Support small busness to 250 refugee women in DRC

Views of these two refugee leaders who are involved in our activities

Nikuze Hope, a Rwandan refugee woman leaders in Goma.

In 1994 during the genocide she was two years old, she left Rwanda with her family members mainly her father, her mother and three elder siblings who she did not see. She was told that they died in refugee camps in Congo and now she is alone left in the family, and living in Goma where at least she ca breathe some security.

In March 2021 she joined our community meetings which brought together other refugees. Through these weekly meetings came the idea of refugee women group, which are engaged in various activities. I’m so happy that at least now, to see than me together with some women are moving on and I was delighted to hear that this project is getting grant from MoneyGram.

Truly speaking, this is the beginning of a new life for us, and that new life is our struggle for economic stability. First of all I want us to be able to work and generate money that can solve our most basic needs mainly rent, food, school fees for the children and treatment when we are sick. What is much great for us is now, we have where to go and what to do, and hope to earn some money, what is important for us is that now, we shall no longer stay at home the whole day, what is important for us is that we shall no longer beg for food in order to eat.

She is now the leader of the Refugee Craft Project here in Goma which started in July 2021, a certain Friday when we had our weekly meeting at the office.

Now, in our weekly meetings at the office, she was listening to various economic problems of other women and this also affected her so much, she used to cry a lot when these women are telling us about their problems but later on we decided to start this idea of refugee women craft project which was supported by the organization and we are happy that this activity has solved some of our problems.

We can remember that some women are now getting some money because of these craft activities we are going to do more for them so that they can progress, we know some refugee women who we trained and now surviving on the craft as they do make them in their own places and do sell them to other people in the community. We know some in Goma here who are selling them on the roadside.

We want to train more women in this, and also to get the necessary materials in order to produce more which we can easily sell in various markets in Goma.

Niyonzima Eric  

I left Rwanda during the genocide in 1994 at the age of 16 years old, and came to DRCongo. I came alone as my parents were killed in Rwanda, my young sister I moved with died from the road in Kibumba in the refugee camp due to Cholera. So I’m the only one left in the whole family. Since I entered DRCongo I have been so much involved in various community work with different organizations in order to help refugees, and now I’m working with COJESKI as one among the key mobilizers and I’m so happy that we are now engaged in the protection of refugees. I was amazed to hear that these women have received a grant, I will be so happy to see them doing well economically, I will work hard to achieve that, this is a dream that has now come true.

I’m the advisor of the craft refugee women and since we started it in 2021 I used to contribute some money to help them to move forward. It is for me a great opportunity to hear that this project is getting support from MoneyGram.

Let us now restore the lives of these women who have passed through difficult situations over the years.

Brief Report on the economic development of refugee women in Goma North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo with funding from MoneyGram: Changing the refugee narrative towards their protection.

A story is being told here “a Youngman travelled far from his village, and on the way he found the road closed because the heavy wind and storm hit the Lake and moved away all the fishes up to the dry land which blocked the road. Now this Youngman was shocked and wondered what the future of the people in the villages would look like as they all depended on fishing from the lake, he started crying.  Later one he realized that there was an Oldman on the other side who was collecting fishes one by one and put them back in the Lake. The Youngman said you Oldman don’t you see that you are wasting your time, do you think you can put back all these fishes in the lake? The Oldman replied negatively, but indicated that he did not intend to save all the fishes but wants to put some back in the lake which will multiply and feed the next generation”.

This shows also the scenarios of refugees in DRCongo, they faced problems over the years and no one could help them and now the problems are many and complicated. In order to respond to this some people have argued that there is nothing that can be done anymore, these refugees should simply be abandoned, others have argued that these refugees should be taken back to their country even by force, and now we are here trying to support one by one with hope that it will save a who generation.  

Obviously we do not claim to support more than 30,000 refugees around Goma, not possible now to support more than 800,000 refugees in North Kivu, and not possible as now to help about 4million refugees in DRCongo.

