Guest Speaker from the Congo Supports World Geography Unit At Parkway South Middle

Mr. Chanel Mbala was invited to speak in Ms. Karen Fluchel's 6th grade World Geography class at to support the unit her classes were studying on Africa.

Mr. Mbala, 29, lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo-Kinshasa, located in Central Africa, until the lottery-system gave him the opportunity to come to the United States in April 2010. He and his wife hope to become United States citizens after the mandatory waiting period of 5 years.

Mbala is employed full-time at a local hospital, while also attending school full-time in Forest Park Community College. Also working a second part-time job, Mr. Mbala will receive his degree in computer networking.

Mbala speaks French, English and 5 dialects of his local Congolese language. He also speaks some Indian and hopes to learn Spanish as well.

The 6th grade students enjoyed learning about the political and economic climate of the Congo.

Ms. Fluchel said, "I believe Mr. Mbala's visit provided our students with an understanding of what life is like in the Congo compared to how we all live in the United States. We talk about how 'where you live affects how you live' and his speech was directly related to that essential understanding!"

Because the Congoan government does not pay for education, Mbala worked as a child while he attended school. Orphaned children often live on the streets and are forced to become soldiers to survive. An estimated 40 percent of children never attend school.

The mining industry is the largest source of economic sustenance, including the world’s largest reserves of cobalt and significant quantities of the world’s diamonds, gold, copper and coltan. Coltan is a heat resistant mineral widely used in cellular phones, laptop computers and gaming systems, and is the most sought-after mineral in the present time. These minerals are both fought for and protected, which is one of the major reasons for physical violence and civil war within the country.

Having Mr. Chanel Mbala in the classroom made this unit of study far more personal and real for the students--not simply something out of a textbook. It also gave the students a deeper appreciation of the freedoms they have as children living in America.