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, an area which previously had little or no access to electricity, clean water, education facilities, healthcare, or technology. Since 2007, Malaika has grown into an all-encompassing ecosystem, impacting thousands of lives each year through its four core programs, all of which are offered for free to the entire community: The Malaika School provides an accredited, holistic primary and secondary education to 370 girls. Taught in French and English, its STEAM-focused curriculum includes coding, music, theater, sport, and art, ensuring that students are equipped with a twenty-first-century education. Malaika’s community center, partially built in partnership with FIFA, offers extensive programming, including literacy, 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. Malaika’s agricultural program grows organic food on 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.