In the midst of oppression and fear, dance for peace and justice

While the M23 rebels moved just kilometers outside Goma in preparation for negotiations, a tense and perhaps temporary peace settled into the towns and villages in North and South Kivu. But as a recent Los Angeles Times article reports, the region, "swept up in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. ... has become the scene of one of the great tragedies of the last century: Wars fueled by a toxic blend of resource riches, ethnic hatred and interfering neighbors have killed 5 million people.

"In recent years, the area settled into a fragile peace. But militias still drain the country's wealth. There now are fears that eastern Congo could spiral into another long and bloody conflict."

Now, more than ever, is the time to educate and empower the people Action Kivu serves, to help them stand for peace.  The work is even more important with the recent wave of violence in eastern Congo. The programs there tell the women and children that their stories matter, and gives them the hope and the actual tools to change their home life, their villages, and eventually their country from a very personal place of empowerment and knowledge.

Early this December, the local Catholic church organized a demonstration for peace and justice in South Kivu, inviting Action Kivu's partner ABFEK to participate as one of the most active groups working toward peace and a civil society. Gathering just outside the Peace Market, women and men, the young and the elderly, danced traditional dances, imploring peace.

"Together with no weapons but as ONE, we are stronger than those shooting bombs innocently against us, dispersing us like a herd whose shepherd is almost non-existent, sending us to exile unwillingly, forcing us to become homeless, raping our daughters, sisters, and mothers, pillaging our resources …destroying the entire fabric of our society! The truth will triumph, but only when we stand up and shout against whosoever is against peace, those who are not honest with themselves and with us."

"The white color symbolizes Peace, these children do not want AK47s, but need to learn about their rights and how to make their country and the globe a better place for everyone to live."

Will you join in the dance?  This holiday season, consider giving a gift to the women and children through Action Kivu - $10/month sends a secondary student to school with a uniform and supplies. A recurring donation helps programs like the sewing workshops move forward, training women in the skills necessary to earn an income and provide for her family, supplying her with a sewing machine upon graduation to start her own business. 

Clothes for Christmas: School Kids at Play

When we traveled to Congo in January, we met so many kids, at their schools and at the annual New Year celebration Amani holds for the children of Mumosho. Shy girls stepped forward to show us local games they play, using stones and dances. Amani recently sent us these photos of the kids at Burhembo secondary school, near the border of Rwanda. The kids change out of their uniforms to protect them while they “jump the rope,” for what equates as gym class where this is little place to play.

They take such pride in their uniforms, and the children whom we send to school via your support recently told Papa Amani, as they call him, that they have nothing else to wear other than the school uniforms that we supply for the whole year. They feel badly that they have to wear them all the time, making them less presentable for school. Your partnership not only sends kids to school and provides them with that uniform, but with your donations, we’re able to send an extra $650 for a Christmas gift of “play” clothes and shoes (for the many children who are barefoot) for approximately 100 children. Thank you, as always for your partnership! There are so many needs to meet, and many more thousands of children to clothe and send to school, and you’re making a difference.

Read more school stories here!

A Congo Massage - Riding the Roads of Eastern Congo

Amani, who founded ABFEK, Action Kivu’s partner in Congo, and is a true community builder, responding to the needs of the women and children with innovative programs. To do his work safely and sustainably, Amani needs an SUV.

Action Kivu’s founders Cate Haight and Rebecca Snavely visited Amani and ABFEK’s wonderful work in January 2012, and witnessed, first hand, the danger of driving during rainy season in the overcrowded vans that serve as buses. After nearly sliding off a mountain road, Cate and Rebecca hired an SUV for the rest of the trip. But that expense is too much for ABFEK to handle on a daily basis.

To monitor the programs in Bukavu and the surrounding villages, Amani and his staff wait on dirt roads overcrowded with people, trucks and buses. The heavy, humid air is filled with dust from the dirt road and exhaust from the cars and trucks that narrowly miss people's sandal-clad feet. The women wear long skirts in bright colors and beautifully busy patterns, carry fruit, a jerrycan of water or a basket on their heads, and wait for overcrowded buses that have no schedule to run on. When it's muddy during the rainy season, the buses slip-slide through the sludge, getting stuck in the ruts, skidding sideways and putting passengers' lives in jeopardy. This is their reality, and without a 4x4, when the roads are rain-washed, plans are canceled and work comes to a grinding halt.

