Empowering conflict-affected people in DR Congo

Dear friend,

We would like to thank you for your continuous support of our projects in DR Congo(DRC).

This project focuses on supporting people suffering from conflict in the DRC. We offer classes for them to learn tailoring skills in the hope that they will gain skills through this type of training to improve their income and secure their living. We were delighted to find that some participants have launched their businesses using the skills they learned in our project.

So, in this report, we will introduce the graduation ceremony this year and a few women who launched their tailoring stores.

• Graduation ceremony this year

This year(2022), thirty of the poorest women from Dimbelenge Administrative District have completed this tailoring training, all learning Western-style sewing skills.

In the second half of the training, 3,000 masks were produced. These masks were purchased by us and used as relief supplies for the 2,000 poor families and essential workers. In addition, a sewing machine and sewing tools were provided to each participant on the day of the graduation ceremony. 

Happy to see that they can now start their own dressmaking business with these tools and the money they earn from making masks. 

According to the baseline survey conducted at the beginning of the training, almost all of the participants had a cash income of only a few hundred yen per month (almost nothing), so we hope that they will be able to buy the minimum amount of food and daily necessities on their own and live resiliently under the conflict.

• Lovely women who have opened their tailor stores

After celebrating the graduation of the latest beneficiaries, we visited tailoring stores where they now become financially independent women running their businesses.

In 2021, we supported 60 women who had completed our western

clothing training in Kananga to start their businesses. Each of them began operating their own western clothing store, either individually or in small groups of several people. 

Since the beginning of 2022, we have been following up with the women to help them run their stores and improve their livelihoods by visiting them individually, providing them with advice, and supporting elaborate sales strategies.

Many can earn enough to support themselves and their families by making or repairing women's dresses and uniforms. The women we helped are doing relatively well in their businesses. During our visit, we were very relieved to see the smiling faces of their customers.

• Messages from our beneficiaries(33 years old, female)

During the conflict, I lived in a place that was 80 km away from the provincial capital, Kananga City, with nothing to eat and three children. As the conflict intensified, I escaped this place, became internally displaced with my three children, walked, walked, and ended up in Kananga, where I am now.

Although the conflict had ended, I could not find work and receive aid supplies due to the Corona disaster, and my children and I were forced to live while begging in the streets. During this time, Terra Renaissance offered training in sewing, and after completing the training, I was able to acquire a sewing machine and tools. Now I can open a dressmaking store in the city. And I am now able to send my children to school as well as feed them. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Japan for their support.

• Challenges

However, some women are still facing challenges. Furthermore, with the recent price hikes for food and fuel, life is quite tricky, even for those who can earn a sufficient income.

Despite psychological trauma, these conflict-affected women have stood up for themselves and their families and are working hard to run their businesses. 

The rising cost of living has recently hit these women's work and made their livelihood harder.

We are keenly aware that the crisis in Ukraine is also affecting DR Congo, a country far away from us, and that life is not stable unless the world is at peace. We will continue to follow up and walk together with them.

Once again, thank you all very much, and we hope we all have a better future and we will walk more firmly and strongly on this road!

Links:

• Terra Renaissance's homepage