Angola, Luanda

The new primary school St. John Eudes for the children of Kicolo, Luanda was officially opened on 22 August 2009.

This new school represents not only a great gift for a total of 423 pupils who are enrolled in the current ‘09 school year, but also a reference point for the whole community. Indeed, the school currently employs 19 teachers and 13 additional staff and it is also planned to provide literacy classes for adults and computer literacy lessons in the future among other things. 

Before the school’s construction, the children from 1st to 5th grade had no other choice but studying in classrooms with no walls, no floors and zinc laminate roofs. That is how the idea of the construction of a proper school emerged.

Thanks to the generosity of the Harris Fraser Fund (Hong Kong),the Italian Bishops Conference (Italy),the Pontificial Society for the Missionary Childhood (Vatican), Sharing Fair UK, Mr Reginald Driscol (Canada), RGS of Spain and Malta, in 16 months the Sisters of the Good Shepherd have built 13 classrooms, 3 rooms for meeting and office space plus 3 bathrooms, a canteen, a patio and rooms for medical services in a two-stories building to host the pupils of the S. John Eudes.

In December 2008 the Director of the school, Sr Veronica Simao could start the enrolment procedures for the new school year. In the 2nd half of February 2009 the new school, although not yet completed, became operative and the lessons could regularly start: while the terrace finishing, the outside painting and furnishing continued, the school year began in the first floor classes, also thanks to the availability of a diesel generator and part of the furniture, that had already been purchased with the support of the Bishop’s Conference of Italy.

Last summer the works were at last completed and finally on August 22, 2009, at the presence of the local authorities, a representative of the Bishop, the Angolan RGS, the constructing company and the whole community of Kicolo, the Primary School S. J. Eudes No. 8088 was officially inaugurated.

“[Before the proper construction was realized….] The parents were delighted by the fact that this little space was already a place where their children could begin to attend some lessons. The children brought chairs from home or empty milk drums to sit on. The school structure was extremely poor. However we taught the children, who loved to learn and said it does not matter if you don’t have a nice chair to sit on, as long as you have a teacher and a place where you can learn to read and write………

[ After the school construction…] Somehow we managed to complete the school and now people are very pleased by this beautiful building. I think this building is a very useful resource in this area. It also helps by employing many people: teachers, cleaners and security staff…” Sr Rita, project coordinator up to July 09. 

Help us now to buy new equipment for the school...we need books, maps, pens, chairs, blackboards, closets.