Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – Over 170 female ex-soldiers are benefiting from a program of reintegration into civil society run by Caritas-Développement Congo in Kalemie, in the Province of Katanga (southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo). There are also another additional 60 people from local villages.
The program is part of the national disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of former members of various armed groups that operate in the eastern DRC.
The project provides literacy courses for beneficiaries, professional training, care of their children during school activities and formation, public awareness against sexual violence, and help to start small businesses to make women economically self-sufficient. The main economic activities proposed are agriculture, livestock, tailoring, baking, hair styling, and soap manufacturing.
According to the Caritas director of this project, Boniface Nakwagelewi, three months after its launch, 118 women were enrolled in 3 centers for literacy and there were 187 participants in the courses on "income-generating activities." Classes are taught in Swahili and aim at stimulating the entrepreneurial spirit of students. Alonside the training centers there have been 3 kindergarten classes started, to accommodate the 60 children of the course participants.
Lastly, Caritas, together with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Kalemie, promotes an effort to raise awareness against the scourge of sexual violence. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 10/2/2010)
