Support for vulnerable women: strengthening their capacity to develop income-generating activities
We work in South Kivu, a province in the east of the DRC. The island, home to 380,000 people, generally lives in extreme poverty (less than $1 per person per day). The region is known for its magnificent lakes, volcanoes, and mountains, its high-value cash crops such as coffee, and, of course, its wealth of minerals, including gold, tin, coltan, and tungsten. The main cities of Bukavu and Goma each have nearly 2 million inhabitants. The region as a whole has a population approaching 20 million. Its size and potential wealth, along with its proximity to neighboring Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, mean that Kivu is of strategic importance to the DRC and the wider region.
The first and second Congo wars were centered on Kivu, resulting in the deaths of millions of people, and insecurity persists to this day. Electricity is virtually nonexistent, dirt roads are often impassable, and healthcare is largely unaffordable.
We believe that entrepreneurship and income-generating activities within women's solidarity groups can play a key role in breaking the systemic cycles of poverty and insecurity. However, this sector is hampered by heavy taxes and red tape, as well as a lack of local manufacturing, which has opened the door to a flood of cheap imports. Despite this, we are witnessing the growth of a community of women entrepreneurs who want to play an active role in changing the future of their families, their communities, and their country as a whole. Our work is a direct response to their need for support.
Initially, 90% of the food came from Rwanda or from Goma and Bukavu . These women were able to develop new market garden crops and create a new participatory and community dynamic...
January 2023: A survey conducted by PRONANUT (National Nutrition Program) with the support of Swiss cooperation was carried out at the beginning of the year. All indicators demonstrate severe malnutrition among many children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women.
Collaboration avec Kesho Congo, MMS et Afia Shuleni :
Une production de biscuits protéiques et énergétiques, dont les ressources premières seront cultivées par les groupes de sages femmes d'Idjwi. En savoir plus
Partnership with DRC Peace Alliance:
A support program for groups of solidarity-based midwives through their cooperative societies and the promotion of midwives towards entrepreneurship.
MMS supports groups of mothers in Idjwi in carrying out their activities enabling socio-economic autonomy and socio-professional reintegration of vulnerable women (especially those with disabilities).
François and Jean Baptiste, both evaluators for 2 years, play a key role in the success of the AGR programs led by solidarity groups.
They ensure that the proposed income-generating activities are relevant, viable, and adapted to the needs of the mothers' group. They suggest that the mothers diversify their activities as much as possible, taking into account the number of groups and the geographical location (if the group carries out activities near the lake, it will opt for fishing, for example, or selling food by boat).
Evaluators play a vital role in income-generating activities (IGAs). Their primary responsibility is to assess the feasibility and viability of proposals submitted by participants in each solidarity group. They support the mothers by providing guidance and technical assistance. Together, they estimate costs and revenues and identify potential markets.
The evaluators meet with each group once a month and assess the participants' progress in implementing their income-generating activities (IGAs). Occasionally, they provide additional support to newly formed groups and help them resolve any problems they encounter.
I used to be ashamed to display them. The few eggplants I had, I sold in a cardboard box, sometimes even in a plastic bag. But now I have a stall at the village market and twice a week I go out to sell my vegetables.
In addition, I was able to join a group of women involved in a solidarity group. We contribute monthly. These funds allow us women to have more autonomy within our families and villages.
The majority of women are illiterate. The main objective of these workshops is to provide beneficiaries with knowledge that can strengthen their management and interaction skills in conducting income-generating activities.
Beyond knowledge, regaining self-confidence...
We women meet from time to time to exchange and share our knowledge. I also participate in management and accounting training and learning courses.
Since I started earning some income, I've noticed joy and happiness in my family. The frequent arguments between the women and me have greatly diminished, and there's happiness in our family. Five of my children are in school, and I can say that it's thanks to this support that they're still in school; otherwise, I would have taken them out of school due to lack of resources so they could help me with my work.
and progress!
The beneficiaries are better informed and take ownership of the project
They adopt an entrepreneurial attitude and approach.
Starting from local potential, they set up activities that generate sustainable and equitable income within the framework of a solidarity project.
They can better verify the existence of market opportunities.
The beneficiaries set up cash flow tracking sheets and acquire knowledge on production monitoring and stock sheets.
They know how to differentiate between revenue and profit
The profits from my small business benefit the whole family, because the profit allows me to buy some fish.