Report from BHW DRC Partnership Facilitator Following Visit 

Key people:  Israel Ngiribabo, James Tai, Mapenzi Lumeto 

We met with four of the team from the Evangelical Alliance in Gisenyi, Rwanda. We would have preferred to go into the DR Congo and see what was going on there. However, the situation is tense there and not safe for expatriates. Those who came were Israel Ngirababo (General Secretary,) James Tai (Assistant to the General Secretary,) Mapende Lumeta (Programme Manager) and Robert Ndinayo (Development and relief).

Context 

The DR Congo is very good at traumatizing women. The current troubles around the eastern part of the country are seeing huge numbers of people migrating into Goma, the largest city. Rebel groups are literally at the gates of the city. The UN has left as they had become part of the problem in the region. Women are the main victims of the terror, their men are killed, their children are scattered, and they are often raped as the terror drives them out of their villages and ancestral lands. 

When they arrive in the city they are shoved into camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) and get little help. The abuse there often continues, and they soon lose hope of ever being free again. When women are sexually violated the whole family is affected. The stigma associated with this can last a lifetime. 

Alliance Evangelique has decided to train 250 to sew over a period of 5 years to help them out of poverty. They are selected carefully and are usually members of churches that belong to Evangelical Alliance churches. 

Recent Events

After the previous visit in 2022, US$5,000 was given for training and with that they trained 75 women. However, they did not have sufficient funds to provide sewing kits to the women. A year later in 2023 funds we sent to provide sewing kits for those trained. It is unfortunate that we could not go to visit some of these women to assess the impact. According to the men that came, it has been very successful. 

With the funds sent in 2023, they went ahead a trained two more groups of 25. One group will graduate in August 2024 and the other group, based in Minova, will graduate in September. Minova is a small town about 2 hours around the lake from Goma. The issue now is that these women will not get sewing kits. Each kit costs around US$210 including a sewing machine, tools, threads and cloth to start up a small business. 

Personal Stories

Aline

After being forced to drop out of school in the sixth year of primary school, Rizabethi Aline took a job as a waitress in a local bar. “Beyond the work I was hired to do, I was sexually exploited,” says the 18-year-old. She left this job when her neighbour Bamureke Huguette told her about the opportunity for free training in tailoring organized by the Alliance of Evangelicals in Congo. 

When she was 16, Aline was raped by a local boy. “Filled with fear, I said nothing,” she recalls. A few weeks later, her belly began to round out, and she was then forced to tell her parents everything. With the means at hand, the young girl carried her pregnancy to term and gave birth to a boy. “I feel useful to the community and to myself, because I'm now able to provide for myself and my child”, explains the young mother. 

Anuarite

While her friends were at school, Anuarite was in charge of her little brothers and took care of the house. Often provisions were lacking, and she did not have enough to feed the little ones. "I joined a group of hemp smugglers," says Gasana Anuarite, who had to earn money at all costs to take care of her little brothers. Girls also have the right to go to school where they can learn without fear or abuse because their education is a lever for development. 

Today, Anuarite no longer trades hemp but makes white and blue outfits to dress school children with her two partners. "We are working well, the work is going well, and I feel very fulfilled," concludes Anuarite who is now 17.  At the end of their training, the three young girls received all the necessary equipment to launch their cutting and sewing workshop. With their experience, Huguette, Anuarite and Aline wanted to testify so that young girls who are victims of violence can remain hopeful in the future and continue to believe in their potential.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

To be frank, it is impossible to tell without visiting, talking to the women and their families, and seeing the reality for them. At present, all we can do is trust the word of those running the project on the ground. However, the stories are compelling, and the strategy is solid. There are some good outcomes for the 75 who have been trained:
- Those who received the machines are economically reintegrated and take care of themselves.
- Psychological support and prayer during the training period gave self-confidence and obvious comfort to survivors of sexual violence.
- Because of the vocational training activity, beneficiaries now have independent income-generating activities and have considerably improved their social conditions.

Ideas for the Future

They want to continue this programme and train the remainder of the women over a period of 5 years. We explained that we would prefer that they present a budget for the training that includes the sewing kit before they commence the next course.

This has two aspects to it:
i) The two groups that are about to complete their training require the kits to be able to continue their sewing. Each group requires US$5,250 to provide those materials.
ii) That they give us a budget for the remaining courses that includes the sewing kits. 

As well as continuing the sewing programme they want to develop more vocational training. This includes welding, manufacturing of soap, jewellery and bags, and also information technology - the use of software. We have received budgets for each of these and are in discussion with them about these.

Current Issues and Challenges

- The insecurity in the area that is causing so much trauma and distress
- There are so many women in desperate circumstances and that need assistance 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That our partners are responding to a need with realistic programmes and are producing good outcomes for some women.
2) That 125 women have been assisted and have some capacity to earn an income. 

Comments

These are good people living amid most difficult circumstances. They have the opportunity to be major players in peace making and I think we should invest more in them.