Education
Samuel Mutombo Institute
Tshibombo, near Mbuji-Mayi. Opened in the fall of 2021. Named for Dikembe's father, an educator.
The Samuel Mutombo Institute was one of Dikembe's most important later-life projects. For him it was never simply a building. It was an investment in the potential of children and in the future of the Congo.
What the school gave
children enrolled
no tuition for any family
meals a day for every student
- Transportation to and from school
- Reading taught from first grade, not left until the later primary years
2022
Why the doors closed.
After Dikembe's diagnosis in October 2022, the school lost its principal fundraiser. When funding could no longer be sustained, the Institute was forced to suspend operations.
The future
Reopening the Samuel Mutombo Institute.
Reopening the Samuel Mutombo Institute is one of DMLF's most important commitments. Running the school cost about $400,000 a year in 2023. Reopening and sustaining it will take partners, donors and supporters who share Dikembe's belief that a child's opportunity should not be determined by where that child is born or what a family can afford.
Our goal is not simply to reopen the doors of a school. It is to restore opportunity to children and allow one of Dikembe's final major projects to fulfill its promise for generations to come.
Help reopen the school.
We're looking for partners, donors and supporters to bring 480 children back to class.