Teach 4200 women in the Congo (DRC) basic literacy

Meet the Tuhimizane/Kasheke Women's Group, a class of 20 women participating in WfWI's training program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over the course of the year-long training program with WfWI, the women will receive training in basic numeracy and literacy skills, health education, rights awareness, business skill training and specific vocational skills.

Tuhimizane women group live at Kasheke district in the surrounding of Bukavu town.  This group was selected from a vulnerable district after a community assessment conducted by the sponsorship team.  People from this district have no source of income; they are unemployed and live on carrying loads either in the market or at the beach.  Only a small number of women do small trade with a very little capital. 

This group is composed of 20 women who wanted to create a women’s network in order to develop friendship.  Tuhimizane is a Swahili name which means let’s awake awareness of each other.  These women justified the choice of this name saying that alone, one easily forgets or her duties but if there is somebody to awake the conscious, one takes courage and may evolves in whatever she undertakes. 

Despite the hard situation within their households, the women are moving forward.  Read on for stories of a few of the group's participants.

Byamungu, Aimerance,a married mother of a 4 years boy sells fresh milk with a capital of $10. Before joining the program, she used to do business without any calculation.  After receiving the business related topics, she now has the notions of profit and loss.  Thanks to these notions, her capital increased to $30.  Now she easily pays her monthly rent, feeds her family and meets her other family needs.

Gisele M’kazige is married to a husband who left her since 3 years now and he went to live at Burega, a village located at 300 kms drive from her location.  Gisele sells sorghum flour with a capital which increased from $10 to $20 after she got enrolled to the sponsorship program and received the business related topics.   Gisele declares that despite the absence of her husband, she tries to meet her family needs of which food, the $8 of monthly rent and other basic needs. 

Chantal Nawezsa M’buhendwa is a married mother of 5 children of whom 3 go to school. Her husband sells small items at Walikale in a different province in North Kivu.  She used to borrow money in order to sell palm nuts with a capital of $10 and could only take the profit and give back the capital.  Thanks to her monthly sponsorship funds, she has her own capital of $30.  She is now working for herself and takes care of her family peacefully.