Hearst
When one of our teachers, Bertin, heard about GIS Day, he wanted to plan a special Geography lesson for our school.
GIS Day encourages geospatial thinking and provides a means for people to come together on a global scale in order to learn about geographic information systems (GIS) technology and how maps are used.
Given that our supporters visit the Malaika School from across the globe, our students are naturally interested in geography and their role as global citizens.
Normal classes were suspended for the afternoon and the whole school attended a screening of Around the World in 80 Days (2004 version), so that the girls could enjoy its depiction of different countries and cultures.
Bertin then led a discussion about geography and the girls had the opportunity to study maps and ecosystems. Afterwards there were games and competitions, as the girls matched countries to their continents, discovered the largest and most populated countries in Africa, the highest mountain, etc.
At the end, the girls were presented with GIS pencils, generously donated by Esri, which coordinates GIS Day around the world.
Thank you GIS Day and Bertin!
Malaika was proud to send Sarah Kalumba, our Country Manager, to the Football for Hope adidas Exchange Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting of representatives from FIFA community centers took place at the Mathare Football for Hope Centre with workshops devoted to monitoring and evaluating the progress at all the Football for Hope Centres. There were opportunities for everyone to exchange ideas and learn from other organizations.
Sarah was invited to give a separate presentation on community involvement since Malaika was recognized as a organization that does this particularly well. The community center in Kalebuka focuses on utilizing health, education and football as development tools to improve quality of life for the local youth and community. Find out more about the KFFH Center or make a donation directly to this special place by visiting www.malaika.org/community
This month, Kibimbi Ladine spoke to us openly about the hardship of her life.
I was born in Lubumbashi in 1984. I don’t remember my family. My two siblings died when I was very young. My parents separated when I was two and I lived with my mother until she died. My father refused to look after me, so I was sent to live with my grandparents. They saw me as just another mouth to feed, and showed me no love or affection.
Even though I have a husband, life is still a big struggle. I did not complete school, so I am very happy to have the opportunity to study at the Kalebuka Football for Hope Center.
The Center is the only thing which helps me get through each day.
Although it makes us very sad to hear about Kibimbi Ladine’s story and the challenges she has in her life, we are so pleased that she is able to come to the Kalebuka Football for Hope Center, where she takes adult literacy classes.
We hope that her new education will help to improve her circumstances and that she finds the happiness she deserves.
This month, Noella had the pleasure of visiting Grange Park Primary School in Sunderland, located 4 hours north of London. She went with the intention of seeing how the school educates its students and discussing the possibility of partnering with them. Grange Park serves a very underprivileged area but even though the income levels of the students’ families are low – their spirits and grades are high. The students’ grades are remarkably high and the school is ranked as one of the top 8 schools in England. The children partake in extra-curricular activities and languages and enjoy a broad curriculum. Many of the Malaika School’s ethos are represented and Noella knew right away that creating a partnership between Grange Park and the Malaika School would be a special opportunity. Keep up with Malaika and find out how this new bond between the Democratic Republic of Congo and England unfolds.
Luti Masangu and Augustin Kivunghe galvanized friends, colleagues and co-workers to support Augustin’s run at the Brussels marathon on October 4th and donate in the name of Malaika. Augustin, a trained athlete, inspired a youthful community to cheer him on! With Luti’s enthusiasm and their community Facebook page www.facebook.com/Run4Malaika Luti and Augustin raised €4,650 / $5,290 which will sponsor the education of six girls at the Malaika School in DR Congo. Thank you Luti and Augustin for your hard work!
Luti and Augustin met Noella in New York six years ago. Luti was best friends with long-time supporter Corina Savvas and wanted to help as both Luti and Corina were born in Congo.
Can’t run a marathon? For more ideas on how you can send a girl to school in the Democratic Republic of Congo visit our web site www.malaika.org
It was quite a busy few days for Malaika founder Noella Coursaris Musunka as she attended the Clinton Global Initiative, Glamour Magazine’s “Power of An Educated Girl” event and spoke at the African Philanthropy Forum.
From September 26th through the 29th, Noella listened to CGI Annual Meeting guests speak of “The Future of Impact” and how we as a community can try to replicate and expand proven solutions to create opportunities in areas where they are most needed. Some of the inspiring leaders she heard from were: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Kailash Satyarthi, CEO of Unilever Paul Polman and philanthropist Bill Gates.
A spontaneous invite brought Noella to Glamour Magazine’s “Power of an Educated Girl” event at the historic Apollo theater. The panel discussion was hosted by Glamour Editor-In-Chief Cindi Leive and featured distinguished speakers First Lady Michelle Obama, the former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and actress and activist Charlize Theron, in order to raise awareness for girl’s education around the world.
Noella was honored to be invited to speak at the African Philanthropy Forum. She tantalized the audience with her knowledge of D.R. Congo, the inspiration behind the founding of Malaika and her passion for promoting African fashion.
For more photos of these events, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Malaika Founder, Noella Coursaris Musunka, was named to TRUE Africa’s list of 100 innovators and game-changers who they feel are shaping the Africa of today and tomorrow. Noella was asked three questions:
1. Why is educating girls particularly important?
2. Have you been tempted to accept the help of big organizations and expand?
3. Who’s your African of the year?
Click here to read the interview!