DR Congo: Mado, from Dropping Out of School to a Future Dedicated to Helping Children in llebo

In several villages within the Kasaï 1 education province, many children are still out of the school system. Among them is Mado, who was forced to leave school at the age of 7 after the death of her father. Thanks to the Axe Fille project, she has now found her way back to the classroom.

A childhood disrupted by a customary conflict

Mado was only 7 years old when her father died during a customary conflict in their village near Luebo. This tragic event plunged the family into deep hardship. Her mother, now solely responsible for providing for the household, could no longer afford school supplies.

“I couldn’t even pay for a notebook. I had no means to keep her in school,” she explains.

As a result, Mado was forced to drop out.

The Axe Fille project: a turning point

Mado’s situation began to change with the launch of the Axe Fille project in the Luebo sub-division. Identified as an out-of-school child during community assessments, she was registered as a beneficiary. She received a school uniform, a full set of learning materials, and support to ease her return to school. The very next day, Mado was back in class, schoolbag on her back and a smile on her face.

Support that strengthens learning

Alongside her reintegration, Mado joined a catch-up learning club aimed at improving literacy and numeracy skills.

Today, she reads more confidently and solves exercises that once seemed difficult.

“At the club, I learned how to read well and do calculations. Now I understand my lessons better,” she shares.

A strong dream: becoming a teacher

After two years of continuous schooling, Mado now dreams of becoming a teacher to help other children stay in school.

“I want to become a teacher to help other children stay in school. I don’t want anyone to drop out as I did,” she says with determination.

Her mother, deeply moved, also expressed her gratitude to the project’s initiators:

“I thank World Vision for the change I have seen in my daughter. Today, she has regained her future,” she says proudly.

For Mado, one conviction now stands firm: 

“A child belongs in school, not at home.”