In brief

River of Hope has been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2010, football kicked off the project. In 2013 River of Hope started to set-up a comprehensive infrastructure near the village of Selo, Bas, supporting a community of around 1’000 people who live in complete poverty. The main campus, named “Tala Mosika” is located just a few minutes from Selo, and there the NGO has built a primary, secondary and boarding school, a tailoring atelier, a canteen, an infirmary and accommodation for staff. The new football programme and Physical Education programme provide opportunities for a local, quite isolated community that will favour the social development and that will increase knowledge and skills of the beneficiaries.

Problem to be tackled

Children in the cycle of poverty, malnutrition or poor sanitation – using the attraction of football as a strategy to reach out to the youth and to provide opportunities

Local partner

River of Hope’s project plan includes a football programme with dedicated coaching and proper equipment and facilities including a ‘self-made’ field as well as a Physical Education programme for Primary and Secondary school respectively for all students of the Tala Mosika school. This offers an education and much more to hundreds of children. The project not only impacts the children but also their families and the local economy. It combines for example a literacy programme for mothers, agriculture, a medical insurance cooperative and a number of small initiatives to support the families as a whole.

Beneficiaries

The project is based in a rural area of Selo, most adults are illiterate and live from burning the surrounding woods to make charcoal for resale.

Main beneficiaries are students from six primary years and at least six secondary years in the Physical Education programme, aged 6 – 20; additionally the project includes a football programme for boys aged 8-18, a girls’ programme is under consideration.

SOL’s contribution

With support of The SOL Foundation River of Hope will be able to add a structured sports element to their actual work, which is mainly a school in a rural part of The Democratic Republic of the Congo: physical activities to be introduced to all primary and secondary classes and in addition a dedicated football programme.

Project partner

River of Hope is a registered non-profit organisation inspired by the work of Dr. Nathaniel Doron, a UN diplomat who during his career with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), supported developing countries to become more sustainable in the areas of agriculture, health and education; it is based in Buchs, SG, Switzerland.

River of Hope aims inter alia to “Help others to help themselves” while understanding that individual communities have different requirements to remain self sufficient and sustainable.