Pupils

The scholarship holders (2022)
Ten of our best students are currently attending the Liceu Joao XXIII in Bissau. For our scholarship holders, we cover the relatively high tuition fees of the private high school and additional costs for learning materials and school clothing. Most of the scholarship holders find accommodation with relatives in the city, but many of them have to help in the household or do other, sometimes hard, work. This is not always without problems. A few also commute from their villages to Bissau, but this is also quite expensive.

The scholarship holders (2015)
These are our top students of the year! Seven students have now left our school to pursue their high school diploma in the capital city of Bissau with the help of scholarships.
Ronaldo João Tamba, Dito Albino Tamba, Wie Crima Nbali and Queiros Calisto Wanhe have been studying in the upper school of the Liceu Joao XXIII since the fall of 2015. The high school, run by the diocese of Bissau, is considered one of the best in the entire country – and has been on friendly terms with our school since its founding.
Badi Nivaldo Tomé, Adifania Sousa Ca and Ribna Fernando Dafa have already completed two school years in the college of the SOS Children’s Village Bissau. Soon they will graduate and then want to study.

Five questions for Ribna Fernando Dafa (* 1999)
How did you come to our school?
My parents live not far from here. When I was supposed to go to school, they first sent me to relatives. There I went to classes one week, and the next week I had to herd cows. After a while I ran away, back to my parents. That was exactly when the new school was opened here in Ilondé. I started first grade right away and was allowed to skip preschool.

What did you particularly like about us?
I thought it was great that we learned Portuguese so intensively right away. We speak a dialect of the region in our family, so you have to get used to it first. I also liked my class teacher right away. I got support from everywhere. I really wanted to be a good student, and I was able to do that here. In addition, there was and still is something for us to eat every day at noon.
By the way, I think discipline is very important. I was always the class representative and helped to make sure that the lessons were not disturbed.

Your favorite subject?
Definitely mathematics! Already since the first grade! Since I’ve been at the SOS Children’s Village College, I’ve also been very interested in psychology. But it’s a hard subject and I have to study a lot for it.

What have you been doing since you left our school?
Today there are nine classes here, but unfortunately during my time there were only six. So I transferred to the seventh grade of the state high school in Quinhámel. That is a little more than ten kilometers away from here.
The teaching there was not very good. I was exempted from most of the exams right away, because I already knew most of them. Then I came back to Ilondé. Finally, I heard about the new scholarships for the SOS Children’s Village College. I applied and passed the aptitude test. The first period was then difficult. I lived in the city with a man for whom I had to work constantly and who also did not give me enough to eat. My grades deteriorated. Carlos Robalo then helped me find a new place to live. Now I am doing well.

What plans do you have for your future?
After graduating from high school, I would like to study to become an IT engineer. Maybe I will get a scholarship to study abroad. Otherwise, I’ll have to look for something here in the country. But I will never forget my school in Ilondé. When I earn money, I would like to help other students get such good opportunities as I did. Just as I would like to help my country in general, so that things improve here.

(P.S. We had this conversation in February 2015. In the summer of 2017, Ribna successfully graduated from SOS College. In 2023 he will graduate from university in Portugal, with a degree in social sciences.)