River flooding: 54 schools affected and 21708 pupils affected in Lukunga (report from the Education Province)

Following his recent inspection tour to assess the damage caused by the overflowing waters of the Congo River at certain schools in Lukunga, the director of this educational province submitted a report based on his on-site findings to the Secretary General of the EPST. In his report, the provincial director of education for Kinshasa-Lukunga identified 21,708 affected students. He listed 54 schools affected by these floods, including 5 kindergartens, 29 elementary schools, and 20 secondary schools. Jean-Pierre Yoy Bokete listed: - 9 schools in the Barumbu district affected by the accumulation of rainwater and wastewater in the schoolyard as well as around the sanitation facilities; - 8 flooded schools in the municipality of Lingwala; - 14 in the municipality of Kinshasa; - 13 schools in Ngaliema 1, 2, and 4; - 5 in Mont-Ngafula; - 5 schools in Mont-Ngafula. In total, 8 sub-divisions out of the 13 that make up this educational jurisdiction have been affected by this river flooding. In his appeal, Jean-Pierre Yoy Bokete calls for logistical support in the form of 52 tents, 104 tarps, 1,587 benches and desks, as well as printers and laptops. As a reminder, this dire situation is the result of flooding caused, in part, by torrential rains that have continued to batter the country since November 2023. Michaëlla Kiasungwa