Take a look at one of our many rides, lovingly nicknamed a "Congo massage," through Bukavu, on the road to Panzi hospital, out to the even rougher roads on our way to Mumosho. Amani narrates:

Celebrating Fall Harvest - Women Hold Up Far More Than Half of Agriculture in Africa

The women who learn from and work the soil of the Action Kivu / ABFEK shared farm carefully cart their harvest to sell at the Peace Market in Mumosho, the bright reds and greens of tomatoes, cabbages, eggplants and amaranth displayed with pride.

Harvest for sale at the Peace Market

Do you know the percentage of Africa's food that the women produce?"Women are the backbone of agriculture and food production in Africa, working its arable land and feeding its population by producing 80% of its food. But African women farmers’ perspectives are excluded from conversations that determine agricultural policies and priorities, while discriminatory laws and practices deprive them of their land, their rights, and their livelihoods." - Global Fund for WomenWhen you support Action Kivu, you partner with the women who are learning sustainable farming in Mumosho.

Finding shade for an afternoon break.

Learn more about the shared teaching farm here!"Beans Green and Yellow"In fall it is mushroomsgathered from dampnessunder the pines:in spring I have knownthe taste of the lambfull of milk and spring grass;today it is beans green and yellowand lettuce and basil from my friends’ garden —how calmly, as though it were an ordinary thing,we eat the blessed earth.~ Mary Oliver

An Education: Kabibi or Kabwana?

Kabibi and her brother Kabwana stood before their school principal, silent while their mother explained to the headmaster why Kabibi must drop out of school. With seven children to feed, earning a dollar a day working on her neighbor’s farms, their mother cannot afford to send both teens to secondary school. She chose to pay for Kabwana’s education, because he is a boy.

Kabibi, left, and Kabwana.

At 18, Kabibi is three years older than her little brother Kabwana, and should be finishing secondary school in grade 6. But, like many children in eastern Congo, because her family wasn’t financially able to send her to school consistently, she’s behind in her studies. Domestic violence is common in the community, and after years of suffering, Kabibi’s mother was abandoned, publically rejected by her husband at her own church service, and left with nothing but her seven children to care for.

The headmaster told her that Kabibi has always been more intelligent than Kabwana. In tears, Kabibi’s mother replied that Kabibi has to stop simply because she is a girl. Kabibi also cried in front of other students and teachers.

What does it do to a girl’s thinking, to be told that because she is female, she is not worthy to be educated? For a month after being forced to leave school, Kabibi was showing signs of depression, isolating herself from others. When a representative of ABFEK (Action Kivu’s partner in Congo) arrived for a school visit, Kabibi asked if there was any way to find a sponsor to pay for her education. It was too late, as ABFEK had already used all the funds to enroll students this school year, but a friend visiting with ABFEK heard her story, and gave the money for Kabibi to attend the first half of the school year.

Amani wrote: “Kabibi had spent the whole last month with no smile, but after it was announced that someone has donated for half a school year for her, she is smiling!”

Kabibi at school

"I want to become a medical doctor if I have chance to go to University," Kabibi says.

Would you like to pay for the other half of Kabibi’s school year? It only costs $50, and if you set up a recurring donation of $10 / month, your dedicated giving will cover her school fees for the following year.

There are hundreds of children like Kabibi, whose families cannot afford to send them to school. Please consider a recurring monthly donation; $10 a month tells them they are important, their stories matter, and they’re not alone.

“What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well.”
— Secretary of State and former First Lady Hilary Clinton

Literacy Training: Rewriting the Future

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Asking the women of eastern Congo what their hopes and dreams are for the future proved to be a difficult question. They must focus on today, Amani explained. On finding food and feeding their children today. On where they will sleep tonight.

A heartbreaking revelation for those of us, so comfortable in our today that we make plans for years ahead, and read self-help books to help us live in the present moment. The women we met in Mumosho and Bukavu didn't have the time or the emotional capacity to answer that question.

