Daniella came to Kimbilio's day center in 2017. She'd been orphaned when her father passed away, and when a number of disputes arose in his family related to his passing, she ended up on the street. She'd been her mother's only child. She was 14 years old. After a week at Kimbilio's transit house for girls, the Kimbilio team were able to reunite her with her mother's biological family -- she moved in with her mother's mother. There, her uncle made it possible for her to resume her studies. Over a year ago, Daniella received her high school diploma, but sadly her uncle did not have money to send her to the university. Enter: #WesleyMethodistChurch in Chester, UK. Through Congo Children Trust, a group of women at Wesley banded together to fund Danielle's college. Monday, she begins her second year at the University of Lubumbashi. This is a perfect example of "it takes a village."
There are significant gender gaps in school attendance, progress and learning outcomes in the DR Congo, making Daniella's success all the more exciting. A survey done a few years ago showed that 33% of girls aged 14 to 17 were not in school. Of that 33, 7 never attended school, 16 dropped out before starting secondary (7th grade), and 10 dropped out at some point in secondary school but before finishing it. 21 out of 26 provinces had net enrollment favoring boys, with nine of those provinces with 10% or more gender gap for enrollment. Rural girls were 23% less like than rural boys and 46% less like than urban boys to complete 12th grade. (Source: World Bank, Results Brief, 2023)
Daniella, congratulations!
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