To begin this report, we want to thank all the people, organizations, friends and acquaintances that have accompanied us, from far and near, financially, materially or morally, for the realization of the mission of the Kitumaini Centre.

This report summarizes the activities carried out throughout 2019.

Agriculture

50 women benefited from hoes in 2019 to b to work we able to work well in their fields. This took place in February: 50 women from the associations of Katana and Cireja were selected to benefit from these hoes. Without any hoe or with worn hoes, they could no longer work properly in their fields or in community fields.

15 sprayers were made available to 105 tomato producers in 3 associations. 100 bags of Macozembe and other phytosanitary products have also been made available to 200 tomato growers to deal with the problems of bacteria that attack tomatoes and to prevent them from losing all the production of their fields due to lack of phytosanitary products. 95% of the farmers managed to save their production thanks to this intervention.

Training

Several training sessions, in groups of 40 to 50 people, were carried out to explain the use of sprayers, the amount of water and product to mix, the right time to care for the plants, how to clean and maintain the sprayer after use, etc. The sessions were held indoors and in the fields for practice. A total of 200 farmers benefited from these trainings. 

Hundreds of women have received training on the importance of row sowing, the choice of good seeds, the use and manufacture of organic composts accessible in our environment, the choice of crops to combine in the fields in link with the importance of each in the soil: for example, the soybean and corn semi in the same field or the mixed cultivation of corn and sunflower or cassava.

Women also received training on the importance of choosing crops such as legumes, in relation to the need for consumption in their environment and their nutrient intake to fight malnutrition. The women were able to discover the richness in protein of soybeans and pigweeds to fight against malnutrition very acute in families.

Children from the Umoja / Scuola di Pietro School Group learned how to prepare the ground for sowing and for planting cabbage.

Nutrition

89 severely malnourished children have benefited from the nutritional supplementation program: this program works with groups of around 30 children for 6 months. 95% of these children recovered and many of them, who could not stand or walk, started walking without help or support. Sadly, we had to face a very complicated health deterioration of a child who finally died.

8 March Event

It has been a tradition for ten years now: all the women of the various associations and of the surrounding areas come together to commemorate the International Women's Day. This year too, hundreds of women victims of rape and sexual violence commemorated this day together. This allowed the women of the different associations supervised by the Kitumaini Centre to meet and to talk about their lived stories, their future or their daily problems. They organize childhood games, skits, and dances... The AFDI delegation from Pays de Loire took part with the women at this celebration.

Health

With the Kitumaini Centre mobile clinic, in 2019, 90 women were visited by our doctor for ambulatory care, 5 women were transferred to the Panzi main hospital for appropriate care (case Prolapse, surgery, etc.).

The leaders of the Kitumaini Centre to deal with Ebola carried out awareness sessions with groups of women or children at the Umoja school or at home. This disease scares everyone in eastern DRC, especially in South Kivu, near North Kivu where Ebola has killed many people. The message consists of informing children, women and others, of preventive measures such as washing hands with soap, zander or a few leaves used as a disinfectant, symptoms of Ebola disease, modes of contamination, prohibiting children from eating dead birds with unknown origin, etc. 230 children and 600 women benefited from these awareness sessions.

Small buckets and cans of water have been installed at the various places where women meet, at school, at the Kitumaini nutrition centre, etc. Children from the Umoja / Scuola di Pietro school group, victims of a grenade explosion, were hospitalized and treated with our support.

A group of 15 women from 5 associations received specific training on group management and women’s empowerment. This training was organized with the support of AFDI Pays de la Loire for 20 days.

Education

During this year, 85 pupils were enrolled in different schools in the city of Bukavu and its outskirts. In the Kavumu village, 203 children studied at the Umoja / Scuola di Pietro school. All these children, whether in the city or in the village, are orphaned, vulnerable or born of rape children.

Visits

In 2019, we received several visits, in particular: the AFDI Pays de la Loire French delegation, Silvie Paar (Maison Caviar), Asha Mudemba, 2 Italian delegations, farmers on the one hand and also young people who have supported the activities of the Kitumaini Centre for many years, etc.

Prospectives for 2020

• Continuation of the construction of the school with new classrooms
• Training of 30 women in agricultural techniques to allow the accompaniment of about 800 women in the field
• Training of women in permaculture and manufacture of improved kitchens to face the climate problem and reduce the consumption of firewood
• Organization of training sessions on communication within a group and on self-knowledge
• Organization of Peace Circles to help women support themselves and change their living environment, starting with their own change
• Supervision of children through schooling and nutrition for malnourished children: activities to be continued in 2020
• Learning manual crafts for young unmarried mothers: cutting and sewing, embroidery, soap making, etc.
• Awareness-raising literacy: it is an activity in great demand by hundreds of women and young ladies who do not read nor write. This is part of the priorities for the activities of 2020.