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A School in the Congo: A Changemakers Success Story

6 February 2017 · by Margit Grobbel

There’s no better way of starting 2017 than sharing a success story with you. We have a great example from the Madrid Changemakers Group: this particular story began in April 2016 — almost one year ago — and reached its happy ending in January.

Back in 2016, Rosa Guerrero, Consul of the Madrid Changemakers Group, decided to support the Mzungu Project, which aims to provide education to children in need in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Beginning of an InterNations Success Story

The Mzungu Project was founded by José Antonio Ruiz Díez, an active member of the Madrid Changemakers Group.

When José Antonio decided to contact Rosa regarding his education project, he had already built one school in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a matter of fact, the successful completion of this school building was the reason why he wanted to establish the Mzungu Project in the first place — to open more schools, create more jobs for local residents, and enable more children in rural areas to get an education.

“I found his personal story so inspiring, about how he’d reached a point in his life when he was quite successful professionally and just wanted to give back to society. So he decided to embark on an adventure and built a school in a remote area of the Congo. He had already done it once, with his own money, and then he wanted to raise the funds for another school.”
— Rosa Guerrero, Consul of the Madrid Changemakers Group

The Challenge: How InterNations Contributed to a School in the Congo

The Consuls of the Madrid Changemakers Group decided to sign up for this challenge. They were planning to host an interactive and interesting fundraising event, so members could join an activity and hopefully learn more about the cause. Therefore, the Consuls opted for an African fundraising dinner, where José Antonio could present his project to the attendees and answer any questions they might have.

Unfortunately, the Consuls couldn’t find a Congolese restaurant, as they had originally planned. Thus they opted for an Ethiopian one, which ended up being a very popular choice!

The Successful Outcome

The members were so dedicated to supporting the Mzungu Project that every single one who’d accepted the invitation made sure to attend the fundraiser! Everything was perfectly organized, thanks to our wonderful Consuls, and the attendees who signed up managed to pay in advance for the fundraising dinner. More than 300 Euros were collected for helping to build another school in the DRC, money that benefited the project directly.

José’s dream of building a second school has now come true. The foundations were laid last May, and the construction was finished by the end of the year. Nowadays, over 200 children can attend primary school thanks to the Mzungu Project.

In order to commemorate all the donors that contributed to this cause, José Antonio dedicated a brick to each sponsor. Here’s the brick dedicated to InterNations, thanks to our fantastic Consuls from the Madrid Changemakers Group and our generous members. This brick is the proof that we can indeed change the world, one small step at a time.

If you’d like to know more about José and his project or get more information on the two schools it has helped to build, just check out the Mzungu Project.

Find out more about the InterNations Changemakers Program on our About Page or write to support@internations.org.

(Image credit: 1), 4), 5): José Antonio Ruiz Díez / Mzungu Project 2), 3) InterNations)

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, international aid, InterNations Changemakers' Groups, Madrid, Mzungu Project, spain

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Raf Olayi ka says

    20 September 2017 at 22:59

    I have also similar project that I will like changemaker to participating.in Nigeria,I have started it already but I need more support. Thanks

    Reply
  2. Rosa Guerrero says

    10 April 2017 at 11:58

    Hi,

    Rosa here. Sorry for the late reply and thanks for your comments!

    @Godfrey Mbabazi – we’re always open to collaborate with different causes & countries, we just need to have a reliable, trustworthy connection to organise & arrange the best campaign.

    @Alexandra Arboleda – gracias por tu lindo comentario!

    Thanks again, and if I can be of any help, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the the Madrid Changemakers Group.

    Best,
    Rosa

    Reply
  3. Alexandra Arboelda says

    24 February 2017 at 15:55

    Proud about Internations actions!!!

    Me llena el corazón de alegría ver este tipo de noticias, gracias amigos de Internations por este aporte en CONGO – que maravilla que no sólo seamos un grupo con intereses propios sino que vamos hasta la última milla – con responsabilidad social respaldando a todos globalmente sin diferencias de raza, sin intereses locales, sin diferencias religiosas.

    Un abrazo desde Colombia.

    Saludos,
    Alexandra Arboleda

    Reply
    • Margit says

      24 February 2017 at 16:53

      @Alexandra Arboleda:

      Thank you so much for your kind words!

      (Sorry for replying in English. I’m afraid my Spanish is rather rusty!)

      Reply
  4. Godfrey Mbabazi says

    23 February 2017 at 13:01

    Good day, I am delighted about the Congo school project story,thank you. Can you please think about Uganda too?

    Reply
    • Margit says

      24 February 2017 at 17:12

      @Godfrey Mbabazi:

      Thank you for your feedback! As far as I’m aware, the decision to support the schools in Congo came about by chance: the project leader happened to be a member of the InterNations Madrid Changemakers Group. If any Changemakers Group had such a connection in Uganda, too, I’m sure they’d offer similar support.

      Reply

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