Strengthening peace and empowering 75 women in DRC

I. Planning Updates: A Refined Approach Our project stems from a simple observation: in the Ruzizi Plain, women are both the primary victims of major, violent, and collective conflicts, and the invisible pillars of community resilience. Our initial planning has been enhanced to better address this reality. Key Strategic Adjustments: 1. From "Women's Group" to "Midwives' Council for Peace": o Update: We will structure the group of 75 beneficiaries into a network of "Community Peace Advisors." Each woman will be trained not only in an income-generating activity (IGA), but also in gender-sensitive mediation, advocacy, and the early detection of signs of violence. o Rationale: This transforms their role from passive beneficiaries into recognized peace agents, giving them the legitimacy to intervene in resolving family and community disputes. 2. Linking Economic Empowerment and Social Cohesion: o Update: Income-Generating Activities (IGAs) (market gardening, small-scale livestock farming, processing) are designed through "peace partnerships." We deliberately paired women from groups or neighborhoods that had been in conflict to manage the same activity (e.g., a cooperative chicken coop). o Rationale: Economic cooperation becomes a powerful tool for practical reconciliation. Success depends on their ability to collaborate, thus creating a common interest that transcends past divisions. 3. Creation of Multifunctional "Safe Spaces": o Update: Three community houses (Kiliba, Sange, and Luvungi) now serve as venues for training, discussion and psychosocial healing sessions, and collective sales outlets for their products. o Rationale: These spaces physically embody their autonomy and safety, offering refuge and a platform for action outside of traditional spheres often dominated by men. II. A Heartwarming Anecdote: The Reconciliation Chicken Coop in Sange I would like to tell you the story of Mama Meta Kahindo and Mama Mado Narukundo. One is from an indigenous Bafuliru community, the other from a Banyamulenge community displaced by violence. For years, they didn't speak to each other, harboring a mistrust inherited from conflicts that were beyond their control. During our workshops on "memory and forgiveness," a painful truth emerged: each had lost a brother in intercommunal clashes. Pain was a mirror. In a moment of rare humanity, they recognized each other not as enemies, but as widows of the same senseless war. Today, they are both mediators in our Super Peace Court in the Uvira territory. Our proposal is to set up a cooperative chicken coop. Building the small enclosure will be the first technical challenge we will tackle together. The day they join the first chicks will be like a shared promise to life. The "Two Mothers' Chicken Coop" will be much more than a source of income. It's a local symbol. Their work: They will sell eggs and chickens. Part of the profits will be set aside in a "peace solidarity fund" to help other women in conflict start small businesses. Their impact as beneficiaries turned agents of change: They will now be called upon to ease tensions in the local market. People will listen to them. Their story will be a tangible example of successful reconciliation through work, which will lend immense credibility to their words. They are natural mediators, proving that women's economic empowerment, when linked to relational justice, is a powerful fuel for lasting peace. III. Perspectives and Vigilance Next Step: Organize a "Caravan of Products of Peace" where women from the network will exhibit and sell their harvests and crafts in various markets across the plain, accompanied by messages of social cohesion. Challenge: Social pressure and resistance from some traditional leaders to this new visibility and authority of women necessitate ongoing advocacy and dialogue. Resilience: We are witnessing an organic solidarity emerging within the network. Faced with a threat of illegal taxation by a group, the 75 women will consult with one another and mount a collective and peaceful resistance, thwarting the attempt. Their unity is their strength. Conclusion: These 75 women will not simply be trained or funded. They will be equipped, connected, and legitimized. Through their combined economic activities and courageous voices, they will weave a new social fabric in the Ruzizi Plain and in the Uvira municipality. Their empowerment is the foundation of a peace that has a face A voice and a chicken coop. They embody the principle that peace, to be lasting, must also nourish the body and liberate speech. ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN WITHIN FOCHI. The Chirezi Foundation (FOCHI) is a Congolese NGO founded in 2002 and formally established in 2003. FOCHI has been recognized by the Ministry of Justice since 2003 under registration number JUST GS112/S-KV/1454/2003. Based in Uvira, it currently works in the city and territories of Uvira, Fizi, and Walungu, in the province of South Kivu. FOCHI is a grassroots initiative that aims to improve the lives of war orphans and former child soldiers through education; to support the healing process of women who are victims of sexual violence; to initiate community projects; and to support conflict resolution at the community and regional levels. As part of its Peacebuilding efforts, FOCHI currently organizes three Super Peace Courses with 30 community mediators to resolve major, collective, and community conflicts. It should be noted that disputes are resolved at the level of these peace courses (38 villages). In addition to conflict management and economic recovery and/or women's economic empowerment, FOCHI is establishing 44 small Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) with 1,100 members and 24 other existing federated associations with 600 members in three Super SLAs. A new federation (Super SLA) will soon be established in Sange, with 500 members, most of whom will be women. Alongside these Super SLAs, there are also solidarity-based groups comprised of most secondary school teachers. FOCHI has also created nursery, primary, and secondary schools for orphans. It has 38 peace courts (Barazas), including women's courts. FOCHI has a national coordination office headquartered in Uvira, in the Kavimvira neighborhood, Nyangara Avenue, No. 10 Kilomoni. The FOCHI team has extensive experience in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, as well as in economic recovery (women's empowerment). Its staff have received intensive training in peacebuilding and management, conflict transformation, and VSLA (Village Savings and Loan Associations) and community development loan schemes.