Raise HOPE for Women in Eastern DRC (Congo)

Hamjambo (Hello)! My name is Jamilah Dawkins and I am currently a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, double-majoring in Global Health and Environment and African Studies from a small town in North Carolina known as Hamlet.  

This summer I will spend approximately eight weeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo working as an intern with MamAfrica Designs. I began working as an intern with MamAfrica in late September and throughout the year I have represented the organization at different venues to sell the products, expand the presence on campus and community and to achieve the mission of MamAfrica. This summer I will extended my internship to continue to work on a project, Sauti ya Congo (Voices of Congo), which was started this past summer by another Carolina student, and to assistant in the development of the health initiative. Sauti ya Congo serve as a medium for the women to express their stories and concerns about various societal issues in the DRC and aspirations for themselves and their country.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been in my hometown patiently and anxiously waiting for the day I board the plane to return to the beautiful continent. My days have consisted of lots and lots of sleeping, reading and visiting family (in between my scheduled naps).Being the youngest and the only girl my mother and brothers were wary about my idea to travel to the DRC or what many media outlets call the “worst country to be a woman”. It took a lot of persuasion to convince my mother and brothers to support my decision. However, I was asked hundreds of questions ranging from will I live in a hut to why travel all the way around the world to serve and eradicate oppression when there are problem right here in America. I knew for sure that I would not be living in a hut and I am still working on the answer for the latter question. But one the most interesting questions that I was asked came from my academic advisor. She asked “where did your motivation and dedication come from?”

 I never thought about the origins of my motivation because I have just had a passion to serve. My desire to fight oppression came later in life. But after giving the question much thought I realized that the women in my family and community are my past, present, and future motivation. They, like women worldwide, unselfishly accept various roles without the desire for recognition and for this I understood and respected the strength of women from an early age. However, as I grew older I began to notice more and more contradictions of significance and importance of women and their contributions to society. Nevertheless, I admired women and I aspire to possess the same humility, dedication, and community.   This reason, among others, is why the mission and work of MamAfrica is important to not only me, but all women globally because it has a holistic and multidimensional approach to fostering the empowerment of women in DRC.

             I am beyond grateful and honored to be able to travel to Bukavu to work with MamAfrica because it will allow me to continue to spread and expand the mission of the organization of fostering change and eradicating gender inequality in the Democratic Republic of Congo and worldwide. I am looking forward to being empowered by a community of women with resilient determination and relentless dedication.

            Last but not least, on behalf of MamAfrica’s staff and artisans, I would like to thank you all for the constant love and support that you have given the organization and the cause.  We will be forever grateful. Thank you.