Literacy & Vocational Skills Training for Disadvantaged Women Fizi District, South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo End-of-Project Report Background Feed the Minds has been working in partnership with a grassroots organisation, Femmes et Education des Adultes (FEDA), to promote female literacy and empower women in a part of the Democratic Republic of Congo which has been badly affected by conflict. We aimed to: establish literacy and resource centres in three villages (Buma, Kibanga and Nguma) train 12 literacy facilitators (four from each village) to integrate vocational training and teaching on conflict resolution into adult literacy provision develop learning materials to meet the needs of women in the target area improve the literacy and vocational skills of 180 girls and women aged 15 to 45 The Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission made a grant of 9,668 in support of this project in February 2012. This report describes the activities we carried out and the challenges we encountered during the last six months of the project and assesses the extent to which we had achieved the desired outcomes by the end of the project term. Activities The following activities were carried out as planned in the last six months of the project. Supplying Materials to Literacy & Resource Centres Additional copies of books and other materials, including the Swahili version of Feed the Minds storytelling booklet (a tool for promoting peace and literacy which FEDA helped to develop), were distributed to the literacy and resource centres during the summer. Running Literacy Classes Literacy classes ran in the three target villages throughout the reporting period. 106 learners (102 women and 4 men) attended these classes. 42 of them had begun attending classes in the first six months of the project and were continuing their studies in order to achieve their literacy targets; 64 of them were attending classes for the first time. Running Vocational Training Sessions Vocational training sessions ran in the three target villages throughout the reporting period. The 106 learners attending literacy classes during this period participated in these sessions alongside 12 others (5 women and 7 men) whose involvement in the project was limited to vocational training. The total number of vocational training participants was therefore 118 (107 women and 11 men). 46 participants received training in arable farming; 73 participants received training in soap-making.
We did not provide training in animal husbandry or tailoring during the last six months of the project, as the final group of vocational training participants did not express much interest in these activities. By focusing on arable farming and soap-making, activities in which the participants were interested, we were able to make the best possible use of the resources available to us and ensure that all those participating in the training learned skills which would be practical benefit to them. Carrying Out Evaluations An evaluation team (comprising representatives of FEDA, community leaders, the facilitators responsible for implementing the project at village level, literacy class attendees and vocational training participants) visited each of the three literacy centres in the penultimate month of the project. During these visits the team assessed the progress the beneficiaries had made in reading, writing, arithmetic and vocational skills and evaluated the overall impact of the project. Organising Appreciation Ceremonies FEDA organised an appreciation ceremony in each village to mark the end of the project. Everyone who had been involved in the project (including FEDA staff members, facilitators, and both current and former learners) participated in the ceremonies; many other local people (including church and community leaders and learners family members, friends and neighbours) were invited to attend. During each ceremony, facilitators and community leaders gave presentations, explaining why the project had been necessary and how it had benefitted the community, and learners told their stories, explaining how the project had made a difference to their lives. T-shirts bearing the message: Education: A Tool for Transformation were distributed free of charge to attendees at the appreciation ceremonies. The cost of printing these T- shirts was covered by contributions from the local community. This indicates how wellreceived the project was; people in the villages benefitting from the project recognised its value to their communities and offered us both moral and financial support. Challenges The literacy classes and vocational training sessions continued to be affected by conflict. There was a period of fierce fighting in North Kivu and South Kivu towards the end of 2012 and the poor security situation meant that classes and training sessions could not always go ahead as planned. We responded to this by increasing the frequency of classes and training sessions from twice a week to three times a week. The extra hours of support offered to learners in those weeks when it was possible to hold classes and training sessions compensated for the hours lost in those weeks when it was not possible to do so. Consequently, all learners were able to achieve their targets.
Impact The objectives of the project were: to establish literacy and resource centres in three villages (Buma, Kibanga and Nguma) to train 12 literacy facilitators (four from each village) to integrate vocational training and teaching on conflict resolution into adult literacy provision to develop learning materials to meet the needs of women in the target area to improve the literacy and vocational skills of 180 girls and women aged 15 to 45 We achieved all these objectives and greatly exceeded the target number of beneficiaries. We have established literacy and resource centres in Buma, Kibanga and Nguma, resourced these centres, trained 12 facilitators to run literacy classes and vocational training sessions and helped develop learning materials which are appropriate for and useful to women in South Kivu because they are in the local language (Swahili) and address local concerns (most notably conflict resolution). As a result it has been possible for us to offer literacy teaching and vocational training to almost twice as many people as we had planned. Over the course of the project, a total of 288 people participated in the literacy classes and 324 participated in the vocational training. In other words, we exceeded our target of 180 beneficiaries by 144. There were some men among the beneficiaries, but they were greatly outnumbered by members of the target beneficiary group: girls and women. It was hoped that the project would also achieve the following outcomes. Community members value education more highly than before and recognise the importance of educating women and girls. Women have greater self-confidence and are empowered to take charge of their lives: to support themselves financially, stand up for their rights and contribute to the economic and social development of their community. Community members recognise the economic and social contribution women make to their families and communities and are supportive of women s activities. Women have greater understanding of family planning and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS. Empowerment and knowledge result in a reduction in the number of girls and women participating in risky sexual behaviour. Women have interpersonal skills they can use to resolve conflicts in their family and in the community. We achieved each of these outcomes to some extent and the indications are that progress in each of these areas will continue beyond the end of the project term.
