Photo: Alberto Mbuwa/ MONUSCO

Mbandaka, 15 September 2011 – Three secondary schools in Mbandaka, capital of Equateur province, were recompensed by United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) as a source of encouragement for their efforts to promote the culture of peace in the school environment.

The winners, Pedagogical Institute of Mbandaka, Le Bon Berger School and Les Perroquets Nkoso Institute, were outstanding against their peers from other schools on their pedagogical materials, which were drawn from MONUSCO's teachings about peace. Furthermore, these schools were able to set up local committees tasked with preventing violent behavior among students. The prizes comprised of didactic materials and school supplies.

The ceremony coincided with the official opening of the «Week of Peace» in Mbandaka, which was to culminate with the International Day of Peace observed worldwide on 21 September each year.