By Josselin Bandu Mikindo | Executive Director
Mid-Term Project ReportEconomic Resilience for 125 Women and Girls in DRC
We are grateful to GlobalGiving and to the donors who have supported this project. To date, the project has raised $30 toward its $25,624 fundraising goal. While this amount is still far below the resources required for full implementation, the project's continued presence and visibility on the GlobalGiving platform remain extremely important. Visibility helps keep the needs of vulnerable women and girls in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo visible to a wider international audience and provides an opportunity for individuals and partners to learn about the challenges they face. We sincerely appreciate the confidence shown by the first donor(s) and the opportunity provided by GlobalGiving to continue sharing updates about this important initiative.
The project remains highly relevant because of the continuing humanitarian and security challenges affecting North Kivu, particularly in and around Goma. Women and girls, as well as children and other vulnerable community members, continue to face serious economic hardship, displacement, reduced livelihood opportunities, and difficulties meeting basic needs. Children are particularly affected by instability and the broader deterioration of household economic conditions, which can limit families' ability to provide food, education, protection, and other essential support. Strengthening the economic resilience of women and girls therefore remains an important pathway toward helping vulnerable households cope with these difficult circumstances and reducing their exposure to further risks.
The current context has also created major operational and financial challenges. Due to the ongoing occupation of Goma by the M23 rebels and the resulting disruption of normal services, banking operations have been severely affected, and access to banking services has become extremely difficult. At present, we have faced challenges accessing our organization's bank account and therefore accessing funds that would normally support implementation of activities on the ground. This situation has affected our ability to move forward with planned project activities as quickly as intended, despite the continuing need among the target population. We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to assess safe and legally compliant options for accessing and managing project resources when banking services and conditions permit.
Despite these constraints, Blessed Aid remains committed to the objectives of the project and to supporting the economic resilience of vulnerable women and girls. The project has not lost its importance; on the contrary, the current situation has reinforced the need for sustainable livelihood opportunities, economic empowerment, and support that can help women strengthen their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Continued visibility on GlobalGiving is therefore valuable not only for fundraising, but also for maintaining awareness of the realities facing vulnerable communities in North Kivu and preserving the project's connection with the international community.
As conditions evolve and access to project resources becomes possible, we will continue to provide transparent updates to GlobalGiving and our supporters regarding implementation progress, challenges encountered, and the impact of the project. We thank GlobalGiving and everyone who has taken an interest in this initiative for helping ensure that the voices and needs of women, girls, and vulnerable families in eastern DRC continue to be seen and heard.
By Josselin Bandu Mikindo | Executive Director
By Josselin Bandu Mikindo | Executive Director
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