That is changing, however. As the women see their daughters excelling in school, thanks to Action Kivu's education assistance, they begin to hope for the future of their children. That hope ignites a spark of what could be in their own lives. As we previously shared one mama's words from the Sewing Workshop graduation: "I am very proud of my daughter," said one of the mothers present at the ceremony. "This sewing certificate is a symbol of victory and respect. And I will be the first to register in the literacy program because I was not happy with the last November 2011 presidential elections, when I asked people to help me vote but they did it according to their own will. I want to make sure next time I am able to read the name of the candidate of my own choice."

Other women echo her drive, and are now learning to read and write in Mumosho, where there are now three literacy classes, with a total of 80 students.  At age 17, Tumaini wasn't sent to school because she is a girl. "I am proud to be part of this group," she says. "I want to learn how to read and write. Many times I have difficulty taking medicines because I cannot read,I always need someone to explain them to me." She is dedicated to her studies, especially to be able to vote a leader of her own choice.

This is a group of very determined young girls, forced to drop out because they did not have money to pay for school. Some were victims of domestic and gender-based violence, and chances were given to boys in their families. They want ABFEK | Action Kivu to help them learn to read and write, to fulfill their dreams of passing the primary school tests to begin secondary school.

Action Kivu is currently able to send only $1500 USD a month to support all these programs that ABFEK runs in eastern Congo - and your donation will help us sustain the current programs, and the more we raise, the more girls we can send to school, the more women we can teach to read and write, the more women we can include in the sewing workshops to learn a trade.  Please consider a monthly donation. 

We're excited to share the women's stories and progress with you here, and to ask you to partner with them. If you have words of encouragement, please share them here in the comments, or via e-mail to actionkivu@gmail.com, and we will forward them to Amani, to share with the students! If you'd like to include a photo of yourself, please do, and Amani will post with your note, reminding the women and children that they are not alone.

Sowing Seeds of Presence and Partnership: Shared Farm

The women, who range in age from older teens to grandmothers, sit in a group, fanning themselves.  They make jokes and smile often, taking a much-needed break. One returns from a walk with a black plastic grocery bag filled with water from some unseen source, and they take turns balancing the bag for a refreshing drink. A rare dry day in rainy season in Congo, the sun is relentless on the floor of this valley, stalks and flowers grow taller than our heads, and no wind blows. Everything seems brighter than usual, the blue of the sky against the surrounding mountains, the colorful prints of the women's dresses with the bright yellow flowers and the greens of growth, the reds and greens of the eggplants, are piled before us. The women have gathered specifically for this, so we could witness the harvest of vegetables growing on the shared farm Action Kivu supports.

We meet the women and the agronomist who teaches them about sustainable agriculture. The women chose this project, Amani tells us. "[The ideas] come from them. What I am doing is just to facilitate. I am a bridge. I am a bridge between these community members and the other people who are willing, generous to help these women. The projects come from them, they say, we need this. If it is possible, we do it. ... For example, there is a serious problem of malnutrition. Acute malnutrition. The women expressed a need for agriculture, and to combine it with animal husbandry. The waste from the goats, helps provide compost [for the farm], and [the women] produce vegetables, they take them to market to sell, and they eat part [of the harvest]." They grow cabbages, onions, carrots and eggplants.Amani bites into one of the eggplants, proclaims it tasty. They are a local species of eggplant (they look like bell peppers) that people like very much. "The red ones are overripe," he explains, "and they are not useful for food anymore, but they are used to make new seeds, and to make sure the women we are working with can get new seeds without buying them. The seeds are very expensive, a kilo of eggplants (seed) is about 40, 50 dollars. Very expensive. The idea behind [the farm] is not only to eat [what is grown], but also, and mainly, to produce seeds and distribute to the community, to fight malnutrition."The women talk to Amani about their needs, for more farm tools to use both at the teaching farm and at home. He promises to bring a few hoes the next time he comes, and to look into finding funds for the other tools they need. They want to expand the small space they rent, to grow more food.  "They need rubber boots, too," Amani translates, "for the rainy season."As we offer thanks for their time and say our goodbyes, Amani translates once again. "They are saying that they are very happy to have you here. They are always sad to hear that people have visited the sewing center, the microloan group, but do not come to see them."Because of your partnership with these women and children in Mumosho and Bukavu, they feel seen. That their lives, their need for nutritious food to feed their families, for education to give them hope for a better future, are full of meaning. Because of your support, they feel seen, heard, which is what we all want, isn't it? To connect at a deeper level, to know we're not alone.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” -Leo Buscaalia

Walking Free with No Fear: Ntaboba’s Story

Ntaboba, before his surgery, with his aunt and mother.

