Democratic Republic of the Congo

Help in times of conflict: Women's Groups in North Kivu Project

The problems facing the communities of North Kivu province were immense. Eight years of civil war and long government neglect had left people with few resources or services to help them earn a living. An influx of 700,000 refugees from neighbouring countries strained the already limited food supply, brought disease and depleted fuelwood. While the causes of poverty are complex, sometimes a seemingly small change can make a big difference in people's lives. Two of the most popular elements of the project turned out to be quite simple: goats and stoves.

In countries recovering from conflict, people need immediate help to put more food on the table or to earn money to pay for household expenses. The project made it possible for 4,000 families to tend goats, a money-making activity proposed by local women's organizations. Goats are small, hardy animals. The milk they produce can be transformed into yoghurt or cheese and, in times of crisis, they can be sold to pay for medical supplies or school fees. Classes in literacy and income generation helped the women to learn the basics of starting a business, and a rural finance scheme offered small loans to purchase start-up materials. Other activities were also successful, including palm oil processing and tailoring.

Improved stoves helped to reduce reliance on fuelwood, which was becoming increasingly scarce as trees were stripped to keep up with demand. Women traditionally spent hours collecting wood and then built a fire beneath a pot propped on top of three stones. The new stoves were fashioned from clay, with a small opening to build a fire below and one or more openings above on which to place pots. They burned much less wood and were sturdier, causing fewer accidents. Before long, more than 7,000 families had built close to 10,000 stoves and local artisans began making their own version.

Despite initial reservations about working in a country plagued by civil unrest, the project was a success. With new skills and resources such as access to credit, women in North Kivu are on stronger footing to face the future.

Lessons learned:

Not flexible enough.
The project showed great resilience when civil unrest forced the project to relocate from Goma in the south to Beni in the north. But when the lack of clean drinking water became a problem, rigidity in the project design prevented it from responding.

High cost of conflict.
The absence of local institutions increased the price of coordinating and carrying out the work. Combined with relocation charges, these higher expenses meant management made up 60 per cent of total project costs – more than three times the norm.