Since 2013 Sabine Plattner African Charities has Supported the Education of 1.030 Girls and Boys
The international charitable organization SPAC is intimately involved in community-based social development through education and conservation in the north-west of the Republic of Congo.
Around Odzala-Kakoua National Park the construction of SPAC community centres provides space and technical support to enable, educate and empower children, youth and their parents, who survive in an extremely challenging environment.
The population, surrounding Odzala-Kokoua National Park is low density, but dependent on natural resources in the Park’s periphery zone.
SPAC Education is working closely with the communities living in the villages surrounding ODZALA, 6 new schools, called Sanza Mobimba, have been built by Sabine Plattner African Charities, in 6 villages (550 km) a tailor-made early-childhood education program has been professionally implemented.
“We, the Africa and World Conservation Leaders, realize that the youth, and specifically the urbanized youth of today, will play a pivotal role in the future. We therefore undertake to scale up all our efforts to expose and connect the world’s youth to Nature – starting at the level of early childhood development and building into all levels of our schools’ curriculum the necessary training for them to be well-equipped to manage the future of our planet.”
Mrs Sabine Plattner, Founder of Sabine Plattner African Charities (SPAC) at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney is convinced about the power of changing
Education around Odzala-Kokoua National Park
The education in rural African communities are challenging due to the dispersed population. This is further exacerbated by parents’ reluctance to send children to school, largely because they cannot afford the enrolment fees, but also because they need their children to assist with the never-ending work involved in supporting their subsistence-based lifestyle. This includes the opportunity for local villagers to school their boys and girls in their home village.
SPAC has focused on
empowering communities and systems to adopt change that matters in education, conservation and health;
quality improvement to primary education providing basic skills in self-esteem, respect and empathy;
teaching basic health and nutrition skills so that people are better able to contribute to their families’ welfare;
creating opportunities through capacity building for adults to earn incomes through sustainable use of local resources;
uplifting people and supporting an integrated approach to the wellbeing of both people and nature;
learning and developing socio-emotional skills.
Employment and certificated job training of local willingly people in the rural villages around the Park in the three Departments of Mbomo, Mokeko and Sembe provide opportunities for some local income generation.
We hold the belief, that due to the largely positive relationship to all involved parties – kids, parents, communities, authorities and other Park supporters, like Congo Conservation Company and African Parks, we pull on one rope for Early Childhood Development activities in the area.
Warm and friendly greetings!
Astrid Schimmelpenninck
Sabine Plattner African Charities – Head of Education and Outreach