The psychosocial project is the continuation of an existing project that is still getting off of the ground. COPERMA has worked for over twenty years, establishing community centers in active conflict areas, thus specifically targeting those individuals who are the most underserved and the most in need (survivors of rape, demobilized child-soldiers, orphans, IDPs).
Aside from the extreme poverty and corruption, the rampant sexual violence and general violence in the region is having devastating effects on the rural communities in North Kivu, whom our project will be working with directly. Rape, internal displacement, becoming orphaned, and the use/demobilization of child-soldiers all have drastic effects on community social structure, economic stability/opportunities, and family structure, all of which greatly affect an individual's mental health.
Outcomes are increased mental, emotional, and economic stability for survivors of sexual violence and effective reintegration into communities effected by stigmatization and/or fractured by rebel or governmental soldier presence.
The women and girls are to be trained in their rights and in economic activities to get autonomy and to be able to denounce their rights violation. There will be a change in the daily life of the beneficiaries once they are able to make products that they sell in the Community. The Community also benefit by those new products. Thus, the present project will enable the young mother - girls and young vulnerable people in general to get stability at the psychological and socio - economic levels.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).