Support small busness to 250 refugee women in DRC

Rapport on the progress of refugee economic empower in Goma the Democratic Republic of Congo from June to September 2023.

This report is based on the implementation of the funding from MoneyGram through GlobalGiving to support Refugee Women in Goma, DRC.

Let us start by these two testimonies picked from the beneficiaries during a casual conversation, they were not prepared but we introduced the debate.

The first testimony

Niyonzima (this is not the real name) left Rwanda in 1994 during the genocide and up to now he is living in DRCongo, he is the only man in the group of 19 women involved in the Shopping Bags making here at the office.

“I used to stay at home for the whole day because first of all I had no work, I do not speak fluently Kiswahi which is spoken here, people do not know me and above I’m a Rwandan and here we are badly criminalized and blamed for all the bad things Rwanda has done in DRC since 1996 up to now, Congolese think we are spies for Rwanda here. So when I came here to COJESKI two years back first of all I was surprised to find out that they are Congolese people who want to be closer to us, and now we started this initiative which has helped me to learn a skill not only me alone but also my wife who a treasurer of the group.

Since we started this project of Shopping Bags here, I’m so happy that I no longer stay at home the whole week, now at least there are two days I have to be here in order to work, associate with other refugees, get to know many other Rwandan refugees, engage on issue that affect but also participate in events that put us together with Congolese. Today I can say that I have work, the rest of the days I go to church twice a week and now I have little time left, I have something to keep me busy and which helps me to earn something. On top of that now we are able to make these things alone in our community and star selling for ourselves, this has open up our brain, I’m so happy to see people coming to the office here just to buy these shopping bags, and I feel proud that I can also contribute to solve the problem.  I still aim to learn more other things like Tailoring and Soap making.

On a native note, this project has not yet addressed my individual basic needs at home such as to get loan which can help to set up my own small business, the money we get in the group after selling is kept in the group but they have not yet given it to me also, they give it to others as loan but not me, I think I’m discriminated. My request is to ensure that there is money that can help us also individually to put in place our small business, while we are also doing this group work. We still have challenge to eat when we spend the whole day here at the office and sometimes it is difficult to get even water to drink, and when I go back home sometimes I have nothing to eat, I have to sleep hungry.

The second testimony

 Testimony of Mama Ndarukunda (this is not also her true name)

I came from Rwanda in 1994 but later on I was repatriated back to Rwanda by UNHCR, but the situation was difficult in Rwanda, I also feared for my security so I decided to return back to DRC in 2002, since I came here I feared to report to UNHCR because I thought they could take me back by force to Rwanda. I have no refugee document here that is why I do support this campaign to demand for documents for all refugees. When I was told about this organization I was too happy, at first I came to see and observe and then I realized that they are doing something good for us, then I decided to integrate this Shopping Bags Women Group.

I’m so happy with this group because here I now know many people from Rwanda and other refugees from Burundi, here we also meet with Congolese, we also meet other people from different countries and exchange ideas. So I do not feel isolated anymore as I was before, because of here I’m proud to tell others that I’m a refugee from Rwanda and I do not hide anymore. On top of that I have earned how to make these Shopping Bags which are on the market here, so if I manage to get a capital I can start making these shopping bags from home and make some money for myself. I’m so happy with this group because we also do savings and in case one of us gets problems we have some money in our saving which can help the person, this is for me also a kind of social protection. For I consider myself now as a worker and this helps me to forget about what I went through in the past, really I did not know that we Rwandan refugees could get something like this in DRC, this is for me a surprise. I know that we are the very first group of Rwandan refugees who got this chance, it is a responsibility we have to make it move and succeed, we shall do it, just believe in us.

Truly speaking allow me thank you and also please thank all those who decided to support us here in DRC, I’m stable since I joined this group, I’m so proud of this organization and it is unique here. I know we do not have yet enough money in our savings but I think with time and if we get more funding we shall get the money we want, what is important is that as per now the group can help us to solve some of our urgent problems, I know if I have a problem I can come here in group and I will get a loan.

On a negative point

I think the group and the organization have not yet managed to give us some money in order to start individual businesses that can help us to be also busy during the remaining days and also be sure that we have something for the whole family, I really need to have money which can help me to start something small at home. But also I feel bad that other women do come here and unfortunately we cannot add them in the group, so all these other women who want to learn should also be helped and be given this opportunity.

Brief about Refugee Women Shopping Bags Group

This group is composed of 19 refugee women and one man from Rwanda, some have documents others do not have. They are led by a committee of four people (chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and the welfare), the groups meets twice per week at the office in order to make the Shopping Bags that is Monday and Friday from 8am to 12 pm.

While we already have the office space where they do gather we are still facing challenges with other things such as safe drinking water, use a lot of water in the toilets, some come when they are hungry and do need some tea, the need for urgent first aid for those who get sick, and other things when they are at the office.

They have now started producing the shopping bags which are being sold here in Goma, two strategies have been put in place in order to sell these bags: Sell them off from the office: This one is going well as people from the communities here around have started coming to buy the bags from the office and others who pass by also come and buy, there are some institutions also who want to make orders for so many bags which we are not yet able to produce so far we lost two demands.

The other strategy we started recently is to give these bags to some women to go and sell them off the public markets, so we are also waiting to see how this progress will. The money they get is divided into two parts: the first part of 50% is kept by the treasurer of the group and among themselves they decide what to do for it, but this money intends to help them when they have problems, some do borrow on it generally and also helps them to buy some few things when they are here at the office.

The other 50% is given to COJESKI and we keep in order to continue the activity when the funding is over but also to support those who may need some capital for their individual businesses, this money will also help those who will be trained and above all these women have also an urgent demand of reading and writing which we need to put them in a class for adults which should start here at the office.  

The challenge is that as per now they are not yet producing so many bags and thereafter they are not yet making a lot of money, some among them are learners and only few can fully produce shopping bags that can go to the market, this was one among the reasons we lost the market from two institutions, we also know that the material is not yet enough and it is difficult to keep them at the office for the whole week because this will require that they also have food at home.

But so far the activity is moving on well and needs to be strengthened as per now both with more investment and human resource. Despite the challenges everybody is happy that we are moving forward.

Trainings

The committee has been trained once of group management and reports including how to organize meetings,

Challenges

There are so many challenges some are connected to the country like Goma and its surrounds are highly militarized because of the ongoing war this pushed us to maintain this activity at the office which is safer, the problem is that some of the women have to travel by foot long distances in order to reach here,

The other challenge is that these women did not know each other before and this remains the only their first interactions in life, building up trust and mutual understanding may take sometimes and that is one among the issues they are facing in their committee,

On top of the group work of shopping bags making there is a need to grant loan to individual women in order to start their own small businesses, but we do not have yet this funding,

But also lastly some issues need to be addressed at the office like safe drinking water, sugar for tea in the morning, invest in water in the toilets, buy more plastic chairs, space for adult education needs to be created,

The need to train more especially those who are coming to seek for trainings in shopping bags making and the need to keep around those who already know so that they can produce many bags, this also needs funding,

The desire to put in place activities that can help them to know each other in order to build community trust, this also needs funding,

Thanks

JP Mugaruka