A collaborative project by Good Shepherd Restful Waters, Singapore

Good Shepherd Mission Development Office, RomeGood Shepherd International Justice and Peace

Office

Remembering the Forgotten, Giving Hope

Building hope, peace and justice with the artisinal

mining community in Kolwezi

GEOGRAPHY

• Second largest country in Africa by area.

• Population of over 75 million.

• Over 200 ethnic groups.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF

CONGO

Located in the south of Democratic Republic of Congo, Kolwezi is a land rich in precious minerals, including uranium, radium, cobalt and copper. The minerals extracted from the local mines are used

to build computers, cellphones and electronic components.

KOLWEZI

POLITICAL REALITIES• Lack of government

capacity & resources

• Entrenched corruption

• Extensive ‘mafia’ & illegal trade

• Repression of political opponents and outspoken civil society

• Human rights violations by public security

• Culture of impunity & legal failure

POVERTYWidespread poverty

arising from spillover of

ethnic conflict in Rwanda

and civil war between

governmental troops and

rebel groups in Eastern

Congo. The sustained

levels of violence have

caused massive

infrastructural damage,

internal displacement, and

loss of property and lives.

More than 90% die from diseases – malaria, diarrhoea,

pneumonia and malnutrition aggravated by unsanitary and

over-crowded living conditions that lack access to shelter,

water, food and medicine.

47% of those deaths are children under five.

Conflict for control of the mineral wealth is behind some of the

most violent atrocities.

ARTISINAL MINING

The mines in Kolwezi are sources for cobalt, copper and manganese.

• 90% of minerals of DRC are produced by artisanal miners• Employs an estimated 2,000,000 people

Young children and women, some pregnant, work at the

mines. 70% of children work in the polluted river waters.

They are subjected to exploitation with unjust wages,

long work hours, harsh and unsafe work conditions.

Children are born with birth defects and malformations.

Early onset of arthritis, rheumatic disorders, cancer, eye

and respiratory infections.

EXPLOITATION

Most children have

ringworm and lice

in their hair.

Their hands and

feet are ruined by

labour…because

they have to stand

for hours in the water

to clean the

minerals.

THE CHILDREN Children abandoned due to family break down and

inter-ethnic tensions. (45% of children reported that they came

from a single parent/carer household. 5% of children were orphaned.)

Exploitation of child labour (45% of children work in the mines.)

Hunger and malnutrition (15% of children could not recall when

they had their last meal)

High levels of corporal punishment and violence

(70% of children reported being slapped or having something thrown at

them that could have hurt them, 35% of reported that this happened

repeatedly in the last 12 month.)

No Education (None of the children surveyed attended school.)

Limited healthcare (66.6% of children did not go to the hospital

because of the cost.)

Abused due to cultural and traditional practices (High

levels of abuse of children due to witchcraft.)

INFANT MORTALITY

Congo has the world’s second-highest rate of infant mortality (after Chad).

One in five children die before age 5.

One in 30 mothers die at childbirth..

SEXUAL VIOLENCE

AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST

WOMEN Women ages 6 to 80 are victims.

100% of women interviewed reported that they had experienced some form of violence and abuse from an intimate partner during their lifetime.

75% reported sexual violence from an intimate partner.

30% of women reported some form of sexual abuse before the age of 15.

Assistance for victims almost non-existent.

At age 7 she was gang raped and left for dead in the forest. 7

days later, she was found with an injured leg which had to be

amputated.

Now 16 years of age, she is a 3rd grader. Young people up to 21 years of age are still in primary

school.

A STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE

LA CENTRE RATTRAPAGE SCHOLAIRE COMMUNITY BASED PROJECTS

• Informal school for children – holistic formation, feeding programme and care centre.

• Community building - women’s groups, skills and leadership training.

• Advocacy

The Good Shepherd Sisters started an informal school where 600 students flock to each day. A

feeding program offers one meal after class (their only meal each day) - it will expand when more

funds are received.

THE INFORMAL SCHOOL

Crowded classrooms

with no chairs, no

supplies. Most

classrooms have no

electricity.

URGENT NEED FOR

BETTER EQUIPMENT,

FURNITURE AND

FACILITIES

THE CLASSROOM

THE SEWING CENTRE

Located in the Cathedral parish garage

To reach out to teenage girls who live on the streets.

The Centre is severely short of equipment. It needs more equipment to effectively train the girls.

Our teachers are paid US$70 per month while others are paid US$50 per month.

THE GIRLS TELL US

THEIR STORIES

My parents died

in the mines.

My foster family

doesn’t take

care of me. I

have no school

to go to. I eat

sand to fill my

stomach.

