A "legacy" of learning
Sixteen years after it was built, this simple yet strong building still stands as a foundation of education in Dumi.
School headmaster and village chief, Michel, sits with several of the children attending the school.
DUMI, Democratic Republic of Congo - Children in Dumi used to attend school outdoors, under palm fronds. If it rained, there would be no school at all.
But then Operation Blessing came to Dumi. In 1994, OBI funded the construction of a small, rural primary school on the Bateke Plateau.
The building was simple—six classrooms and an administrative office—and built from oven-fired bricks.
“It was a very substantial construction that we were proud of,” said OBI’s Jon Cassel, who oversaw the project.
But only three years later, rebel groups marched through the country, and Operation Blessing was forced to flee the area.
Recently, Jon returned to Dumi and was delighted to not only see that the school was still operating 16 years later, but that Michel, the chief of Dumi village—who had worked with OBI on previous agricultural projects—was now also the headmaster for the school.
“The school is a legacy that OB has left on the Plateau,” Jon said.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more.
Please make an online contribution toward OBI's orphan care programs today and help us continue to reach those in need.