Getting involved
Soon to become the second largest country in the Africa, The DRC has an exotic ring to many people, but it is much more than wildlife and breathtaking nature. More important: The DRCis much more than the images of war we often see in the international media. The DRC is not a country with a uniform culture. It is very diverse on culture, traditions, languages, history and ideas. The DRC has much to offer to those who are ready to listen.
THINGS WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR:
There are several projects which we have funded already:
1) An increased level of financial assistance to pupils from 35% to 65%, (7200+ students aged between 3-19).
2) A new community friendly resource centre, in which we fitted 16 computers with an extra 4 to be fitted this month making a total of 20 computers, donated by the Leys College (Cambridge) and the Cambridge Centre of Sixth Form Studies - we spent £7,000 to adopt and adapt them to meet local needs.
3) A teacher training programme accessible to all our teachers, including an IT training course. 99% of the teachers had never touched a computer before and thanks to this scheme 100% will be computer literate by the end of this academic year (2009-10). This project is ongoing and cost £200 a month.
4) We have supplied our partner school's clinic at St Georges with much needed medical equipment donated by Addenbrookes Hospital including a new microscope donated by Dr Wilf Kelsal and his wife Carol.
5) Since September 2009 more than 7000 pupils have access to some form of medical care compared to less than a 1000 in previous academic years. Students pay £3.50 per year.
6) We have connected 8 of our computers to the internet, allowing teachers, pupils and staff access to information previously denied to them - internet access cost £150 per month.
7) We have established a Congo and Impington students group, where students communicate with each other online, sharing all sorts of information, but most importantly develop friendships - this project is ongoing.
8) We have put in place schemes enabling volunteers to travel to the Congo to help us train people and transfer skills. This last year 76 volunteers have been to visit our project. The youngest person was 7 years old.
9) We have helped send 3 girls from our schools in very deprived areas to university, which would have been otherwise impossible. Patrick Chadwick, a film-maker and supporter of MenelikEducation, generously paid the year's fees for one of them. Average university cost is £250 per year.
10) In Summer 2011, we have opened the 1st ever Citizen Advice Centre in the DRC to help the vulnerable and abused defend their rights in accordance with the Congolese constitution.
11) We have given financial assistance to 3 single mothers to start up businesses, all of which are running successfully - £500 per business. The start of the loan repayment is in January 2010, however, the date may have to be reviewed depending on circumstances.
In 2003, the house in which the resource centre is based required major work and long before the creation of MenelikEducation and Music (2006), Theodore Menelik took three month unpaid leave and remortgaged his house twice to pay for the work required.is
project.
THINGS WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:
1. Open libraries within the resource centre and in some of our schools - £4,500.
2. Refurbish our orphanage (MENELIK'S CHILDREN) - £7,000 which includes a secure playground and other children friendly facilities.
3. Refurbish the site identified in one of our campuses to establish a school offering vocational qualifications - £6,000/£7,000.
4. Fund Congolese teachers trips to the UK for training in February/March 2012 - £2,500.
5. Fund an agricultural development project in the comunities we work in to help families brake the cycle of poverty. Introducing the idea of self-sufficiency in the DRC will gradually decrease the country's reliance on imported food - £10,500.
Appeal Target: £33,500.00
As of November 2011
