REVE KANDALE

More than a decade ago, Colette Madishi Ramm had a dream that Kandale, the community where she grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, could be transformed through better education and protection of the environment.

The first step in this work began in 2011 when REVE Kandale was registered in Congo as a local non‑profit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for children in the village of Kandale. Recognizing the need for additional partners, Colette and her husband, Greg Ramm, founded the REVE Kandale Foundation in 2016—a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization created to mobilize resources, expand support, and strengthen the impact of REVE Kandale’s work. Together, the two organizations form a partnership committed to creating a better life for the children of Kandale.

TWO ORGANIZATIONS, ONE MISION

We are two organizations with one mission and one vision working hand-in-hand, to build schools, plant trees, create opportunities for local capacity building, educate girls on feminine hygiene, and assist the Kandale community in many more projects including access to clean water and soccer tournaments to promote youth development. Our long-term goal is to make Kandale a center of educational excellence in Southwest Congo.

OUR NAME IS NO ACCIDENT

The name “REVE” is no accident. It is the French word for “dream” and is an acronym that in French means “Rehabilitation des Espaces Verts et des Ecoles” (Rehabilitation of Green Spaces and Schools).

 That is what we stand for.

 Colette’s parents were both teachers and knew the value of education. Colette was one of the fist women from the Kandale area to receive a university degree in Congo. Later Colette moved to the United States, where she earned a masters degree in Community Development at New Hampshire College. But Colette never really left Congo and she has spent most of her life determined to give back to her community.

While education has formed the foundation of our work in Kandale, over time we have to come to realize there are many factors that come into play to help children learn. Clean water leads to healthier kids; training programs that help the community earn higher incomes put more food on the family table, and solar lighting means kids can study after the sun goes down.

LOGO

Designed in 2018 by the Rev. Vicki Fogel Mykles, the new RKF logo is a redesign of the REVE Kandale logo, guided primarily by its mission statement: Promoting equal access to education for all boys and girls through the creation of a safe and protective environment.

The new tag line: “Every Child. Every Dream” neatly encapsulates our goal that every child in the Democratic Republic of Congo deserves a chance to learn, grow, and dream.

The children under the tree are both learning (reading the books in their hands) and maybe dreaming…  Because, who doesn’t dream just a bit when reading something new?

The girl is the larger of the two figures.  She might even be an adolescent.  This is intentional as girls often are unable to complete their education due to cultural practices that place a low value on learning for girls.

The tree is frequently a symbol for growth, both intellectual and physical.  A tree provides a safe, shady, and friendly arbor for quiet contemplation, conversations, discussions, rest…  and dreaming.  As children in Kandale expand in knowledge and stature, this symbolic tree provides a solid backbone for their growing experiences.  So the children were melded into the trunk.

Trees are more than abstract symbols, however.  New trees are being planted in Kandale and surrounding villages in an intentional reforestation program to heal the landscape and provide nourishing and sustainable food for area communities.

Finally, both trees and people have roots that run deep in the places they call home.  The children of Kandale and its surrounding villages are the future of this region.  But there is more to their future than just a small school, village, or country.  Because of the current time and space they occupy in history, they are not children of a single geographic place.  They are children of the world.  The gifts they will eventually bring to the global stage will be interpreted through their uniquely African experiences and dreams.  

The lush African leaf canopies lent themselves to assuming the shape of the continent in which these children reside.  Their land floats above them as reminders of the value of their heritage and future contributions.

In the end, a logo’s job is to clearly interpret the goals of its organization.  An added bonus is a logo’s ability to call a viewer into deeper meaning.  What’s described above is what we see.  What others see in this may inspire different concepts and dreams.

What do you see for the children of Kandale?