Few guarantees of rights in Mbuji Mayi and Goma

About two years ago, InteRed, an NGDO run by the Teresian Association, launched a project to support and protect the rights of children in Mbuji Mayi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the end of January, it also launched an urgent appeal in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Goma. Here is an update on the situation in both Congolese regions. 

Project in Mbuji Mayi 

The intervention undertaken in Mbuji Mayi was financed by the Provincial Council of Valladolid. It had the specific objective of improving access to healthcare, education, care and protection for abandoned children, albino children and children living in extreme poverty in this city. A total of 75 boys and 75 girls have benefited from the project. It is being implemented together with the Association des Religieux des Salesienes Don Bosco, a local partner. The project started on 1 January 2023 and will end on 28 February 2025. 

Mbuji Mayi, the capital of the Kasai-Oriental province, currently has a population of around three million. More than 75% of the population are women, youth and children between the ages of 0 and 25. Most of them live in extreme poverty. 

Meanwhile, the economic situation has worsened in recent years because the armed conflict in Kananga (2016-2017), a town near Mbuji Mayi, led to the displacement of thousands of families. Since then, the number of people living in destitution has increased.  

Human rights are limited and in many cases violated. This is why the problem of poverty in Mbuji Mayi is not only due to a lack of material means and social services (almost non-existent), but also because human rights are not guaranteed. 

The social and economic conditions 

The social and economic conditions:

• Limited access to drinking water and electricity. 
• Access to education is restricted, especially for girls (60% illiteracy rate on average). 
• High rates of malnutrition, especially among children. 
• One of the consequences of polygamy in Kasai is that many women are abandoned with their children, without any resources or education.  
• Many children are rejected by their families and accused of being witches or sorcerers. Some are tortured to death. In addition, the high level of mortality, particularly of women in childbirth, leads fathers to seek new partners who in the end mistreat and reject children who are not theirs. Many are abandoned to their fate. There are large numbers of minors on the street, many of whom are involved in prostitution. 

In the Makala neighbourhood, one of the poorest in the city, is the Don Bosco Mbuji Mayi Centre. It is run by our local partner, the Association des Religieux des Salesienes Don Bosco.

Since it began its work in the city more than 20 years ago, it has defended the most fundamental rights of girls and boys. In 2017, it formally opened an infirmary and began to tackle the many cases of child malnutrition. 

Areas of intervention 

Following this brief overview of the situation in Mbuji Mayi, here is a breakdown of the lines of intervention that have been implemented in the project: 

1. Access to medical care and nutrition that is healthy, nourishing and sufficient for abandoned and poverty-stricken albino minors, including breastfeeding babies, in the Makala neighbourhood. 
2. Access to education and proper care for abandoned children who have been placed in the Don Bosco Centre. Here they can thrive in a safe environment. 
3. Raising awareness among families in the Makala neighbourhood of their duty to care for and protect their children in line with children's rights. 

Further information on the Mbuji Mayi project. 

Crisis in Goma 

We in the Teresian Association would also like to raise awareness of the situation that is being experienced in another area of the D.R. Congo which was reported by InteRed at the end of January. We are referring to Goma. Here the humanitarian crisis has reached dramatic levels in recent months. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and are surviving in camps without shelter, food or medical attention. 

For this reason, InteRed has activated its emergency response and has once again made ‘an urgent call to protect people in situations of forced displacement, especially women and children who are extremely vulnerable.’  

In the video you can find more information and ways to collaborate.   

TA Translation Team.
Info IT.