KATANGA – "We are like the leopard’s spots," I think to myself as I look at a map of Katanga, a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo where Inter Campus has been working for years. Indeed, my map is now covered with several blue spots.
The idea of the leopard is a fitting one – because the leopard is the symbol of DR Congo and nickname of the national football team. DR Congo are contesting the African Cup of Nations as we speak, cheered on by the colourful, noisy Congolese fans.
Our Inter Campus centres are located in areas that vary in both social affluence and geographic nature. Jama'a Yetu, for example, is an urban elementary school, but there is also the rural village of Cawama, the GoKongo school and farm, the Rode foster home for abandoned girls and the Bakanja Centre for homeless children. The newest centre, in Bumi, also deals with the homeless.
Every one of these centres is overseen by our partner organisation ALBA – the Secular Association for African Children. The success of the project in DR Congo is down in no small part to the fine work of local coordinator Gabriele Salmi, who somehow keeps her hand on the tiller of all the projects designed to help disadvantaged minors.
Katanga can still be a somewhat volatile place, with the unequal distribution of natural resources exacerbating the tensions in the region given that these would ensure a more comfortable life for all if all were able to take benefit from them.
During their recent visit, project manager Massimo Seregni and Inter Campus coaches Alberto Giacomini and Lorenzo Forneris ran sessions with dozens of local children and coaches – both men and women. For the youngsters, the highlight was receiving their new Inter jerseys, but for the Nerazzurri delegation it was a valuable opportunity to provide training to the local instructors and take stock of the project’s progress.
It is a source of great satisfaction that the project continues to go from strength to strength, with the coaches involved in the programme becoming more capable, creative and independent every time we visit. In the land of the leopard, Inter Campus is helping the local community change its spots.
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