Ntaboba is 14, a slight boy with a wide smile that is often masked by his look of concentration. Ntaboba, who attends school with the help of Action Kivu's education assistance program, is focused. Focused on school, on his dreams of becoming a doctor, and on walking without the crutches he used to depend upon. At age 14, he should be in grade 2 of secondary school, but because of physical setbacks, he is in grade 5 of primary school.When he was six years old, Ntaboba, whose name means "no fear," stepped on a live grenade in the jungle near his home in eastern Congo, mangling and twisting his leg, forcing him to walk with a metal pole for support, which further twisted his spine. Because of the injury, he often missed classes and fell behind in his education when he could not navigate the five kilometers to his school.Margaret Johnson and Betty Merner, two Americans visiting their friend Dr. Victoria Bentley of Empower Congo Women, met Ntaboba in Mumosho, through Bentley’s work with Amani. They quickly connected to Ntaboba’s soft spirit and strong character,and were determined to do what they could to help him. Thanks to the emotional and financial support of these women and school kids they work with in Rhode Island, Ntaboba received a surgery on his leg from Heal Africa in Goma, a hospital renowned as one of only three referral hospitals in the DR Congo.

Ntaboba, Summer 2012, after his surgery.

Though the surgery was successful for as much damage had been done to his leg, Ntaboba still misses school during the rainy season, which turns the dirt roads of Mumosho into deep, slick mudslides.According to Amani, there are few solutions to this problem. One is to board Ntaboba near the school, which costs around $400 USD each quarter. The longer-term sustainable solution is to find a place for his family to live after we build the Peace School. The Peace School will offer the traditional Congolese curriculum, as well as teach alternative courses in human rights, giving orphaned and vulnerable kids like Ntaboba a place to study and play in peace, growing the future generation of peace builders for Congo.(We're currently working with Amani on a budget and outline for the cost to build and staff the school, looking to raise approximately $185,000 USD. More to come, soon!)   Ntaboba is doing his best to walk without crutches, determined to finish school so he can live his dream to become a doctor. No Fear.Thanks to Margaret, Betty, the school kids of Rhode Island, and everyone who partners with us!  It's only through supporting each other that we make a difference.

Ernata's Story Unfolds: Sewing Grads and School Uniforms

Thanks to this year’s back to school grant from Jewish World Watch, funds were allocated for new uniforms for the 115 primary students and 52 new secondary students who started school last week. Creating a circle of sustainability, the graduates of the sewing workshop gather at the sewing center, and provided materials, fabric, thread and buttons, they use their new skills to create the school uniforms for the kids, earning an income of five dollars per outfit. While this may not sound like much, it helps them buy food and basic supplies for their families. Where once there was no income at all, women are now primary sources of support, instilling a sense of pride in their families and communities, while caring for the kids who get to wear brand new “back to school” clothes.

Ernata, January 2012. Photo by Cate Haight.

Ernata graduated with her sewing certificate in June, 2012.  When we met her in January, her story echoed that of a society where women have very little rights or value, and can be divorced without recourse for not bearing a male heir.  "My first marriage, I spent two years in my household,” Ernata told us. "I didn’t have any children, and I suffered a lot from my husband.  He kicked me out because I didn’t have any children.  After being kicked out by my first husband, I returned home, and spent six months at home.  Another man married me.  After about 6 to 7 months with my second husband, I could not conceive. He also kicked me out, divorced me."Then came another man, from a different village, whose wife had died and left him with seven kids.  Ernata married for the third time, and after only three months, she conceived.  "I was blessed to have one child, a boy, but it was after surgery (a cesarean delivery).  After two years and three months, my only child died.  I was there, living with my husband, but I was afraid.  Six months had passed after my child died, and I hadn’t conceived again.  I was afraid, and things had changed again, become negative, with my husband."Though he already has seven children, he wants another from Ernata.  "And me, too," she said. "Because if I have a child, I’m stable there.""I have a big wound inside my heart," Ernata told us. "If I don’t have children with my husband, he will kick my out.  I’m noticing some changes, bad behavior, from his family members, who might urge him to chase me (from the home)."

