PAAF: 33,072 eligible girls to receive scholarships in Kasai province

33,072 girls from 250 public secondary schools in the sub-districts of Kanzala, Kamuesha, Tshikapa 1, and Tshikapa 2 have been identified to receive scholarships. This is according to the activity report of the non-profit organization Initiative for Integral Development (IDI). IDI was contracted by the PAAF project to identify the girls and schools eligible for this scholarship. Thierry Betukumesu, PAAF’s deputy national coordinator, recently announced that tuition fees will soon be deposited into the accounts of schools that have already opened bank accounts at Equity Bank. He emphasized that opening these accounts is an important, even essential, step in ensuring that beneficiaries receive the financial support necessary to continue their education. Regarding schools whose account numbers remain untraceable, Coordinator Betukumesu stated that he has engaged Equity Bank branch managers as well as the firm that facilitated the identification of the initial accounts to conduct a thorough search to locate them. The administrators of these schools are invited to visit the various branches of this bank to regularize their status as quickly as possible, given that the payment will be made very soon, he noted. It should be noted that the PAAF project is part of a broader initiative by the Congolese government, funded by the World Bank, to promote girls’ education in priority regions. This project represents a significant step forward for girls’ education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By supporting girls’ education, this project contributes to women’s empowerment and the building of a more equitable society, demonstrating the commitment of the Government and its partners to investing in girls’ futures by providing them not only with the tools necessary to succeed but also the opportunity to do so. The PAAF is being implemented in ten provinces. Five of these have been identified as priorities: Kasaï-Central, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, South Kivu, and Ituri. Shomba Marie