Malaika

Malaika is a nonprofit organization empowering girls and their communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through education and health programs. Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a Congolese/Cypriot international model and philanthropist, founded Malaika in the village of Kalebuka, near her birthplace in southeastern DRC. Growing up,  Noëlla’s neighborhood had little or no access to electricity, clean water, education facilities, healthcare, or technology. Since 2007, Malaika has impacted thousands of lives each year through its four core projects: education, clean water, agriculture, and the community center. Malaika’s schools provide an accredited, holistic primary and secondary education to 370 girls. Taught in French and English, its curriculum includes coding, music, theater, sport, and art. Malaika’s community center offers extensive programming, including literacy classes, vocational education, sports, and health classes to more than 5,000 youth and adults, providing life-changing opportunities for the community at large. Malaika’s water program has built or refurbished twenty wells, providing clean, safe drinking water at central locations to more than 35,000 individuals each year. Lastly, Malaika’s agricultural program grows organic food on the school campus, providing students and staff with two healthy meals each day, creating employment opportunities, and serving as a platform to educate the community about sustainable farming practices.

A 2023 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network supported fifteen scholarships to Malaika’s schools.