CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE AT THE SAINT JOSEPH CALASANZ SCHOOL COMPLEX IN KINSHASA

On 30 January 2025, Complexe Scolaire Saint Joseph Calasanz observed a particularly significant day dedicated to peace and non-violence. The event began with the creation of a symbolic graphic representing peace, illustrating the school’s commitment to these essential values.
Over the course of the day, students, staff and the school community came together to take part in a meditative walk. Armed with lit candles, they prayed in memory of the souls of our deceased brothers and sisters, particularly those from Goma, who have been affected by the violence and tragedies of recent years.
The march was certainly a powerful moment, when everyone was able to express their thoughts and prayers for a better future, far from conflict and suffering. The candles lighting the way symbolised hope and light in the darkness, reminding everyone that peace is possible if we unite in this goal.
As the day drew to a close, the Complexe Scolaire Saint Joseph Calasanz reaffirmed its role in education for peace and non-violence, raising awareness among younger generations of the importance of these values in our society. Together, we can create a world where peace reigns and every life is precious. Let us continue to pray for peace and work for a future of non-violence.

SMALL STEPS FOR WOMEN IN KIMAYALA

‘Those who sow in tears will reap in joy’. (Ps126, 5) This age-old maxim, rooted in the human experience of work, effort and also laziness, has been put into practice in the project to promote rural women, developed in our Kikonka presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And what about the ironic exclamation of this old man during the photo session during the groundnut harvest. ‘The injustice has been righted’. He didn’t mean it so well: poverty is an injustice. It’s like a photo shoot where some people are forgotten. ITAKA went to see these forgotten people in the village of Kimayala.

Women from the village, accompanied by a few men, organised themselves into an agricultural cooperative and, for the first time, set up a community groundnut and maize field. The ambition was modest, but the challenge was great in this dry season. In addition to the hot climate, they also had to meet the challenge inherent in all group work: to facilitate cooperation between members and pool intentions and strengths.

The project was a success, but not without its difficulties. The banks of the Gueba river, which flows through the village, were chosen. Once the process of renting the land had been completed, the clearing, ploughing and sowing followed. For these women, all cushioned by the harshness of life, it was necessary to brave the fatigue of the days and the difficulties of working in a group. The gamble paid off, and the breeze from the River Gueba was able to caress the maize plants, which soon began to look their best.

Three months later, it was harvest time. The tom-tom hasn’t sounded, but it’s beating louder in people’s hearts, giving way here and there to smiles and bursts of laughter that have given way to initial doubts. The harvest is beautiful and promising. Sales are encouraging us to repeat the initiative on a grand scale; the enthusiasm is perceptible in this isolated area where men and women aspire only to a better life. Itaka’s project is the bearer of a new imagination that destructures the structures of poverty. In Kimayala, small shoots of Itaka are taking small feminine steps.

FIRST MEETING OF PARENTS OF PUPILS AT THE SAINT JOSEPH CALASANZ SCHOOL COMPLEX IN KINSHASA

The Saint Joseph Calasanz School Complex has just opened its doors as a school dedicated to education and evangelisation in favour of social transformation.

With a view to doing things better, on Sunday 06 October 2024, the very first parents’ meeting was held, bringing together all the parents of the children in all the classes (Nursery, Primary and Secondary). The aim of the meeting was to make contact with the parents of the pupils and to establish a working relationship between parents, educators, teachers and professors at the school complex. The agenda included a presentation of the school complex’s vision, its pedagogical and disciplinary organisation, and its finances. The presentation gave parents a better understanding of their children’s learning objectives at Complexe Scolaire Saint Joseph Calasanz, the school’s expectations of its children and a clear vision of the school’s modus operandi.

In fact, the vision can be summed up as education and evangelisation for social transformation, as stated in the motto: educate, announce and transform. The school is committed to educating children with good values by announcing to them the Good News of the Word of God, so that they become transformed citizens for a better tomorrow where living together is beautiful. This is why the school instils in its children respect for people and property, in line with the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Pupils, staff and parents are all expected to respect each other and to observe certain principles designed to promote the objectives set out in the overall educational project of the Saint Joseph Calasanz School Complex.