Bikoro, in the Province of Équateur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a landlocked region characterised by extreme poverty, geographical isolation and limited access to educational services. The majority of the population makes a living from fishing, farming and hunting, with very low incomes, which makes it difficult to enrol children in school and ensure they continue their education.

Against this backdrop, the education system has also been severely weakened: teachers lack ongoing training, teaching resources and support.
“This situation is leading to a significant decline in pupils’ academic standards, exacerbated by the lack of textbooks and suitable teaching materials in the classroom.” Sr Madeleine

A training centre dedicated to education

To address these educational challenges, Sr Madeleine is working in partnership with the A.M.I. centre (Association of Mary Immaculate), an organisation already committed to improving primary education and which currently supports 305 schools and 2,663 teachers and headteachers across several regions (Bikoro, Itipo, Lukolela, Yumbi and Bolobo). However, due to a lack of sufficient resources in recent years, these activities have slowed considerably despite growing needs.

The project: Sustaining improvements in the quality of primary education

The project will run for four months of intensive activity. A team of 15 people (educational facilitators, a driver, a printer, caretakers, etc.) is already in place. Some are volunteers, others are paid staff. 

The project benefits from local contributions (photocopier, generator, voluntary work), which already demonstrates a strong local commitment.

Thanks to your support, the A.M.I. will be able to fund:

- the organisation of continuing professional development sessions (educational, personal and spiritual) for teachers and headteachers; 
- the production of textbooks using existing equipment; 
- the distribution of these teaching materials to schools; 
- travel expenses for high-quality on-the-ground monitoring, including regular classroom visits to provide practical support to teachers in their teaching practices.

“This idea struck us as the way to provide a high-quality education for our primary school pupils: to make a lasting improvement to the quality of primary education by working directly with teachers and alongside them.” Sr Madeleine. 

With them, thanks to you
Thank you for your support

If the project raises more than its goal, any excess funds received will be allocated to a similar project.