Valuing Education Both the consultation meetings held at the start of the project and the appreciation ceremonies held at the end of the project served to raise awareness of the importance of education for all throughout the community in each of the target villages. As the project progressed, our message that literacy skills enable men and women to change their lives for the better was increasingly supported by evidence: positive changes in participants lives which others in the community could not help but notice. The project was well-received and brought about a shift in attitudes towards education by demonstrating both that adults could learn to read and write and that educating women brings demonstrable benefits to the community. The women who participated in the project have become powerful advocates for adult literacy and female education. They will continue to share their testimonies and encourage others to learn to read and write. Empowering Women The women who participated in the project have found the confidence to play an active role in business and community affairs. Some have formed self-help groups in order to support one another s income-generating activities and offer help to women who are suffering from domestic violence or neglect; some have begun to attend public meetings and take part in community decision-making; some have become community leaders. Valuing Women s Contribution to Society As the women who participated in the project have become active outside their homes, using their newly-developed literacy and vocational skills to engage in trade and their new-found confidence to address social problems or give their opinion on matters affecting them and others in their villages, the community has become more accustomed to and more accepting of a female presence in the public sphere. Women s businesses are thriving and some women have assumed positions of leadership in the community. Understanding Health Issues The women who participated in the project have increased their understanding of family planning and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS, as these were discussed during the literacy classes. They will be able to further increase their knowledge of health-related matters as they now have the literacy skills necessary to read posters bearing health messages or instructions on medicine packaging and the confidence to ask questions of medical professionals. Moreover, they and their neighbours can refer to the books and pamphlets on health topics which are available in each literacy centre. Reducing Risky Sexual Behaviour Now that the women who participated in the project are aware of the risk of contracting HIV/AIDs or other sexually transmitted diseases through unprotected sex, have become more confident and have achieved a degree of economic independence, they are less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour. They will feel able to insist on the use of condoms and they will be able to support themselves without resorting to prostitution. Resolving Conflict Discussions on the theme of conflict resolution were integrated into the literacy programme and the women who participated in the project have developed interpersonal skills which will help them to resolve conflicts in their family and the community. The reductions in financial pressure on families and inequality between men and women which can be attributed to the project are also likely to reduce the incidence of conflict.
I am now speaking out. Cecilia Sungura 46-year-old Cecilia Sungura is a subsistence farmer. She and her husband, who earns a living from farming and fishing, have four children. Cecilia s main reason for becoming involved in the project was a desire to improve her position in her family and community. She realised that her lack of literacy skills was holding her back preventing her from standing up for her rights and participating fully in community affairs so she was grateful for the opportunity to attend literacy classes. Cecilia s story shows how literacy can lead to social empowerment. I did not attend school at all. My family were farmers and they lived in a very remote rural area. The nearest village with a primary school was 23km away so it was not practical for me to attend. I was forcibly married and my husband is a very violent man. I was living under subordination until I decided to join the literacy classes and get writing and reading skills. Once I had done this, I was able to gain access to many meetings and development discussions where writing and reading skills were demanded. I was elected Chairwoman of the village despite the opposition of my husband. I am now leading the village, representing women in decision-making and attending many leaders meetings. I am now speaking out about discrimination and abuses against women and am involved in settling many domestic and community conflicts. Cecilia hopes to benefit from the project economically as well as socially. She has taken part in soap-making training and expects to see her income increase as a result. I am now free from neglect. Fitina Amuri 39-year-old Fitina Amuri is a subsistence farmer. She and her husband, who manages a small business, have no children. Fitina seized the chance to take part in literacy classes and vocational training because her husband was not supporting her and she lacked the means to support herself. Fitina s story shows how vocational skills can lead to economic empowerment. My husband has more than one wife. I am his first wife. He decided to marry a second wife because I had not given him any children. This was disastrous for me. My husband ceased to support me when he got a child by his second wife. I was growing crops to survive, but I could not earn enough from my crops to meet all my needs. On joining the FEDA programme, I learned many things: reading, writing and calculation skills as well as soap-making. I am now making soaps and earning enough money to finance my life. I am now free from neglect. Fitina hopes to help a friend who is not properly supported by her husband to access vocational training and achieve financial independence as she has done.