Our Objective
The central goal of ADH is to make a good education possible!
Education Unites
Providing an education can easily be described by the slogan "Helping people to help themselves". However, ADH will not only build schools, to eventually leave them to themselves. ADH attempts to develop a sustainable school operation, so that one day ordinary school life will be possible without our support and supervision! Many aid projects fail once the outside help is omitted. For this reason we involve the local population very early with the planning and procedure. We believe that positive changes can only effectively bear lasting fruit if the local population takes charge of the responsibility.
Child labor hinders scholastics
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in many other underdeveloped countries, education is not self-evident. Without functioning insurance systems (such as pension, health insurance and worker’s compensation) in these poverty stricken countries, children are unfortunately often considered to be a necessary, if not the most important, source of income in order to ensure the survival of their families. Although many children must work from a young age, even if only family related such as getting water, preparing food or looking after younger siblings, real child labor should not be underestimated. Over a quarter of Congolese children between 5 and 14 years of age are employed as child laborers. We believe that in rural areas the amount of child laborers is even a lot higher. [2] Child labour makes it very difficult to ensure a consistent and useful education. That is why it is not surprising that approximately half of the children in the Congo that are old enough to go to school do not. [3]
Overcoming obstacles: No longer school fees
Perhaps the biggest hindrance for the children’s school attendance is the additional burden of insurmountable school fees, that is why we abstain from financing the School this way. This is not common here and to be honest the only other schools we know of that do not charge school fees are the ones in refugee camps. ADH relies on external financial sources for the funding of the school so as to enable as many children as possible to attend school. Extreme poverty should not be an obstacle for parents to let their children attend school, but rather the reason why they should. A good comprehensive education is not only crucial to the future of the children, but also for the entire country!
Developing the potential of the children
There is great potential in so many of the children which can only be fully effective, if it is supported accordingly. In order to improve the future prospects of the children (and therefore also those of their families), ADH has made the possibility of a good education and training its main goal. We organize the hiring of qualified teachers and provide appropriate school supplies. Herein we abide by the state-prescribed curriculum. However, in our school, French is taught since the first grade. This should provide the children with more and better alternatives in their further training.
Lasting school buildings – not taken for granted
To provide a good education, we wish to establish spacious, bright classrooms, with a rainproof roof and solid foundations and walls, for which the locals are very grateful and are proud of. In contrast to the prevailing rural construction methods, the school building is designed to last for a long time. The conventional small dwellings in the rural area of West Kasai mostly consist of only a wooden scaffolding with clay and straw roofs. These less sturdy materials must be renewed every year, largely due to heavy rain falls and the infestation of termites. By using our construction method with our school buildings, we like to leave something that lasts for the local population and especially the young people. That is why ADH uses weatherproof and stable materials, such as bricks, which we manufacture on site. We build solid and permanent brick buildings, so that the children are safely housed and the school has a longer and better future
        
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