Nine months later, Ernata is giving birth to a different dream, as she works hard to sew uniforms for the kids in her village.  She takes a break from her own sewing to supervise a fellow seamstress. ''I am very proud of myself today,” Ernata shares, “and my husband is proud of me and he's happy to have me as a wife, especially as I help make an income for the family.”

Ernata supervises Cikuru, sewing school uniforms in Mumosho.

What a difference education, partnership and support can make!  Thank you to all who continue to partner with the women, children, and communities of Congo.

Sewing Workshop graduate Alani prepares the fabric for a school uniform.

Back to School Stories: Hope and Thanks from Congo

Were you ever THIS excited to go back to school?

When you've been kicked out of class because your family can't afford the $7 - $8/month it costs to go to school, an education becomes even more precious.Your partnership and support means that these kids have hope for a different future, filled with dreams of being doctors and teachers and nurses, oh my!  In addition to the 115 primary students Action Kivu / ABFEK sends to school, thanks to a partnership and generous grant from Jewish World Watch, ABFEK is now sending 52 students to secondary school.  Finishing a high school education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty that permeates eastern Congo, poverty that stops girls from achieving their dreams. (Read more about the positive results of educating girls at Women Deliver.)Your donations began a cycle of good.  Because you support the women studying at the Sewing Workshop and purchased sewing machines for them, they are able to make school uniforms for the children so eager to attend school. "What a big day!" Amani writes. "Our campaign was ''Young Girls, Stand Up, It's Time!'"  Amani and his colleagues have spent the last two years raising awareness and encouraging girls, families, and local leaders to make sure girls are sent to secondary school immediately after graduating elementary school."Today I was happy, so happy and more than happy again," writes Amani. "In one secondary school where 26 students are recipients of the JWW grant, there are 380 students total. 240 are  girls and 140 are boys. 67.3% of students here are girls. This is a big success in our everyday work!"Two of the girls share their stories:SHUKURU: "I am 13 years old, grade 1 secondary and have been getting education support  by ABFEK for about three years now. I very much like Maths because I want to become a medical doctor one day in my life. I am from a family of five, among four sisters and one brother.  Only two of my sisters and my brother are in school . My elder sisters got married [too young] because nobody could send them to school. I am lucky and I want to achieve my goal — to be become a medical doctor.  I like ping pong. For this school year, I want to succeed with a high score at the rate of 99%. I am determined to achieve my goal. I want to become able to help my mum. I do not want an untimely marriage. As long as I have someone to help me stay in school, I will make every effort to succeed. My thank you words are sent to each and every single person who has donated his or her money to pay for my education this school year. May God bless  and keep them strong."NOELA:  17 years old, grade 3 secondary school.  My uncle has been struggling to send me to school.  I very much like French  and want to become a French teacher. I am from a family of five, three are in school and two are not because I have no father and mum is unable to afford school for us. My purpose for this year is to succeed with 80% and challenge all the boys in my class who think they are more intelligent than I. I like domestic work and want to become a secondary school teacher. Look, I am 17 now, I should now be in grade 5 secondary school, but I had nobody to take care of me, put me in school, but I have HOPE. Thanks for people who do not know me but are paying for my education."

Huge thanks to Jewish World Watch and to you, for helping these girls achieve their dreams!  If you want to partner with Action Kivu, consider a monthly donation.Primary school fees, including uniforms, copy books, pencils and slates = $6.25/month, or $75.00/year per student.Secondary school fees, including uniforms, copy books, pencils and slates = $8.00/month, or $95.00/year per student.Visit our How You Can Help page to learn more, and read more about the students and success of other elementary school girls here!