However we have entered now the debate and ready to propose the new approach aiming at empowering economically refugee women as a means for their protection. Now let us see among the three responses which one is the best. They are telling us how much is required to address the problems of refugees in DRC, but they are not telling is how much is being lost by not addressing these refugee problems. They are telling us that refugees should be forced to go back to their countries but they are not telling us how best we can promote the voluntary repatriation of refugees through economic empowerment which gives them more freedom to choose where they want to live. So what is the problem if refugees are economically independent? Who will be offended and affected by that? How is that harmful?

The facts about this project

This project is empowering economically refugee women in Goma and around Goma in DRCongo, it is the very first project bringing these women together in order to address their economic and livelihood problems. It is based on the conviction that refugee women can challenge this culture of economic bondage which they inherited from years now. This project moves in line with our conviction that refugees are not a problem but have problems, this very donation from MoneyGram joins us and makes concrete the United Nations World Refugee Day Theme “Every Action Counts”.

This project helps now the Democratic Republic of Congo to enter the debate on the protection of refugees, with concrete evidence from us to clearly show that refugees can be supported to become a strong human resource to the country and not only be perceived as burden. Refugees who are economically stable can also become a strong human resource for their countries of origin once they decide to go back and this can easily facilitate their integration in the communities. Refugees who are economically empowered can also be part of the global solutions.

Interventions with the funding

Three refugee women groups have now been put in place to benefit from this grant.

Refugee Women Craft Project: These women will make shopping bags, sponges, sweaters, and home sitting room clothes to beautify the house among others. They will trained regularly how to make it, after the training they will be supported in order to produce, and then the last team will be selling the items. The trainers will be chosen among refugee women themselves and then be supported by a technical person, those already capable to make the items will be put in teams and will be given all the necessary materials in order to start producing. And lastly a team will be formed among them just to sell the items.

Refugee Traders Group: Which is supporting refugee women in various trading activities around Goma and beyond Goma, a detailed list of items these women are involved in and how this has changed their lives will be produced in our next report. These women will be put in teams depending on what they are selling, we shall increase their capital, we shall train them on how they can effectively progress, and advocate for them for better operating environment.

 Refugee Women Saving Group: This group will be composed by those who are in position to save some money for future projects. They will be trained and support on how to develop ideas and projects. The money already saved will be serve as loans to boost their various activities and also to support others who want to get involved in business with loans. We shall put some money in the saving ground to support loans.

Activities

The first group: Two major activities are being put in place among them some are already existing. Training other women in craft making as a way to offer them a life skill in order to challenge economic problems, forming a group of those in production now and then a group of those to sell the items.

The second group: They are already been organized in groups, business training and information sessions on various opportunities, access to financial support from us in order to increase their capital, regular meetings, small money among themselves in order to solve their social problems.

The third group: The Saving Group brings them together to save money among themselves for their big projects, the saving will be done weekly for projects that are already identified. With an idea in mind to create a Microfinance Project for Refugee Women. Each refugee women member of the group who wants to expand her business can get money from the group and use it for well-defined period of time and then bring it back with also a small interest that they will define. In case they want so also this money can help them to create community projects.

Trainings

By the end of May 2023 the following trainings will be starting for these categories of refugee women and are obligatory to for these women to progress.

Business Training,

Adult Education Training including reading and writing,

Language training and using technology,  

Refugee women Rights,

Leadership and Community engagement,

Events also will be organized and the very first one is the World Refugee Day 2023.

Challenges

We are aware that this is just a drop of water in the ocean, in Goma there is no any other similar project that has been done in the past where we can draw the experience from, the big number of refugee women in need because no one else is there to support them, the current situation of war in North Kivu which will limit their movements, the lack of proper refugee documents for some, and the general negative community attitudes towards refugees.

Conclusion

We remain optimistic that for the first time this project will succeed and in few months from now the Democratic Republic of Congo will be proud to have refugee in Goma who are strongly engaged in community affairs and who are economically supported and therefore claim their protection. For the first time, Goma will have a report to present to the world about the support to refugees.

Thanks

Jean Pascal Mugaruka

Coordinator