On International Women’s Day (IWD), COFAPRI members join the women of the whole world in celebrating this great event, as part of the Join Women on the Bridge campaign.
As there was no bridge around in the area, the women and men members of COFAPRI stood in a circle hand-in-hand, as a sign of peace, unity, and breaking discrimination that is often directed to women and their daughters.
Nyota told us that a majority of women in her area are widows because their husbands were killed during the wars.
This drove them to sell their bodies so that they could support their orphans. Once the husband is killed, the husband’s family members do not support the widow. They leave her alone with her children, and sometimes, she is chased away from the husband’s family; thus, everything the husband gave her: land, animals, clothes, etc. is taken from her.
These women now are suffering a lot, and some were again raped by militants….
Over the past few months, we have learned from our volunteers in the field that our members are growing in number.
Now, COFAPRI is working with more than 200 members. The majority of them are women and girls, and currently their residence covers 15 villages.
We are really motivated with such a progress, which shows COFAPRI members are committed to change their future into a bright one, where they will be able to educate their children.
Safe World Field Partner, COFAPRI, continues to expand its outreach work into new areas of DR Congo.
Founder, Mugisho Theophile, explains that the NGO’s success is do to the interest that women and girls are expressing toward our activities of supporting women victims of domestic violence and those who were victims of war violence.
Many of these women were raped and physically and emotionally injured…
“I will do everything I can to offer you my confidence and willingness to promote this project — and help you spread the word throughout my friends; but this is not an easy task because we men are the ones who discriminate these women,”
Report by Safeworld’s correspondent on the ground in DR Congo, Mugisho Theophile.
“Recently, I heard that our women’s group had been looted, my old school in Mulende Village had been ransacked and that a man had been kidnapped.
The bandits carried guns and hid their faces. One thing for sure was their brutality…”
