Jesuit Entity’s Back-to-School Program Supports Learning, Inspire Hope in DR Congo’s Embattled Communities

In the report, JRS officials involved in the initiative refer to the conflicts that have affected the Congolese region for years, and note, “Last year was marked by challenging months for students, teachers, and parents due to the conflict in and around Goma in the DRC, which led to school closures and displacement.”

Despite this, they testify, “the JRS team on the ground wanted to offer its students a different way to return to school” as they hoped to “rekindle a spirit of peace within the schools and the wider community, and to set the tone for a year that could start with joy and calm.”

To make this possible, JRS officials have recalled that “the team brought everyone together for a day of celebration. Through games, traditional dances, poetry, and short performances, the event became a vibrant moment of reunion.”

“Four secondary schools took part in the initiative, gathering more than 400 students. Building on this experience, the headteachers of the four secondary schools where JRS operates plan to organise such activities more frequently,” they say. 

JRS officials further explain that frequent planning of the activities is “not only as moments of enjoyment, but above all as opportunities to strengthen the bonds between the diverse communities to which the students belong.”

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With this, officials of the Jesuit apostolate affirm that “despite three decades of armed conflict, JRS remains committed to bringing hope and support to refugees, displaced persons, and local populations in North and South Kivu.”

On 4 December 2025, the President of DRC, Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington, D.C., with support from U.S. President Donald Trump and partners including Qatar and the African Union (AU).

The accord was intended to halt decades of conflict in Eastern DRC and commit both countries to cease hostilities and broader cooperation.

Despite this diplomatic milestone, violence in Eastern DRC has reportedly continued and even escalated. Fighting between the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and Congolese government forces has persisted, with clashes reported in key areas of North and South Kivu.

Congolese authorities have accused Rwanda of violating the newly signed agreement amid rebel advances, including movements toward strategic towns like Uvira.