Empowering conflict-affected people in DR Congo

Dear valued supporters,

We are writing to express our deep gratitude for your generous support for our project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Your contribution has allowed us to make significant progress in our mission to empower local communities and improve their livelihoods.

One of the main focuses of our project has been the establishment of a soap-making initiative in the villages of Bakaukaniga and Bakaunda. These two villages have been historically in conflict, but through the training and resources provided by our project, residents have come together to learn new skills, improve their living conditions and build a sustainable future.

With your support, we have been able to provide training on the extraction of oil from palm trees, which is used as the raw material for soap production, as well as soap-making training. We have also constructed community facilities that serve as centers for oil extraction and soap production processes.

Soap-making training

Thirty villagers are taught how to harvest oil from palm trees, which is then used to make soap. Another thirty individuals learn the ins and outs of soapmaking. These sixty workers handle every step of the soap's production and distribution. The idea also calls for the building of community centers that will help oil extraction and soap-making work together. The community centers serve as nerve centers for soap and oil production operations. The main goal of the project is to help the people in the area by giving them access to education and tools that will help them build stable, long-term jobs.

All the trainees have now finished their respective training programs, and a combined graduation ceremony was recently conducted to celebrate their accomplishments. They can now support themselves by selling soap. This is one of the most impoverished and war-torn parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The roads are in bad shape, making it difficult to deliver relief. This region is in an extremely precarious position.

Adapting to new circumstances and reestablishing economic stability in the face of threats like war and the COVID-19 epidemic can be achieved through the use of locally available resources like palm trees. The market has matured, and the production of soap has reached its maximum capacity of around 10,000 pieces per month. There is a need in the city of Bujumbura, and so far, buyers have been located there as well as in the surrounding countryside.

Recent price increases can be attributed in large part to the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine. Due to the increase in gasoline prices and transportation costs, the price of everyday commodities such as soap has also gone up. As a result, the villagers will be able to save money by using locally manufactured soap rather than purchasing costly soap that must be transported from outside the region if soap is to be made. The ninety benefactors who have received training in palm oil processing and soap-making technology should expect to encounter a number of challenges in the years ahead. As a result, we will maintain our follow-up assistance so that they can establish sustainable sources of income and careers.

Harmony is waiting for us.

We are happy that everyone was able to complete the training successfully. Even though it's hard to solve the conflict between the two villages right away, we hope that by working together, we can keep trying to bring peace to the two places.

Project introduction:

Our project strengthens conflict-vulnerable people's resilience. In 2017, Central Kasai state saw over 1 million people displaced and at least 2,600 incidences of sexual abuse. Terra Renaissance launched an office in Kananga, Central Kasai state, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to serve 280 domestic refugees and war widows.

We taught agribusiness, pineapple juice-making, soap-making, productization, branding, and sales. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, these ladies were able to boost their average daily wage to 200 cents. The program has empowered these people economically, socially, and psychologically by helping them transition from food handouts to self-sufficiency.

Links:

• Terra Renaissance's homepage

Dear friend,

We would like to thank you for your continuous support of our projects in DR Congo(DRC).

This project focuses on supporting people suffering from conflict in the DRC. We offer classes for them to learn tailoring skills in the hope that they will gain skills through this type of training to improve their income and secure their living. We were delighted to find that some participants have launched their businesses using the skills they learned in our project.

So, in this report, we will introduce the graduation ceremony this year and a few women who launched their tailoring stores.

• Graduation ceremony this year

This year(2022), thirty of the poorest women from Dimbelenge Administrative District have completed this tailoring training, all learning Western-style sewing skills.

In the second half of the training, 3,000 masks were produced. These masks were purchased by us and used as relief supplies for the 2,000 poor families and essential workers. In addition, a sewing machine and sewing tools were provided to each participant on the day of the graduation ceremony. 

Happy to see that they can now start their own dressmaking business with these tools and the money they earn from making masks. 

According to the baseline survey conducted at the beginning of the training, almost all of the participants had a cash income of only a few hundred yen per month (almost nothing), so we hope that they will be able to buy the minimum amount of food and daily necessities on their own and live resiliently under the conflict.

• Lovely women who have opened their tailor stores

After celebrating the graduation of the latest beneficiaries, we visited tailoring stores where they now become financially independent women running their businesses.

In 2021, we supported 60 women who had completed our western

clothing training in Kananga to start their businesses. Each of them began operating their own western clothing store, either individually or in small groups of several people. 

Since the beginning of 2022, we have been following up with the women to help them run their stores and improve their livelihoods by visiting them individually, providing them with advice, and supporting elaborate sales strategies.

Many can earn enough to support themselves and their families by making or repairing women's dresses and uniforms. The women we helped are doing relatively well in their businesses. During our visit, we were very relieved to see the smiling faces of their customers.

• Messages from our beneficiaries(33 years old, female)

During the conflict, I lived in a place that was 80 km away from the provincial capital, Kananga City, with nothing to eat and three children. As the conflict intensified, I escaped this place, became internally displaced with my three children, walked, walked, and ended up in Kananga, where I am now.

Although the conflict had ended, I could not find work and receive aid supplies due to the Corona disaster, and my children and I were forced to live while begging in the streets. During this time, Terra Renaissance offered training in sewing, and after completing the training, I was able to acquire a sewing machine and tools. Now I can open a dressmaking store in the city. And I am now able to send my children to school as well as feed them. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Japan for their support.

• Challenges

However, some women are still facing challenges. Furthermore, with the recent price hikes for food and fuel, life is quite tricky, even for those who can earn a sufficient income.

Despite psychological trauma, these conflict-affected women have stood up for themselves and their families and are working hard to run their businesses. 

The rising cost of living has recently hit these women's work and made their livelihood harder.

We are keenly aware that the crisis in Ukraine is also affecting DR Congo, a country far away from us, and that life is not stable unless the world is at peace. We will continue to follow up and walk together with them.

Once again, thank you all very much, and we hope we all have a better future and we will walk more firmly and strongly on this road!

Links:

• Terra Renaissance's homepage