Education is at the heart of GoCongo Foundation’s efforts towards community wellbeing. We believe that education is the cornerstone of human progress, and that communities can be empowered to take ownership of their own development only when equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills.
GoCongo Foundation currently operates 19 schools in the DRC, catering to 5,000 children. We seek to continuously improve our existing schools, as well as establish new schools where there is a need.
In 2011, GoCongo established The Nakhjavani School near the village of Malambwe. Since then, it has been nurtured into a thriving, vibrant school of 500 high-achieving students, a team of enthusiastic teachers, and a supportive parent community. Find out more about The Nakhjavani School here.
As GoCongo Farms has grown through mergers and acquisitions, the company has willingly inherited responsibility for 18 additional primary schools. We are working to ensure a high standard of learning across these schools. Find out more about our Community Schools here.
Our philosophy of education centres on the belief that every person is ‘a mine rich in gems of inestimable value’, and that ‘education can alone cause it to reveal its treasures and enable mankind to benefit therefrom’.
We believe schools flourish when free to develop a unique culture, and to serve the specific needs of their local communities. Nevertheless, we strive to uphold certain core principles across all our schools:
We involve surrounding communities in the progress of the schools, encouraging active participation in their operation and expansion. Where possible, teachers are sourced from local communities, and we ensure parents engage with children’s learning. We invite communities to shape the curriculum, so that learning is tailored to the community’s needs.
Recognising the virtues inherent in all human beings, we empower teachers to ‘mine the gems’ in every child. The curriculum develops moral character, the school environment is conducive to moral upliftment, and children take part in activities that promote virtues such as truthfulness, cooperation, or cleanliness.
We understand that there is a great need for employment and economic opportunities among many young people in the DRC. We strive to ensure that our work empowers young people with the skills to seek secure employment in a range of vocations, relevant to the needs of their communities. We also work to facilitate their employment opportunities.
