Tegera says he’s 12 years old, but he doesn't look much older than eight. His gaze is both sad and determined. Tegera lost his family in the recent conflict that plagued the Kivus in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He doesn’t speak French like his classmates, but English instead, which he learned by roaming the compounds of the UN peacekeeping forces stationed in Goma (MONUSCO). Thanks to a dedicated teacher, Matthieu Nyota Ruhinoura, Tegera is now in second grade at Kanyarucinya primary school and is eager to learn. He lives with a host family in Goma.

Tegera is one of thousands of children supported by the PROSEB (primary education project of the DRC government), which the GPE funds with a $100 million grant to improve access and quality of education for all Congolese children.