What are our areas of expertise?
WP DRC focuses its efforts on four key areas that are essential to the empowerment of women and girls
Women's Financial Empowerment
Investing in the economic empowerment of women and girls is the surest path to gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth. Women and girls make an enormous contribution to the economy, whether within businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or through their unpaid work at home, where they care for their families.
WOMAN POWER DRC continues to advocate for the empowerment of women and girls through the establishment of Village Savings and Credit Groups (AVECs) and income-generating activities (IGAs) to ensure that women become practically self-reliant and contribute to the socio-economic development of their households and communities.
In the City of Goma and Nyiragongo Territory, WP DRC currently has 12 AVECs, including 6 in Goma, each comprising 30 women, for a total of 360 women who meet weekly to contribute shares (3,000 FC) and support one another. Within these groups, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence have taken root, especially as they share both joys and sorrows.
Political Participation of Women and Youth
The issue of women’s and girls’ political participation has long been a focus of attention at both the international and national levels. It is worth noting that as early as 1979, with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), measures were taken to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, before the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action established strategic objectives regarding women’s political participation.
In the DRC, and more specifically in North Kivu Province, some Congolese women are emerging in various sectors of public life; despite their skills, they are often subjected to discrimination within decision-making institutions. Whether in politics, private enterprises, or public institutions, it is generally men who hold key positions; yet in the entrepreneurship sector, for example, some women have demonstrated their capabilities as effective managers, and the key question remains how to promote women’s leadership
and the participation of Congolese women in decision-making
Sexual and reproductive health.
For more than two decades, the DRC—and particularly North Kivu Province—has been plagued by armed conflict, the most recent of which involves violent clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the M23. These wars have caused widespread population displacement, leading to numerous human rights violations and disruptions to social and family norms that profoundly alter sexual behavior.
Women and girls, in particular, face increased vulnerability and are often forced to engage in unprotected sex to meet their basic needs, with consequences such as sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies, among others.
WP DRC, an organization dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of women and girls in the DRC, conducts community awareness campaigns to promote sexual and reproductive health within various communities. The goal is to better inform community members about the importance of sexual and reproductive health and to help communities overcome the various barriers they face in accessing healthcare.
Gender-based violence
The situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is deeply concerning, particularly for women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by the ongoing armed conflict. These conflicts have led to—and continue to lead to—increased human rights violations and sexual and gender-based violence, with women and girls increasingly falling victim to such abuses.
Beyond that, there are also discriminatory practices and regressive customs that continue to tarnish the image of women and girls in certain communities.
To address all these challenges, WP DRC conducts community awareness campaigns on GBV, the prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation, by leveraging the “Ja Masculinity” approach, hosting radio programs, and conducting online awareness campaigns, among other initiatives. Beyond these actions, WP DRC has defined numerous other strategies to address sexual and gender-based violence by establishing youth clubs to combat sexual and gender-based violence (CJE) in three secondary schools, as well as six men’s clubs committed to positive masculinity in the communities.
Women First
Let’s help support marginalized women and girls and build a fair future together
The more avenues for action are discovered, the more women free themselves from their old complexes and rid their minds of guilt, thereby gaining the right to empowerment and freedom of expression.