Charlene Needs Room & Board!

From Rebecca Snavely:

Charlene Matabaro  came to the U.S. speaking a mere three languages, but no English. That wasn't going to stop her from pursuing her education, and in months she was speaking English and signing up for more courses at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).  Thanks to amazing friends, we were able to secure her a full tuition scholarship at my alma mater here in southern California - Hope International University HIU), in Fullerton,  which has a great school of psychology. But we need your help so she can live on campus to be close to classes, the library, and experience the full scope of student life!

Charlene is excited to pursue her degree and return to Congo, armed with an education focused in child development, to invest in a country and people who have deep trauma from more than two decades of armed conflict. Charlene is also trained in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles of peace and nonviolence   from the University of Rhode Island's Peace & Nonviolence Center, adding that knowledge to offer trauma healing and paths to help raise up a new generation of peaceful leaders in Congo. I spoke to her about the training, and she shared,  in wonderment, at how the training changed HER perspective on her own internal struggles and her outlook on handling inevitable conflict, and then voiced her thinking on how the world might operate if everyone were trained in these principles of peace.

Any amount you can give is an investment in a unique, driven woman, seeking education and training to make a real difference in this world. Thank you! Charlene's NSO (New Student Orientation) is in mid-August, and we'd love to have the funding for her room & board before then. Help us meet that goal by Friday, August 10th!