{"id":11649,"date":"2026-07-20T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/?p=11649"},"modified":"2026-07-17T13:17:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:17:51","slug":"central-african-republic-a-change-in-mentality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/central-african-republic-a-change-in-mentality\/","title":{"rendered":"Central African Republic. A Change in Mentality"},"content":{"rendered":"

The discrimination faced by Central African girls compared to boys in access to education led to the founding of Sainte Monique College in Mbata, run by the Dominican Missionaries of Africa. We visited the College.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we reached Mbata, in the province of Lobaye, in the south of the Central African Republic, Sainte Monique College came into view. A large plot of land with several single-story buildings and a few trees, under which groups of girls of various ages were chatting animatedly. After a brief greeting, the community superior and head of the college, Sister Cl\u00e9mentine Mbanga, offered to show us around the centre.<\/p>\n

The centre was founded in 2012 out of pure necessity. The Dominican nuns and the then-bishop of the diocese of Mbaiki, Monsignor Guerrino Perin, were aware of the low school enrolment rate in the Central African Republic, with some provinces having enrolment rates below 50%. They were especially distressed by the discrimination faced by girls, who did not have the same opportunities for education as boys.<\/p>\n

This inspired them to open a girls’ college, providing a high-quality education. “Our culture obliges girls to stay home and help their mothers instead of going to school,” Sister Mbanga said, “and we cannot accept an attitude that holds them back, preventing them from improving their lives.”<\/p>\n

The project’s beginnings were characterised by humility as its main hallmark. The first year, four girls were admitted; the following year, eight. Over time, thanks to the support of various organisations and the Bishop of Mbaiki, Jes\u00fas Ruiz, Sainte Monique College has grown steadily. For the 2025\/2026 school year, the facility will house 170 girls aged 7 to 16, with a capacity of approximately 200.
\nMost of the girls come from the Lobaye province, which corresponds to the Diocese of Mbaiki.<\/p>\n

The girls come from places such as Boda, Boganangone, Ngotto, the city of Mbaiki, and Mongoumba, as well as from other provinces and even the capital, Bangui. In the Central African Republic, few centres provide girls with the discipline and quality education available in Sainte Monique, so parents who can afford it do not hesitate to send their daughters to Mbata.<\/p>\n

Studying here is not free, but the cost is adapted to each boarder’s circumstances. Girls whose parents work and are financially able are charged 300,000 CFA francs per year, approximately 460 euros, while others are charged 170,000 francs, or 260 euros. There are, however, special situations. For young Aka Pygmies, the diocese covers their studies and boarding school fees. In the current school year, there are nine Aka girls. All are attending the primary school.<\/p>\n

Nine teachers, eight men and one woman, teach classes. The Dominican nuns pay particular attention to the selection of their teaching staff. They are expected to prepare their lessons well and set a good example, but, as Sister Cl\u00e9mentine emphasises, “in conversation with them, we were asked not to make things too easy and to be demanding in their evaluations, because people here love the school.”<\/p>\n

Sister Cl\u00e9mentine teaches geography and history at both the boarding school and the public school in Mbata. “In the public school,” she says, “I am the only woman teaching. It is very difficult for a woman to attain the level of education required to become a teacher. Across the Lobaye province, there are only 13 female primary school teachers, while there are hundreds of male teachers. Fortunately, this mentality that relegates women to the background is changing, and our boarding school is an expression of this change.”<\/p>\n

The Central African education system includes six years of primary school, four years of lower secondary school, and three years of upper secondary school. Passing the latter exam grants access to university.<\/p>\n

The school offers a full six-year primary school program and a four-year middle school program. Although the nuns intend to open a secondary school as well, this has not yet been possible. However, girls who complete primary school and four years of middle school may transfer to the Dominican Missionaries of Africa community in Bangui to continue their studies. The fruits, as the nuns emphasise, are beginning to be seen.<\/p>\n

One of the first girls to enrol at the school made her first religious profession as a Dominican in 2025, while three other young women have reached university. Two of them are enrolled in the second year of medical school, while the other began her degree in Geography and History this year. “For us, they are the pride of the school. In 20 years or less, there will certainly be girls who graduate from here who will have become influential people and who will contribute to the development of our country,” comments Sister Cl\u00e9mentine.<\/p>\n

In addition to academic training, the Dominican nuns are deeply concerned with the human and spiritual development of their students. They all attend the Citizenship Education course taught by Sister Mbanga, as well as specific training on life and sexuality. “It’s surprising how ignorant the girls are when they arrive at the boarding school regarding sexuality. Here, we try to provide them with serious education on these very important aspects,” emphasises the superior.<\/p>\n

On one side of the centre, some of the girls cultivate a small garden where they grow legumes, vegetables, and fruit, and around which free-range chickens roam. This service allows the girls to learn to work the land and produce food for their own consumption. The same applies to raising lambs, although, as the superior emphasises, lack of resources has prevented them from further developing this livestock activity.<\/p>\n

Regarding spiritual formation, religion classes are taught by a parish priest. Although some of the girls are Protestant or Muslim, all boarders are required to attend religious education classes and are invited to participate in community prayer.<\/p>\n

Sr. Mbanga concludes: “The girls are aware that this is an important moment in their lives. They know that their future depends on their commitment and sacrifice. Seeing that some of them are already at university encourages them to continue this preparation with seriousness.” (Enrique Bayo)<\/em><\/p>\n

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The discrimination faced by Central African girls compared to boys in access to education led to the founding of Sainte Monique College in Mbata, run by the Dominican Missionaries of Africa. We visited the College. As we reached Mbata, in the province of Lobaye, in the south of the Central African Republic, Sainte Monique College […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11651,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11649\/revisions\/11651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}