We celebrated the end of the school year on July 2 for the more than 300 students at Kimbilio's school. And...drum roll...we're delighted to announce that all 40 of Kimbilio School's 6th graders passed their national exams that mark the conclusion of their primary education! They will proceed to 7th grade.
Kimbilio's school has had a fast-paced, remarkable journey since we began making its first batch of 20,000 bricks for its foundation in 2018. Now, we educate more than 300 children on a daily basis - street children in our care as well as local children from our impoverished community who otherwise would not have the opportunity to go to school. Ours is an inclusive school where we strengthen community cohesion by educating street children alongside local children. We started as a primary school and are adding grades to give our students the ability to continue their educations with us beyond the primary years.
The DR Congo is making progress toward free primary education, but over 4 million children ages 9 to 14 are not in school. Only 67% of children who enter first grade will complete 6th grade and only 3.4% of 10 year olds demonstrate reading comprehension for a simple text. Girls' enrollment drops more sharply than boys' after primary school. Progress skews toward higher income communities. (Source: USAID) Nearly half of girls ages 5 to 17 do not go to school. (Source: UNICEF)
Here are some of our favorite year-end photos. The three photos of children in their school uniforms are our rising 7th graders! Your £47 donation would support one of these children for a full semester at Kimbilio's school.
#DRCongo #Lubumbashi #primaryeducation #streetchildren #homelessness #poverty #educationequity #inclusivity
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