Nawamugwaba participates in the demonstration farm activities, and is thankful she received seeds, so that during the dry season she had enough vegetables to eat. |
Speaking to Amani on Skype recently, he shared his own
recent realization of why this work is so close to his heart.
Amani has spent years investing in his childhood community of Mumosho, starting sewing workshops, education assistance programs for kids who can’t afford school, building a Peace Market for the safe and local sales of products and food. “I’m feeling a big difference,” he said, “when I meet children on the street, moms, the elderly. … I believe in the power of women, especially the women of Congo. My mom was left a widow after my dad died (Amani’s father was killed in the conflict in 1996). She was illiterate, but she raised us, she made every effort so that we would have the space for education.
“I shared my experience, my story, with the women [I work with],”
Amani told me. “I see we are doing what
we are doing because I trust the power of women. I trust what I learned from my
mom, when she showed us that she believed, ‘My children are going to remain my
foundation.’”
Amani’s belief in the power of women and education is what
fuels his work in eastern Congo, and what we at Action Kivu work to support.
His mother, who inspired this work, was also killed in the conflict, in
1998. In honor of all she taught him
through her strength and love, he has created a community in Congo where women
are learning entrepreneurial skills like sewing, baking, basket-making, and
literacy training.
We
learned last week that Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebels have declared
a ceasefire after a 20-month rebellion in North
Kivu province to allow peace talks with the government to advance. It’s
a hopeful step. But
only yesterday we read that the fighting rages on, endangering more innocent
civilians. At least 800,000 people have been left homeless since the
conflict started.
NOW is the time to empower women with a voice for peace. Women
in Mumosho stop Amani on the street, telling him they’ve observed their
neighbors who are taking the literacy classes at the Mumosho Women’s
Center. That they see women able to read
and write their own names for the first time, enabling them to vote in their
country’s elections. These women want
that right, too. When they learn to read
and write, they’ll be able to teach their children the value of literacy. And their children will learn, as Amani
learned, that their mothers and aunties are strong, and won’t be stopped in
their work for a better future for their children.
Meet Amani via video: The Enough
Project’s “I Am Congo” Series.
Donate today and partner with the women currently in classes, and help us expand our programs to include more women!
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