Higher Institute for Nursing Sciences – ISSI (Kinshasa, DR Congo)

Vocational nursing training in DR Congo

What is ISSI ?
An institute for higher education aiming to provide high-quality instruction to professional and competent people with a deep understanding of ethics who are conscious of their own role and responsibilities in the community. https://issi.ac.cd/

Where: Kinshasa, the Mont-Ngafula municipality

Project summary:
Contributing to the professional integration of young Congolese women and improve the country’s health system. The Higher Institute for Nursing Science (ISSI) is a private higher education institute which was permanently approved by Decree 06/106 on 2 June 2006. It trains university level nurses who have the right profile to serve the needs and health of the population of the DR Congo according to international standards. The cost of this training is not accessible to all. This is why IRIF, education promotors, support the Higher Institute in Nursing Sciences (ISSI) via a sponsorship system for students in financial difficulties.

Beneficiaries:
ISSI was founded almost 30 years ago and strives for a greater appreciation for nursing work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the last 30 years, more than 9000 nurses trained by ISSI have joined the Congolese health system. This has allowed them to find dignified employment to support their family and to help improve the country’s healthcare. Through its continuous education, in the last few years ISSI has accompanied thousands of nurses and at least a hundred midwives in the DRC.

Different levels of training: Bachelor in nursing, Bachelor in midwifery, Master in health administration and programs, continuing education in hygiene,
resuscitation and emergency, paediatrics, infection prevention and control, competency-based pedagogy.

Testimonials:
A) Sarah is a student who receives our help and told us her story: she is the eldest in a family with seven brothers. Her father is a driver and her stepmother is a housewife. She is grateful for the help she received to be able to study at ISSI. She wishes to become a good nurse to be able to support her family and help her country to flourish. During her internship in a health centre, she assisted a gentleman who had reached the end of his life, but had been abandoned even by other nurses, who believed ‘there was nothing [they] could do’. She and another intern accompanied the family as well. Because of them, the family were able to find peace when their father died.

B) We can also tell you about Clémentine, whose parents are divorced. She was living with her father, but her stepmother rejected her and her ‘brothers’
abused her. She did not feel able to overcome this situation and was failing her course. Eventually, her father rejected her because he did not want to displease his new wife and she had to pay her academic bills by herself. She received a scholarship and moved into her own home. This allowed her to flourish and improve her academic results.

C) Thérèse tells us: ‘I am Thérèse Lusamba, a freshman at ISSI. I was born into a family of nine children (six girls and three boys). There are eight of us now, because the eldest died. My father, who was paying for my education, died on the fourth day of the academic year and my mother does not have a job that allows her to take full charge of my education. With the help of a scholarship, I can now study at the ISSI and will be able to work as a nurse in the future.

Local Partner: L’Institut Supérieur en Sciences Infirmières (ISSI) .

How can you help?
Sponsor a nursing student, the scholarship is 360€ per student. You can choose a yearly, quarterly (90€), or monthly (30€) payment. Should you wish to
receive a tax refund, you can make a donation or an order of payment to the NGO ACTEC (account: aisbl ACTEC/ISSI: BE98 0014 4019 7493, BIC: GEBABEBB with the reference "Donation project ISSI-IRIF” – ACTEC provides tax deductibility certificates for all gifts of minimum €40.) Sponsorships make a big difference in the lives of hundreds of young Congolese women. Additionally, if you sponsor someone you will enter into direct contact with the student by receiving her name and a copy of her scholarship request. You can choose to establish direct correspondence if you should wish to.

Sponsorships make a big difference in the lives of hundreds of young Congolese women.