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Our work focuses on the province of South Kivu. In this area, half of the population is under 15 and 34.3% of people cannot read or write.
Many girls and boys do not receive an education; this threatens their psychophysical and cognitive development as well as their prospects for life and future employment. Many girls drop out of school because of high school fees, a lack of motivation, marrying or falling pregnant at a young age, or family obligations. Despite the fact that the Government approved a gradual transition to free primary education in 2010, the minerval (school fee) is still a significant barrier for over 60% of households.
In this area, we collaborate with Foyer Ek’abana. The aim of this centre, founded in 2002, is the rehabilitation, education, and social and professional integration of girls and teenagers who find themselves on the fringes of society for various reasons, including accusations of witchcraft.
Our tireless operators work to welcome and support hundreds of girls and boys who have been forced out of their homes in the city of Bukavu. We strive to provide quality schooling and protection to the most vulnerable children from the city’s poorest districts.
In many cases, access to education can limit the phenomenon of child labour. However, families can often scarce afford to forego the earnings brought in by their children. To deal with this situation, we have launched training courses on income-generating activities and entrepreneurship (sewing, small-scale crop farming, livestock farming, etc.) for teenagers and young women. In addition, we incentivise and support economic growth by providing micro-credits for small-scale business ventures.
We have also begun to work on raising awareness of the problems affecting vulnerable minors in order to foster a culture of solidarity. A key aspect of these awareness initiatives is our Peace Club concept. These are training courses held in schools and aimed at parents; they cover issues such as alcoholism, cults and superstition.
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