A first Daughters of Charity project in Angola! 

Lobito is a port city in Angola, on the Atlantic coast of south-west Africa, in the diocese of Benguela. Its strategic position has played an important role in Angola's development since the late 15th century, when Portuguese explorers established a trading post there. The region's fertile soil and favourable climate have facilitated agriculture, particularly the cultivation of coffee and cotton.
 
From a small population at the beginning of the 20th century, Lobito has become a city of around 480,000 inhabitants, the 3rd largest in the country. Angola's recent history is marked by the struggle for independence in 1975, the civil war and, following peace in 2002, a period of development and growth.

The Daughters of Charity in Angola since 1995

Three American Daughters of Charity first arrived as volunteers for the NGO Catholic Relief Services in Balombo in the diocese of Benguela. The town was in a state of great poverty because of the civil war. 
In 1998, after their departure, other Daughters of Charity were sent on mission and created two communities, one of which is in Lobito, where the sisters mainly serve in the Cassai district. This district has developed without any urban planning, without water, sewage or water treatment systems; few houses have latrines or access to electricity. The accumulation of waste and rubbish poses a high health risk.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary School, a window on the future for the children of the Cassai district

The Community of the Daughters of Charity is heavily involved in the Cassai district, particularly in education.                                         
                                          Group of teachers and school cleaning and maintenance staff

"The population of Cassai lives in a situation of serious social exclusion, with great difficulty in accessing education, health, social services and public utilities.
School, although compulsory, is not seen by families as an essential element in the integral development of their children". Sr Ana Paula

The Immaculée Cœur de Marie school group caters for 1,378 nursery, primary and secondary pupils in shifts in the mornings and afternoons. Most of them live in the neighbourhood, and if they were unable to attend classes, they would be excluded from the education system.

"The education they receive is crucial to giving them the opportunity for a better future". Sr Ana Paula

Repeated flooding threatens school group's existence

Lobito is located on the Atlantic coast. During the rainy season, flooding is frequent and washes away buildings. The Cassai neighbourhood has been particularly hard hit. The construction of the school wall has been affected and several classrooms as well as the outside parts of the school (patio, corridors) are heavily flooded.

"Classes cannot take place. This has a huge impact on the progress of the pupils, especially as in this area of Cassai, the pupils also do most of their homework at school". Sr Ana Paula

The project: to rebuild the school wall and reinforce certain buildings to prevent the school from collapsing and local children from losing their schooling.

"The residents of Cassai have come to help us get the water out of the classrooms, even though they are in the same situation because the whole neighbourhood is flooded!" Sr Ana Paula

The objectives of the project are to :

- assessing the condition of materials in order to reuse what can be reused and replace what is damaged

- reinforce the school walls and buildings as quickly as possible

- channel rainwater properly

- recruit volunteers from the educational community to support the learning of pupils in the affected classes, to ensure that their academic results do not drop.

The beneficiaries of this reconstruction project are the school's 1,378 pupils and 76 members of staff, including 58 teachers.

With them, thanks to you... for the first time in Angola!