Learn More About Giving Back To Africa
1. Tell us about your mission.
The mission of Giving Back To Africa is to educate and empower young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), enabling them to become agents of change in their community and country. We work to fulfill our mission by partnering with Congolese educators in Mpasa II—a third-generation refugee camp turned urban slum—to integrate 21st century leadership skills into the DRC national curriculum and facilitate real-world learning and leadership experience through Community Service Actions (CSAs). Malembe Rise (formerly Giving Back to Africa) helps teachers and students to recognize and seize the opportunities they have to lead for change in a country that, though burdened by issues of poverty, hunger, and violence, boasts a young, capable population who can lead DRC into a bright future.
2. How is The West Foundation supporting your mission?
Since 2014, The West Foundation has brought power to our mission through financial support and accountability.
3. Considering your impactful work to eliminate poverty, how is The West Foundation’s philanthropic support providing you with sustainability and mobility?
Malembe Rise invests in people—not projects. We prioritize the long-term development of our educators and students over the production of quick-fix programming. The long-term support we’ve received from The West Foundation has equipped us with the financial resources necessary to encourage professional development of teachers, through our provision of proper wages and impactful trainings, and to educate and empower the students we serve through our provision of real-world learning exercises such as the Student Learning Garden and assets-based problem-solving activities called Community Service Actions (CSAs). The West Foundation’s philanthropic support has allowed us to sustain and further develop these investments in the Mpasa II community.
4. How are you realizing your potential?
Our commitment to fostering innovative, leadership-based learning has been showcased especially well during the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic. When schools shut down in the DRC, the Ministry of Education produced educational programming through television and radio platforms across the country. However, many of the Congolese, including many living in Mpasa II, do not have access to electricity and were left unable to provide education for their children through the government offering. The Malembe Rise team in the DRC, however, quickly adapted to the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic as our educators conducted door-to-door visits to students’ homes to ensure they could continue learning during the lockdown. Though the pandemic has challenged our organization in many ways, it has also proved that Malembe Rise exhibits the problem-solving skills and spirit of innovation that is seen throughout DRC.
5. What’s one important thing you want others to know about your organization?
Malembe Rise is an organization dedicated to collaboration—to walking alongside one another rather than doing for, and to encouraging the realization of agency among those with whom we work. We strive to amplify local voices as we acknowledge that locals are the experts of both the issues and the assets in their communities. We believe in the responsibility for each of us, staff and board, to unlearn our biases and embrace listening and growing in our understanding of the complexities and beauty of cross-cultural work. We reject the “West-always-knows-best” mentality as we firmly believe that change-making initiatives must be embraced and advanced by local leadership in the DRC for the change to be appropriate and sustainable. We value collaboration as we work together to further our mission. By supporting teachers, we invest in a positive future for a strong DRC and a better world. May we all embrace the spirit of Ubuntu, “I am because you are.” May we work together to achieve equity through education.
6. How can people reading this help you?
Use your voice to bring education to the forefront of philanthropic investment. Whether in DRC or in the US, education is the answer to a better world for all. Share our work with your family and friends! Donate or host a fundraiser! Acts of generosity, big or small, are both inspiring and impactful! Attend one of our events this year. We seek to come together several times per year to discuss and engage with thought leaders and changemakers. Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter and be a part of the Malembe Rise community!
7. What are your deepest needs as an organization?
We are growing! This year, Malembe Rise will “graduate” our long time partner school to expand our impact with another local school. We are looking for strategic partners who share our vision and will join us in the next chapter of expansion and impact in Mpasa II. We believe all children deserve a quality education–no matter where they live. We believe quality education begins with great teachers.
Photo Courtesy: Giving Back To Africa