New funding for the DR Congo project with children and women

Itaka-Escolapios has recently received a grant from the Government of Aragon for the project entitled “Strengthening the fight against poverty through the education of children in Kikonka and the personal, economic, and social empowerment of women” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This project will consolidate the process of combating poverty in the community of Kikonka, which began in 2018, by protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable sectors: women, girls, and children.

This intervention will expand the coverage of the St. Joseph de Calasanz Nursery and Primary School, with the opening of a third-grade classroom in the 2024-2025 school year and a fourth-grade classroom in the 2025-2026 school year; purchasing equipment, book banks, and educational materials; and continuing training for teachers at the school and at the Kikonka Primary School run by the Pious Schools Order. More than 250 children will have their human right to education guaranteed.

This project will also have a positive impact on some 42 women belonging to two women's groups—Kikonka and Kimalaya—as the availability of a nursery-primary school will give women time to strengthen their skills and participate in training and income-generating activities. The women's component has been co-financed by Tolosa City Council.