Children’s education, a priority for Marlène
When she could no longer send her children to school herself, Marlène enrolled her children for the 2022–2023 academic year with financial assistance from UNICEF.
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Dressed in their new uniforms with their school bags on their backs, Mardochée and Tandy are ready for school. “Education is a true treasure and it gives me great pleasure to see my children preparing for their future,” explains their mum. Marlène was able to enrol her children in the school for this new academic year thanks to cash transfers.
Like more than 4,000 vulnerable families in the commune of N’Sele in Kinshasa, Marlène received unconditional cash transfers to improve her access to basic social services. Thanks to support from Belgium, Marlène received USD 75 per quarter over 2 years. “The money helped me care for my family and educate my children while their father was at work,” Marlène told us, showing us the phone she used to receive the transfers.
Marlène and her husband invested some of the money in a business. They sold babouche slippers for women and shoes for children in their neighbourhood. This business enabled her to cover the family’s everyday expenses and ensure her children got an education. “We eat healthily and I save money for my children’s education,” she says. She fights for her children to grow up healthy and have an education.
Marlène was prepared for her children to go to school thanks to the profits from her business. Mardochée and Tandy are happy to have everything they need, unlike in previous years. “We didn’t have a backpack or presentable outfits”, recalled Tandy, the youngest, when he received his rucksack and school supplies. “We went to school with patched up shoes,” continued Mardochée.
Thanks to the cash transfers she received, Marlène was able to build a better future for her children. “The children will be able to study better and they’ll find it easy to find work,” she says, looking forward to seeing her children finish their studies. The cash transfers help families to overcome the impacts of COVID-19 and to access basic services while diversifying their sources of income.
