Strengthening Congolese youth through agriculture and agro-ecological entrepreneurship in Kivu
Eastern Congo has been in the grip of armed conflict for decades, with different military groups fighting each other. Youth unemployment is also high, making them vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, exploitation, drug use and crime. However, Congolese youth are bursting with talent and have the potential to contribute actively to the human, economic and social development of their country, if only they are given the opportunities to do so.
Our partnership
KIYO and ADED have been partners since 2017. We learn from each other's work with young people, as well as from other KIYO partners through the global KIYO programme. In the DGD 2022-2026 programme, together we will focus on:
- Strengthening the climate resilience of young farmers in North and South Kivu through the project ‘Mazingira, maisha yetu’ or in English ‘The environment, our life’, funded by the Flemish government through the Flemish International Climate Action Programme / G-STIC.
- Making agriculture attractive again as a decent and sustainable source of income for young people, especially girls. ADED trains young people in agro-ecological farming techniques and facilitates their access to employment and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector through the creation of savings and credit groups and agricultural cooperatives.
- Convince political decision-makers to recognise women's access to land as a fundamental right, since girls cannot inherit agricultural land according to local traditions.
- Make young people aware of their rights and develop life skills such as critical thinking, self-esteem, teamwork and conflict resolution, which will help them to become active global citizens.
With our joint programme, we are working on two of our four areas of empowerment:
