Member of the Month

This month we are featuring Menelik Education, who work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The CEO of Menelik Education, Theodore Menelik, gave us a talk on their work at our January Knowledge Exchange. Below is a summary of the event.

 

Kicking off the first knowledge exchange of 2015, CEO of Menelik Education, Theodore Menelik, gave a talk on the work of his organisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  As always, Theodore’s presentation was engaging and lively.

The audience was first taken briefly through the geographical and political history of the DRC and how this has perpetuated fundamental inequality, and fed contemporary under-development in the country.  Despite valuable natural resources within the Congo’s borders, the GDP of the DRC is tiny compared to those in other countries within the content of Africa and Europe.  Theodore explained that control over resources has been a source of fierce conflict, with armed rebels gravitating towards areas with the most natural wealth.

Menelik Education’s work focuses on human sustainable development with many projects based in education.  More than half of Congolese children are not in schools, and those that do attend receive an education limited by lack of resources and funding.  For instance, subjects like IT are taught theoretically, leaving students with little to no practical experience on computers.

 

Menelik Education works holistically to tackle these problems: secondary issues are not ignored in favour of the primary goal and the organisation works hard to make sure that areas are not left worse off than they were prior to development interventions.

Theodore explained how partnerships with schools and other NGOs assist the organisation in reaching its goals.  Fundraisers and campaigns not only provide financial aid – they raise the profile of Menelik Education, leading to more and more funding.

After the two hours were up, there was a tangible appetite and real eagerness to participate in such projects.  Theodore stirred energy and excitement into his audience; many of us left with a longing to join Menelik in the DRC over the coming summer.

For further information on this opportunity, and to find out more about Menelik Education’s work, please see their website