It is so hard to hear that peace negotiations have stalled in Goma in the last few days.

And this NY Times article highlights how little has changed in Congo, in spite of the war officially ending five years ago.

“Five years after Congo’s catastrophic war officially ended, the rate at which people are dying in the country remains virtually unchanged, according to a new survey, despite the efforts of the world’s largest peacekeeping force, billions of dollars in international aid and a historic election that revived democracy after decades of violence and despotism.

The survey, released Tuesday, estimated that 45,000 people continue to die every month, about the same pace as in 2004, when the international push to rebuild the country had scarcely begun. Almost all the deaths come from hunger and disease, signs that the country is still grappling with the aftermath of a war that gutted its infrastructure, forced millions to flee and flattened its economy.”

Challenges on that unimaginable scale make it hard to even think about doing tiny, grassroots work like GSF. At the same time, I find myself unsure of how to think about affecting change on any other scale and gain hope from the way that our school staff has been working with the local community, with the guidance of the HEAL Africa hospital, to create our most successful school yet.

We’re happy to report that our lovely school in Mugunga has begun its second year. Board member Eric Nguyen (that’s me) was in Goma for the month of September to meet with the local board members, teachers, and of course the students.

With some work over the summer, we were able to expand enrollment from 140 to over 250 students. The little ones range from five to twelve years of age. They’re now all hard at work learning French, Swahili, history, mathematics, and human biology. It’s amazing, in fact, how hard they work. Even crammed four to a bench and sharing pencils and paper, I never saw students act up or talk back to a teacher. Instead, there was boundless enthusiasm, laughter, little hands stretching as high as possible to answer a question.

Occasionally, kids who we couldn’t take would stand outside the windows, watching the lesson from outside. We’ll keep growing, slowly, for them.

With 140 students attending school in the refugee area of Mugunga.

GSF created two new partnerships this summer.

World Food Program will be feeding all students at the GSF-Mugunga School.

UNICEF will be training all GSF teachers.

Also, check out this new UNICEF Report: “Child Alert: DRC.” It has some striking photos and videos.

And here is a picture of the newest GSF Staff:
The teachers and director of the GSF-Mugunga School!

GSF newest school is being built in Mugunga, one of the poorest areas of Goma. It is almost completely a refugee population of Congolese escaping the violence in the outlying villages.

Construction continues on the Mugunga School. The ceilings and floors will be put in this week, so that it can host a week long teacher training. After that, all that is left is to paint!

In addition to building and running its own schools, GSF partners with a local orphanage to support the operation of their school. Here is a short video from their primary school graduation.

The first week of construction of the Mugunga Primary School has begun.

GSF and HEAL Africa have partnered to develop a peice of land that will eventually house a primary and secondary school, clinic, home for women victims of sexual violence, and an early childhood development center.

The community has embraced this project and every day there are at least 40 men, women and children at the site, moving stones, mixing cement, creating the cement blocks, building the building, and helping to feed and support the workers.’

Construction began the June 22 and will be finished the first week of August, with the help of such a strong community effort. Most exciting is to meet the children who will be the first class of students in the 1st through 4th grades offered for the 2006-2007 school year.

More exciting photos after the jump: (more…)

GSF made contact with Mbezi and her mother while her mother was in convalescence after surgery at the HEAL Africa Hospital.

Mbezi was one of the first students in an informal education class in the hospital that was the birth of the GSF’s plans to expand educational opportunities in Goma.

“I’ve been sick for 2 years and at my age, what can I do? I can’t walk or work anymore and I need to take medicines”, says Jean-Pierre, a father in his fifties. “I have 12 children and they all went to school … except for the youngest four. I haven’t been able to put them in school since I got sick.” The fact that Jean-Pierre’s house is the first one adjacent to the Kinzuana school playground where the children line up in long rows before every class makes it especially hard on the 2 daughters and 2 sons that he now can’t afford to send to school. “It’s very sad for me to watch”, he continues. “My youngest daughters and sons used to get their backpacks when they saw all the children lining up for class. They would run over and stand in a line, but the teacher would always find them and send them back home. They sometimes came back crying. I try to save money but I just can’t afford to pay for all my children after I’m finished feeding them. I feel ashamed. It’s my responsibility to take care of all my children and be sure that they are fed and educated. But I’m failing.” – A father in the DRC

This quote reminds me of how much the education system is really the one “failing” children and families and how far we have to go. At the GSF, we are working with a system in decline. Primary school enrollment has dropped steadily from the 1980s, when the DRC boasted 95% primary school enrollment free of charge. Now, public financing for education has long stopped, schools have not been rebuilt since the 1950s, and regional instability has left communities without the resources to support even minimal schooling on their own.

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While construction was underway, the GSF Scholarship Director (shown below) worked to identify children for the scholarship program. Mapendo, age 6, was our first identified student. She was a rape victim currently receiving treatment at the local hospital, DOCS. Her scholarship will provide her with ten years of free schooling, materials, uniforms, and access to the Fund’s numerous programs.

The GSF works with local orphanages, churches, women’s groups, and hospitals to identify students who have been orphaned or severely impoverished by war or disease but who are also in a form of foster care that can provide stability throughout the years of schooling.