Empowering Goma's women through Food processing

Goma is home to thousands of displaced families and vulnerable households facing difficult economic conditions. For many women, especially those supporting children and other family members, earning a reliable income remains a daily challenge. At the same time, fish, meat and chicken are often sold fresh at very low prices because families lack affordable preservation methods. This contributes to food losses, reduces household income and increases dependence on humanitarian assistance. Our project, Empowering Goma Women Through Food Processing, will support 100 vulnerable women with practical training in fish, meat and chicken smoking and salting. The aim is simple but important: help women turn locally available food products into safe, higher-value products that can be stored longer and sold at better prices.

The project is currently in its preparation and resource-mobilization phase. We are identifying qualified trainers and potential participants and preparing the conditions needed to begin the training. The planned intervention combines four areas: practical food-processing skills, access to shared processing equipment, business and market-linkage support, and an enabling environment that helps women remain economically active. With a total project budget of $98,000, no project funds have yet been raised. Our collaboration with GlobalGiving gives us an important opportunity to reach a wider community of international donors and build the resources needed to implement the project. Once fully funded, we expect participating women to increase their monthly income from an estimated $30–$50 to approximately $90–$120 within six months, while improving the preservation of locally produced protein and reducing avoidable food losses. The project is also expected to create additional small income opportunities around processing, transportation, packaging and childcare services.

We are grateful to everyone who has already shown interest in this initiative and to GlobalGiving for providing a platform through which this project can reach people beyond Goma. But the work cannot begin at the scale we envision without additional support. We invite individuals, foundations, companies and organizations to stand with these 100 women and help turn this plan into a source of income, dignity and greater food security. Every contribution can help provide training, equipment and the practical support women need to build sustainable livelihoods. Together, we can help vulnerable women move from selling their products at a loss toward creating value, earning an income and strengthening their families' resilience.