They Were Hungry

First it was one child. Then another. Then many. Each showed up sick at the infirmary of the Sisters of Notre Dame Secondary School in Mpese Congo. Understand, these are students who really want to go to class. When a hurricane blew the roof off their school, they searched in the nearby forest the next morning for pieces of the destroyed roof, hoping to repair the damage. They carried stones and sand from the village each day to help in the repairs. So Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Justine Mokoko took their complaints quite seriously.

It turns out the children were hungry.

Nothing about education is easy for these children. Eager to learn, they cram four to a bench, 70 to a class. Instructional supplies are limited, but the students share and use them well. Many have lost their biological parents through illness and war, but they cope. Most are hungry.

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur teach a regular curriculum and then religion in after-school programs. They arrange for the funds that provide rudimentary buildings and supplies, and they help look after the students without parents at home.

And to address the hunger, our Sisters work alongside students to grow corn in a school garden. The corn is pounded into powder and made into a cereal. At10:15 every morning the 150 students gather with their cups to receive a portion of the corn mix -- and to sing the school song about the goodness of God.