for the wounds on her face. The doctor is confident she will fully recover, but it is a slow process. Amani shares: This severe trauma Pascaline is experiencing is another reason why we need to keep raising our voices for peace and justice.)

Charlene continues: “Meeting and speaking to the CPS teachers and students made me feel there is a good reason why I went to Hope International University and studied Psychology, Counseling and Child Development – it’s exactly what my country needs. It needs healing while it also needs repair of the physical infrastructures, but I strongly believe that mentally and emotionally healed people can easily and quickly physically heal and repair their nations.”

Charlene has been working with the student body, teaching them group activities to access healing. We send a big thank you to Charlene, for using her skills, education, and compassion to help us all in the path to peace and healing.

Charlene with several students in one of the preschool classrooms supported by PILAglobal.

Speaking to students one-on-one, Charlene shares that 11th grader Samuel Mushagalusa is very motivated to read books. He shared that: "Growing up, I never saw a library in my entire life until I started school at Congo Peace School. We must do well in school because we have books. I wish I could meet some of our donors just to say thank you for what they do."

On behalf of student Samuel and his classmates, teachers, and all of us: Thank you! Your giving is changing the world in this visible, concrete way.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
”

— Margaret Mead

More images from Tomaso Lisca's visit to the school: