Model on a mission

Noella Coursaris’ face may be her fortune but her charity work is worth more than its weight in gold. In 2007, the model established the Georges Malaika Foundation (GMF), named after her late father, to provide educational opportunities for young girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since the charity came into being, it has sponsored the education of sixteen youngsters, paying their school, food and orphanage fees. Now, GMF is in the process of an ambitious project to build an ecological school for 104 children in the province in which Coursaris spent her early years.

Born in Lubumbashi in the DRC to a Congolese mother and a Greek father, Coursaris left Africa at the age of five, when her mother sent her to Europe to live with an aunt because she couldn’t afford to keep her. It would be another 13 years before she returned to the DRC to meet her mother and see for herself the place from which she came, a transformative experience that changed her life and set her on a new path.

Coursaris, who is becoming as equally known for her philanthropy as for her role in the fashion industry, recently delivered an address to the Congolese Parliament and UNICEF in Kinshasa about the issues that face underprivileged girls in Congolese society. When we spoke for this interview, she was in New York to give a talk at the UN.

What made you decide to start GMF?

I lost my dad at five years old and my mum didn’t have the resources to keep me. I grew up from family to family and it was only after 13 years that I went to visit my mum. Up until that time, I had little contact with her and I didn’t have any preconceived ideas about what to expect when I went to the DRC. But, when I got there, what I saw made me feel extremely lucky for my life and the way I was brought up. I couldn’t resent my mother for sending me away because I saw that she did it for my own good. Seeing all these kids with no schooling or pregnant at a very young age really touched me and I promised myself that I would do something to give back to the country that gave me life.

Why did you decide to focus on girls in particular?

Because their story is my story. In Africa, women tend to rely on their husbands and when their husband dies, or something happens to him, they have nothing left. Women need to be empowered to be able to go it alone when necessary.

Why is education the key to empowering women in the DRC?

The history of the DRC is a tragic one. We’ve had colonisation, war, 5.5 million deaths, thousands of women raped. We need to be in control of our country and of our resources and the only way we can do that is through education. We need to see more women in power and involved on the social, economic and political levels. They need to be empowered through knowledge. Only then can we move forward as a nation.

What would you like to see the EU do to improve the situation for the people of the Congo?

We need to work together. We shouldn’t be imposing solutions and policies but we should be working with Africans to get the best for both sides.

How has your dual heritage affected your perspective on Africa?

It’s great to have the two cultures. I’m still learning everyday about them both. I also lived in the USA for four years so I have three cultures. We need all of them to make positive changes.

How easy was it to reconnect with Africa when you visited at the age of 18 after 13 years away?

It was difficult at first. First I needed to reacquaint myself with my mother but it was great to discover my roots. It was very beneficial and it makes me more grounded as a person.

What do you think is the biggest misconception in Europe about Africa?

Europe tends to see Africa as underdeveloped and poor and starving but Africa has much to offer. 

What message would you like to send to the world about Congolese women – their plight and their resilience?

Although Congolese women continue to suffer and are traumatised the world is more aware of the DRC now and, because of that, they don’t suffer as much as they once did.  We have to thank everyone for that because a lot of people and countries are supporting them. Congolese women are strong and we have to give them a chance by providing them with the opportunity to access education and microfinance but also to teach them about things like family planning too.

How has having a child changed your vision of the future, for yourself and for the work that you do?

The best thing that ever happened to me was having a child. It makes me want to do even more for the kids, and to make sure that the school we are building will be a good step for their future. Education is the right of every child. Every child has the right to go to school and to one day stand on his or her own two feet. It’s like a chain. Once they’ve been empowered they then can help others too. But it’s important that the children have good teachers who themselves have had good quality training and are well paid.

What’s next for you and GMF?

The school we’re building is opening in September for 104 girls and it will be used to teach the parents at weekends. We want this school to be a platform to bring even more NGOs and other organisations in the Kalebuka region together, so that they too will get involved and develop it further. Most importantly, though, is that the community is still involved.  They are everything to this project and are essential to the development, not only of the region, but of the country too. We also recently aided Doc to Dock (a charity that redistributes medical supplies to hospitals in the developing world) to deliver a health container worth $500,000 to Sendwe hospital in Katanga province. We hope to do more collaborative work in the future.

To find out how you can help GMF break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty in the DRC visit www.gmalaikaf.org.

Sylvia Arthur