Appreciation taught by the Kambamba School Children



For the past few months, and after around 7 years in Angola I can finally say that I am actually doing what i planned to when i first decided to move to Africa. Help the underprivileged, the children in these impoverished communities and through this I reach an inner satisfaction for being in this country.

It all happened when i met a group of amazing inspiring women who are part of the Kambamba school project , a school which i look forward to visiting every week, and which we fundraise for in different ways in Luanda. 

THE ACTUAL SCHOOL



Four walls, a roof a teacher and students. This is what a basic school structure is composed off,  and this is what an expat lady’s new year resolution was transformed into, the Kambamba school project for 90 kids of the Kambamba community of Angola’s capital of Luanda.

Marjan Looyeh, an expat in Luanda used to visit the poor community with a friend to teach the kids some basic English and to play with them. They got involved and attached to these kids that they raised funds to buy mosquito nets that they delivered themselves to the community.

Marjaan, the founder
                           

Marjaan did not stop there.

It was New Year of 2013 when she promised herself that she was going to do whatever it takes to open a school for the impoverished community of Kambamba. She reached out to the expatriate community in Luanda for fundraising. She was taught by a fellow expat how to hand paint on glass, and sold those glasses to begin the building of the school.


Elmira, Yulia, Cari and Maya during a fundraiser

                             

The Kambamba school project saw the light on June 4th 2014.
Convincing the parents was not an easy task. With the help of her driver , Marjaan encouraged the parents to send their kids to school by giving the students a bag of rice to take home at the end of the day.
They started with 53 students and gradually the number increased to over 90 students.  Today we stand at 135 students. 
By the end of her expatriation time in Luanda she started teaching other expatriates around her how to draw on glass and recruiting volunteers to takeover and sustain her fundraising. That's where the lovely Yulia and Maryo took over with their beautiful talent!

                       



In the last couple of years and with new other volunteers joined in with their talents through sewing aprons, dresses, shirts and so on from african fabric. Elmira and Atika's beautiful pieces have now travelled all over the world by expats who helped Kambamba.

                                      
Angola’s constitution provides free primary education from the age of 7 till the age of 11. It’s the secondary education however that sees most children drop out.  According to the Ministry of Education, around 67 % of the population over the age of 15 can read and write in Portuguese, most of them boys. After completing the primary education, girls specially in the provinces ,who are not able to pay fees of the secondary year stay at home.


the sweetest Maya who's always spoiling the kids with sweets!


Children who were deprived from having an education and who were not thinking about it are now able to dream a little bigger thanks to the Kambamba school project. More than 90 children are given another chance at a future thanks to hardworking ladies from expatriate community of Luanda and they get to study english!!

Yulia, Dalia,myslef and Soha spending a day at school
                        
Cari Dawson an American expat and the current school coordinator considers Kambamba her happy place. Cari's teaching background drew her into Kambamba but she says that what she got in return was much bigger. “Their smiles become a part of you; their needs become an obsession. I pray each day that we will make a lasting difference in the lives of our kids.”


Cari, the school's coordinator, with a passion that motivates!


Cari 's old school in Texas has adopted Kambamba. They did a huge supply drive. Cari says it meant a lot to her that through pictures and videos, Kambamba touched a school in Katy, Texas and taught an “African lesson to some American children". 

                                               
It's one thing to see pictures of these children and donate but if you really can help around your community, i really encourage you to go ahead and visit any orphanage , shelter you might have access to.

The first visit might be striking and head turning, but when you see 4, 6 and 7 year olds showing off their English speaking skills, smiles and giggles all around that overshadows the deprivation and the harsh conditions that they have to endure everyday and makes you eager to help in every way possible, because they do one thing that adults seldom fail to do, they APPRECIATE. 
                         





Comments

  1. HI.

    I'm a journalist with the Newsday programme on BBC World Service radio. We are interested in talking to someone about life in Luanda as an expat. You may well be aware that it has been ranked as the most expensive city in the world for expats, and so we are very interested I hearing about daily life there. We were wondering whether you might be able to do short radio interview with us talking about the city.

    Could I possibly call to discuss this?

    I can be contacted on + 44 203 61 43600 / neil.gallagher@bbc.co.uk

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    1. Hello Neil! Sorry for the late reply , i just emailed u! Thx

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