Kwafrika Travel supporting education in Eastern Congo

Despite the ongoing Ebola outbreak which has rattled arrivals on the continent and the ongoing war in DR Congo, Kwafrika Travel has remained faithful to its core by supporting communities in the Congo Basin. As a cornerstone of our Comprehensive Tourism Plan, Kwafrika Travel supporting education in Eastern Congostands at the center of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), proving that responsible ecotourism in Eastern Congo directly transforms local communities. Through Program Utalii Kwetu, Kwafrika Travel has now supported over 10,000 children, including backing all previous editions of the Université Des Enfants – Goma (UDE-Goma) workshops.

Highlights of the 4th UDE-Goma AI Workshop

Organized by Groupe Utalii Kwetu (GUK) in partnership with the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs (ULPGL), the 4th workshop centered on the theme “C’est quoi l’intelligence artificielle ?” (What is Artificial Intelligence?). Hosted on the ULPGL campus, the session was facilitated by Mr. Anaclet Tsongo, Consultant in Education and Expert on AI in Education.

• Participation & Inclusion: Held from 09:30 to 11:00, the session brought together 10 children aged 8 to 14.
  • 8 secondary students from 5 schools: École du Cinquantenaire, Institut Himbi, and Institut Mwanga (state-conventioned), alongside ITIG and Institut Metanoia (private).
  • 2 primary students from EMP Kauta and CS Les Vaillants (private).
• Growing Impact & Local Ownership: Combined across all 4 workshops, UDE-Goma has now impacted approximately 150 children. For the first time, parents voluntarily contributed to cover nearly 50% of the workshop costs, demonstrating strong community investment.

By funding every UDE-Goma workshop to date, Kwafrika Travel supporting education in Eastern Congo has helped build digital literacy and critical thinking for young minds.

Interactive Learning & Environmental Citizenship

Using a playful, hands-on pedagogical approach, Mr. Anaclet Tsongo guided students through interactive activities such as “Le robot gourmand”, drawing recognition via QuickDraw, and crafting stories about Goma using Gemini prompts. The session emphasized 5 key digital safety and ethics rules:

“Artificial intelligence is interesting, but we must at all costs follow safety and ethics rules when using it. We shouldn’t use it for example to cheat.”

— Joachim Mutsumbirwa, Workshop Participant

“AI allows us to work quickly in making us save time. You just need to know how to use it, how to formulate a prompt for example.”

— Hortense Balerwa, Student at Institut Himbi

Following the tech session, the former Vice President (PCA – A) of GUK, Mr Baraka Kikandi talked to children on environmental protection before distributing copies of GUK’s textbook “Un écolier explorateur” (An Explorer Schoolchild) under Program Utalii Kwetu.

Kwafrika Travel’s Strategic Vision for Regional Impact

This event exemplifies Kwafrika Travel supporting education in Eastern Congo, setting a model we aim to replicate across Africa. By essence, Kwafrika Travel invests 20% of its profits directly into the communities surrounding national parks in the countries where we operate. We believe that responsible travel goes hand-in-hand with local conservation, showcasing the true power of ecotourism in Eastern Congo.

“As Kwafrika Travel now covers 10 countries in Central and East Africa, we will make sure to expand our actions beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by extending our actions in Countries like Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville and Uganda to cite a few.”

— Veridique Musambaghani, Kwafrika Travel CEO

Building on our strong relationship with Groupe Utalii Kwetu, Kwafrika Travel will reach out to other non-profits working in the sector to expand our reach through our Corporate Social Responsibility program.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q1: How does Kwafrika Travel support local youth in Eastern Congo?
  Answer: Through its CSR program and Comprehensive Tourism Plan, Kwafrika Travel invests 20% of its profits into communities around national parks and has supported over 10,000 children via Program Utalii Kwetu and UDE-Goma workshops.
• Q2: What were the key takeaways from the 4th UDE-Goma AI workshop?
  Answer: Children learned fundamental AI concepts, prompt formulation, and digital ethics through interactive games, while also receiving climate education manuals (“Un écolier explorateur”).
• Q3: What are Kwafrika Travel’s expansion plans for its community initiatives?
  Answer: Operating across 10 Central and East African nations, Kwafrika Travel is expanding its social initiatives beyond DR Congo into countries like Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, and Uganda alongside local non-profit partners.