My family died in the war. I was left on the street. I never went to school. Now I am learning how to read and write. I am a prostitute. I want to learn how to sew. Please get us sewing machines so we can earn money .

A GIRL’S APPEAL

THE WOMEN’S APPEAL

“Please don’t

leave us.”

“This is the first

time anyone

has listened

to us and told

us our rights.”.

MAJOR FORMS OF VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND NEGLECTHunger – 40% had not eaten in 2 days.

Exploitation of labour – turn to prostitution

Mental stress – overwhelmed by family problems, no

hope of the future and felt alone.

Limited education – 40% had never attended school.

Social vulnerabilities – 25% come from single parent

families; 35% live with extended family, and 5% taken in

by a community member.

NETWORKING AND

COLLABORATION

Because the Police Chief sees that we are helping the people in our area, he has promised us protection. Violence erupts quickly in the area.

INTIMIDATION

Rebels return to the area after fighting and hold themselves out as vigilantes and offer protection for money but …they also intimidate the people.

The River

This river is used for bathing, washing clothes

and bicycles. The water is contaminated thus people have to walk very far to get

potable water.

LAND FOR THE MISSION

The chief of the village, aware that we are helping the poor gave us a plot of farm land to start community

farming and a fish hatchery for youth.

KOLWEZI DREAMS (with the help of the Mission Development

Office, Sisters Funding Seekers, Friends and

Benefactors)

A FIVE YEAR PLAN

Build : Permanent School Center for Women Health Care Services Center Community Garden Fish Hatchery Recreation Center Farm

• Other Projects to

include Human

Rights Advocacy

programme,

Income Generation

programme

HEALTHCARE SERVICE FOR COMMUNITY

Clinic Services and Pharmacy

Personal Hygiene

Health Education/Survey

Counselling and Psychological Support

WOMEN/GIRLS DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

Literacy, numeracy training

Skills training

Education on Human Rights and the Law

Empowerment on Economic Justice

Job Creation

Entrepreneurship

Business Training

SOCIAL WELL-BEING THROUGH

SPORTS AND CULTURE

Engaging and Building Community

Promoting Positive Ethnicity

Promoting Values

Promoting Culture

Developing Talents

FISH HATCHERY AND FARM FOR YOUTHS

Job Creation and Employment

Food Supply and Security

Alternative Economic Sustainability

Economic Justice

Entrepreneurship

Promotion of Savings/

Micro Credit

LONG TERM MISSION

1. Develop a self-sustaining community that is less dependent on the local mining industry for basic needs.

Action: Promote the development of community farming, fish farming and small-scale animal

husbandry.

The sisters have established a vocational training programme for 50 area women.

LONG TERM MISSION

2. Increase child protection.

Action: Establish a viable primary education system that keeps children in the classrooms and out of the mines. Bring basic healthcare services to the region.

The sisters have established an informal school and hopes to expand the informal school with

better facilities, furniture and books.

LONG TERM MISSION 3. Decrease the incidence of gender discrimination

and promote universal human rights including lobbying for strengthened laws to protect women from domestic abuse and rape.

Action: To educate and raise community awareness that discrimination, violence against women, girls and children is a violation of human rights.

Good Shepherd Sisters are engaged with NGO partners in advocating for the elimination of discrimination and violence and abuse of women and girls at national and international level.

LONG TERM MISSION 4. Strengthen community cohesion and demand

greater accountability from the mining industry, which has historically neglected the people of the region.

Action: Community Cohesion in artisinal mining community enable communities’ ability to resolve conflict and strengthen structures and social action is strengthened (Sports activities, Cultural events, civic activities).

Increase understanding of the democratic process through community based civic and citizen education at local level (leadership training, education on rights and democratic processes).

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BEST PRACTICE

Increase capacity of Mission Partners for effective programming to ensure long term sustainability of the Good Shepherd Mission in the DRC

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BEST PRACTICE

Emphasis on Policy and Procedures as well as documenting best practice for learning and reliability across GSS programmes globally

Human Resources - Capacity and capability building - Training and development - Project management - Finance and administration

Advocacy, networking, representation, relationship building

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BEST PRACTICE

OUTCOME

Development of business plans for community based business development

Building a farm co-operative including aquaculture.

Development of business plans for programme sustainability:

Creation of a Programme sustainability Fund:

Farm produce (maize meal) Knitting and sewing enterprise

Small changes are beginning to make a difference and progress can be felt on the ground.

With the assistance of the international donor community, real change is possible.

To donate, please send cheques to:

Good Shepherd Convent Restful Waters

25 Nallur Road

Singapore 456650

THANK YOU!