CONTEXT
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and is one of the poorest countries in the world, falling in the bottom ten countries on the Human Development Index. In the DRC, food insecurity and malnutrition are the consequences of a complex web of factors, including insecurity and lack of economic opportunities with armed conflict and widespread displacement prevailing for the past 25 years. In addition to the millions of internally displaced people, the country also hosts about 527,000 refugees, mainly from Rwanda, Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The education system is plagued by low coverage and poor quality. Today almost 7 million children aged 5-17 are out of school. Poverty is a major barrier to education as parents in DRC carry the burden of direct education costs, contributing $2 for every $1 the Government invests in elementary schooling. In addition, there are entrenched socio-cultural barriers to education and other vulnerabilities such as child labor, early and forced marriage, early pregnancy and disability.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
Through our subsidiary Children in Crisis and its local partner Ebenezer Ministry International (EMI), we have been working in the remote, conflict-affected High Plateau regions of Uvira, Mwenga and Fizi in South Kivu since 2007, revitalizing the education system and improving communities’ ability to support their families and their children’s education.
Our integrated approach includes school construction and rehabilitation, teacher training, school quality management, parental engagement, removing economic barriers to education through various livelihoods programs and tackling social and cultural barriers that prevent the most marginalized children from receiving a quality education.
TEACHER TRAINING AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Together Street Child and EMI have successfully trained 2,180 elementary and high school teachers in 353 schools, improving the quality of education for 69,000 South Kivu children. Through the creation of 225 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), we have supported the enrolment and retention in school of around 19,000 children and contributed to the economic empowerment of 7,500 households. We have also transformed 24 elementary schools and four high schools into high quality learning environments.
We will soon be launching a pilot of our Family Business for Education model with 50 caregivers and will support others with equipment grants to start or grow a small business. We will also use this model to support the reintegration of out-of-school children - including street-connected children - to education.
EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES
Lusenda refugee camp houses approximately 33,500 Burundian refugees who fled the 2015 political crisis in Burundi. To support them, we have trained high school teachers and provided teaching materials, student kits and uniforms. We have also engaged the most vulnerable young refugee women in a social enterprise program which focuses on the manufacturing of reusable sanitary towels and soap-making, to help tackle the dual problems of a lack of available economic opportunities and period poverty in the camp.
CHAMPIONING LOCAL ACTORS
Street Child supported local organizations such as EMI to be at the forefront of COVID-19 prevention efforts. EMI have to date installed 105 handwashing stations and trained community volunteers to deliver life-saving messages about COVID-19 hygiene and prevention to more than 200,000 people on the High Plateau. At the same time, in the town of Uvira, they were among the first on the ground to respond to devastating floods which left 70,000 displaced in April 2020. Partnerships with other local organizations are building child protection programs, meeting the basic food and hygiene needs of street-connected children, and delivering mental health support.