A letter from Larry and Inge Sthreshley in Congo
August 23, 2012
Dear Friends,
The Sthreshley family in graduation attire, July 2012, when we were all on the same continent.
A graduation in Congo is a joyous event. Family and friends gather for the celebration and usually there is a lot of singing, clapping, dancing, blowing of whistles and clanging of iron bells. Often in Kinshasa the graduate and his/her family are all dressed in matching shirts and dresses of the same brightly colored material or pagne. You immediately know which family members belong to which graduate. I enjoy these celebrations. I also enjoy sewing, so this matching material tradition appeals to the seamstress in me.
This year Larry and I had two special graduations. Lisa graduated from the College of William & Mary in May with a double major in French and anthropology and Michael graduated from the American School of Kinshasa (TASOK) in June. Leading up to these events, I took Michael downtown to pick out pagne material for our family’s graduation attire. He chose a lovely blue print with a large “Kuba” motif. I finished making Lisa’s dress the day before I flew to the States for her graduation. Being the third-culture kid that she is, she was delighted with this gift and wore it for her graduation. It was very special to see Lisa receive her diploma in front of the Wren Building, the oldest college building in the U.S.A. The beauty of that was not lost on her two attending grandparents who had both taught in mission schools in Congo in the '60s and '70s. Then it was back to Congo for Michael’s graduation, where Larry and I had the privilege of presenting Michael with his diploma, a tradition for graduating seniors whose parents are TASOK alum—and. yes, we all matched in our Congolese pagne attire.
A lot of thoughts went through my mind on those two graduation days. I think tremendous gratitude and relief were the two biggest emotions. Gratitude, as a good education is such a gift and a privilege. Relief, because just about every school year there were some days of demonstrations, civil unrest, or outright war in Kinshasa and we had made it through in spite of those times.
Students at Mutoto School, D.R.C.
A recent article I read by OSISA (Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa) on education in the Congo stated that “the net primary school attendance rate is 75 percent—plummeting to just 32 percent at secondary level.” In theory, primary education in Congo is free, but the reality is that teachers are so poorly paid and often paid late or infrequently, so essentially parents continue to carry the cost of their children’s education both for primary and secondary education. The cost of tuition, uniforms, shoes, and supplies for a primary school student is on average $40 per student per year, for a secondary student, approximately $50 a year. That may not seem like much, but 60 percent of adults in the Congo live on $1.25 a day or less. An elementary teacher’s pay is $50 a month and a secondary teacher is paid $60 a month.
Education has been a focus of Presbyterian missions in Congo since the earliest days of mission work. Today the Presbyterian Church of Congo (CPC) continues to have a strong focus on education, managing 702 schools, with 6,402 teachers, giving instruction to approximately 171,455 students in primary and secondary schools. The five educational priorities for the CPC are improving infrastructure, teacher training, textbooks for teachers, transportation for supervisors, and increasing the enrollment and retention of girls. The CPC Education Department faces significant challenges as 82 percent of the current school buildings are currently mud and thatch or in a serious state of disrepair. Many of their teachers are under-qualified, having only a 10th grade education, and teachers often use their own notes from high school to teach as they have access to very few textbooks. Some supervisors have to bike 140 miles to reach all their schools. Most alarming is that only 19 percent of students enrolled in school at 10th grade are girls.
Our daughter, Lisa, was born at the Good Shepherd Hospital outside of Kananga, in the D.R.C., the same hospital as some of the girls falling into the statistic of those who have dropped out of school. Young girls whose parents love and cherish them just as much as we love and cherish Lisa but have not had the means we have had to educate our daughter. So when I watched my daughter receive her diploma from the College of William & Mary, perhaps you can understand the deep gratitude I felt and how poignant that moment was in light of the circumstances many young women face in the country in which Lisa was born and raised.
If the education of children is dear to your heart, join us in praying for and supporting the Education Department of the Presbyterian Church of Congo as it works to improve their schools and strives in particular to educate more young women. Monetary gifts can be sent to Presbyterian World Mission, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. On the memo line please write ECO: CPC Education E051843. Or you can donate online using the link below.
We are on furlough now in the States as Michael transitions to college and as Lisa moves on to graduate school. Although our time in the U.S. is short, we hope to visit many of you at our supporting churches to share what God is doing through his church in the D.R.C.
With gratitude for your prayers and support,
Inge Sthreshley
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 102
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