Kipako, Central Congo region, DR Congo: Tuzayana Sacré Coeur high school & ITC/Kipako middle school
- This was the organization's first scholarship program in 2019. The village of Kipako in the Bas-Congo province is a few hours drive from the DRC capital Kinshasa. The school has boarding students, mostly from Kinshasa, and day students from local farmer families. Our scholarship program supports local students, whose families have difficulty affording the school tuition. One of our volunteers visits the school and families before each school year to identify needs.
- 2020-2024: This program was less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a few years, we have expanded this project from 13 scholarships in 2020-2021 (11 regular scholarships + 2 special scholarships to allow 2 students to continue school after their father was burned by boiling palm oil and became unable to work), to 22 in 2023-2024, then 34 full-tuition scholarships in 2024-2025. A big thank you for the very generous 50%-matching donor to this program in 2024!
- 34th grant for 2024-2025 was an extra scholarship to reintegrate a girl who had dropped out last year due to pregnancy. The school took her back this year and we added her back to our scholarship program. We are happy to report that she is doing well in school - and baby is doing well.
- November 2024: our team of volunteers visited the school to deliver the scholarship money and to supply the school with sanitary napkins for the girls and basic supplies for the school infirmary, which is dramatically understocked.
- Next academic year: the needs are high in this extremely poor region (please visit our photo gallery page for a visual impression). We welcome donations for the scholarship program or for the sanitary napkins/infirmary project.
Kampala, Uganda: St Peter high school and Crested middle school
- This scholarship program in a suburb of the Ugandan capital Kampala started in 2020 and initially helped 3 day-students (all girls) become boarding students to avoid a long and dangerous daily commute on foot in the dark along unsafe roads.
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, ourscholarships were instrumental to keep these students in school, as the school was accepting only boarding students. When even the boarding school closed because of the pandemic, we supported private remedial classes for our scholarship recipients, so they could keep learning.
- 2020-2024: In 2021, we expanded the program to add 2 middle school day students (girls) from Congolese (DRC) refugee families. Unfortunately, one of the high school girls became pregnant and withdrew from the school (we have been unable to contact her or her family). In 2024, we added 2 new girls, so the program currently supports 6 girls.
- Next academic year: We are working at expanding the number of boarding school scholarships, as our funds permit. We are looking for donors, with the goal of adding one or two girls to this boarding school program, either this year or next year.
Brazzaville, R. Congo: Les Elites 3D school, and professional schools
- Our organization has had a connection with Our Lady of Nazareth orphanage in Brazzaville since 2019. We have helped with school tuition for the children from time to time, as our funds - and the Covid-19 pandemic situation - permitted. Most of the orphanage children are enrolled in a neighborhood school. A few of the oldest ones attend professional schools.
- 2023-2025: We are very pleased to announce that, starting this school year, we are supporting full tuition for all resident of the orphanage (boys and girls) enrolled at the neighborhood school! This was a main goal of the project. Last year: 26 students, this year: 21 students.
- Next academic year: to develop the partnership with the orphanage after the students graduate, we would like to grant scholarships for attending the professional schools (currently: woodworking, tailoring, hairdressing). We are looking for donors willing to support one or more of these professional school students.
In progress: Entebbe, Uganda: Merryland High Schools
- This project started in 2023. Through a local intermediary, we are developing an individual scholarship program for students from needy families enrolled in the local school systems.
- 2024-2025: we established a connection with 3 schools, and granted 3 scholarships, 1 student in each of the 3 schools. Unfortunately, we failed to establish all the criteria required for initiation of a scholarship program with 2 other schools: on one side, contacts with candidate students and their families, and on the other side, communications with the school systems they attend. Sometimes, things can take a long time, especially in Africa. We are working on this project.
- Next academic year: hopefully there will be more successes soon regarding each of these initial new programs/contacts.