Top of the Class: Girls Sent to School by Action Kivu Supporters

As school begins again this January, Amani wrote that three of the top students at Horebu Elementary are supported by Action Kivu. And that they are girls, which is a great success in a region where girls are often not sent to school solely because of their gender.

Amani, with three of the top students at Horebu Elementary

From the right, meet Feza, who lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS. With your financial support, Feza is now in grade 5 of elementary school, although at 15, she should be in grade 3 of secondary school. After her parents died, she moved in with her grandmother, who is a widow and has had no means to pay for Feza's school. She likes mathematics and is determined to become a medical doctor.

Second from the right is Asifiwe, who is 13 and is in grade 4. Asifiwe and her six siblings lost their father, who died in the conflict. She is the only child of the seven in her family who goes to school.

And on Amani's left is Mapenzi, who is 10 and is in grade 2. Mapenzi also lost her father. At the top of her class, Amani notes she is extremely intelligent with 92% average in school.

Amani included this group shot of many of the children at Horebu Elementary, signing his email: "I love these kids and they give me hope!"

Reading these words from Amani, and reading Brené Brown's new book Daring Greatly,  a previous blog post came to mind, on the definition of hope:

Dr. Brené Brown discovered that "hope is not an emotion, it's a way of thinking or a cognitive process." She quotes the research of C.R. Snyder, who defines hope as a trilogy of goals, pathways, and agency. " 

Hope happens when:

• We have the ability to set realistic goals.

• We are able to figure out how to achieve those goals, including the ability to stay flexible and develop alternative routes.

• We believe in ourselves.

Amani is the face of hope in Congo. In partnering with him, we have witnessed him set realistic goals, find the necessary resources, move with grace and flexibility through the obstacles he faces from both people and the physical terrain. He not only believes in himself, he believes in the power of the people of the Congo, particularly women and girls, translating that hope and belief into their lives.

By partnering with the women and children in Congo, you're telling them their stories matter, and you believe in them, too.

(For more student stories, click here to read "Back to School Stories: Hope and Thanks from Congo)