Inter Campus: development work in Congo

LUBUMBASHI – Inter Campus representatives have completed a successful first visit to Lubumbashi, in the Katanga (Shaba) region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A delegation met with our social partner ALBA (an Italy-based charity association that promotes education for African children), represented by Gabriele Salmi, to discuss setting up a project for the street kids from the communities of Bakanja Centre, Jemaa Yetu and Cawama.

The project, which will initially involve one hundred boys and girls, has been made possible thanks to the logistical help of the local Salesians and the financial aid provided by the generous Italian community of the city – led by Renzo Donetti and the Italian consul Giovanbattista Zunino – and the local Trust Merchant Bank. Our technical collaborators Alberto Giacomini and Lorenzo Forneris were on site to assess the technical feasibility of the project and speak to potential local staff.

At the end of the mission, our delegation visited the governor of the region, S.E. Moise Katumbi Chapwe, who is also the chairman of TP Mazembe football club and who met president Massimo Moratti during the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi. Massimo Seregni, Inter Campus project organiser for Africa, handed over some gifts on behalf of our president, which were gratefully received, and Mazembe expressed their wish for the two clubs to maintain a close relationship also in the future.

Our team then went across the border to Ndola, in Zambia, to take a look at the facilities of the Associazione Papa Giovanni XXIII, which also works with street children. In the future, this may serve as a training centre for the various social realities that have asked for Inter Campus to intervene in Zambia, including in the southern region of Kafue. The Inter Campus frontiers are continuing to expand, offering more children another reason to smile even in poverty.

31.05.2011