This project will rebuild socio-economic hope for at-risk girls who were trapped into child marriage in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It will build economic capacity and provide revenue generating activities to 150 desperate girls who are enduring the burden of single parenthood in rural areas affected by armed conflicts.
In rural South Kivu, DR CONGO, 35% of girls are trapped into child marriage even before they complete their primary education. This situation is due to gender inequality and poverty exacerbated by recurrent armed conflicts imposed by local and foreign armed groups. Soon, when they have 2-3 children, the girls are abandoned by their husbands who leave for the mines and never come back, thus leaving the girl to endure the burden of single parenthood with no economic means for survival whatsoever
WEC- CONGO identifies those single mothers, despatches them into smaller groups according to their economic aspirations, organizes economic capacity building trainings for them, and initiates revenue generating activities for them for their economic autonomy. To involve the communities in ending child marriage, WEC-CONGO carries out sensitization campaigns which include community and religious leaders. We also push the political authorities to enforce the laws that ban child marriage.
This project will economically empower 150 at-risk girls victims of child marriage by training and developing their entrepreneurial skills so that they be fully able to exercise their potential. This will allow them to rise out of poverty, which will enable them to provide for their families' needs such as health, food, children's education, housing, and general well-being.
