It was a great pleasure for us to have the visit of Lynne Brouillette and Radek Jaster (from Kids in the Congo) here in Butembo & Beni in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. I salute their courage and determination, especially given the fact that this part of the DRC is troublesome and therefore, repulsive, so to speak, to Westerners. Having arrived via Uganda on November 5, Lynne & Radek left the RDC on November 18 for Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania.
The first school Lynne & Radek visited was the School Complex Prince of Peace in Beni. This school has a nursery level with 185 students (among whom 81 are girls), an elementary level with 586 students (among whom 304 are girls) and a high-school level with 419 students (among whom 234 are girls). There is also a literacy program with 72 students (among whom 45 are girls). Lynne & Radek were warmly welcomed and they had a good time with students, teachers & staff.
Thanks to the generosity of the friends of the late Fr. Oliver Blanchette, a classroom has been built and was thus dedicated on the day Lynne & Radek visited. I personally want to thank all those who have made generous contributions to the building of Prince of Peace School Complex. Your donations have made a great impact on the Assumptionist apostolate here in the RDC.
The next school which Lynne & Radek visited was Museke Complex School in Beni. The later is a private school managed by the Assumptionists. This school has about 800 students and is one of the best schools in Beni. Our guests were well received and they did spend some time with both teachers, students & staff.
Going back to Butembo, Lynne & Radek visited Kambali High School. This is a big assumptionist school with over 1 700 students. Parents “fight” to get their children into Kambali high school to get a high-quality education. Many are the Assumptionists who went to this school.
Lynne & Radek did participate in many activities at Kambali. They mingled with students; teachers & staff and they can witness to the vibrant life on campus.
Then came the day of visiting the 2 Kindugu elementary schools. These are in Butembo. At Kindugu I Elementary, things got out of hand, I would say. The students mobbed Lynne the extend that we had to literary “rescue” her. We had to rush to Kindugu II in order to manage the situation. At this second school, Lynne was so upset that she couldn’t get out of the car. So, Radek took pictures and videos and we left.
Then came the day to go to Assumption University. This one is in Butembo. The first day, Radek went to take pictures & videos of the site. Then on the next day, he went into classrooms in order to film students. The campus is small and the main needs today is to extend it in order to receive more students.
Then the President was interviewed to order to explain the vision and the mission of the University. He extended on objectives and future perspectives. In fact, the university has many needs and without meeting those needs, growth will be hard to achieve.
The last school to visit was Mahamba Technical School. This is also an Assumptionist school. It focuses on technical programs in order to help students to gain technical skills in electricity, mechanics, printing, etc.
by Father Salavator Musande, A.A.
