USAID/OTI DRC Field Report
December 2004
Program Description
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The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) helps stabilize and revitalize war-torn communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by facilitating community-level reintegration of war-affected youth and increasing broad awareness of key transition issues. OTI’s objectives are achieved through its Synergie d'Education Communautaire et d'Appui à la transition (SE*CA, pronounced “C’est ça!”) program. The program, implemented by Chemonics, focuses on community reintegration and revitalization and consists of: basic life skills and vocational training (Youth Education and Skills/YES) provided by Master Trainers (MTs); community-driven small grants to participating communities, providing a chance to put learned skills into practice; and TAP (Transition Awareness and Participation) grants intended to reinforce YES messages through media-focused activities such as information campaigns. OTI also supports the Switzerland-based Fondation Hirondelle, in collaboration with the United Nations Mission in the Congo (MONUC), in a project aimed at strengthening Radio Okapi (a network of community radio stations providing key information to target populations) and improving the professional capacity of indigenous community radio stations.
Country Situation
Security – As the month began, the security and humanitarian situation in eastern Congo continued tense, in the face of threats from the Rwandan government to send troops to oust Hutu rebels remaining in the DRC. The UN and international donors called upon Rwanda to pursue diplomatic rather than violent means to resolve its problem. When international donors agreed to ensure that armed Hutu extremists would be demobilized/disarmed, Rwanda softened its aggressive stance, defusing the immediate threat. However, fighting continued in North Kivu province between factions of the national army allied with the DRC government and elements sympathetic to Rwanda. Tens of thousands of people were displaced as a result of the fighting.
Although the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) announced on December 22 that it would deploy peacekeepers to create a ten-kilometer buffer zone to separate the two groups, many residents are still afraid to return to their homes. Humanitarian organizations are expressing concern that a lack of security and access are undermining their abilities to provide needed emergency assistance. Rumors also persist that Rwandan troops were already – and remain – in eastern DRC; MONUC has stated that it is convinced that Rwandan troops did indeed enter the country, while Rwanda denies this. During December, students in Kisangani, Goma and Bukavu towns led demonstrations denouncing Rwanda’s declared aggression. At the end of the month, following the creation of the buffer zone and some changes in the local military command structure imposed by the DRC government, the situation had improved but remained unstable.
Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) –
During December, MONUC soldiers entered and dismantled several camps populated by armed rebel militias in areas of the Ituri district of Province Orientale in an effort to address reports of attacks on civilians and the torture and murder of soldiers attempting to be demobilized and reintegrated through the Demoblization and Reintegration (DRC) program for ex-combatants in the Ituri region. These MONUC initiated operations are sending a new signal to militias that impunity is no longer the rule and MONUC reported that local residents, who have long suffered from harassment by these groups, have welcomed the intervention. Voluntary enrollment in the DRC program has been lower than expected since its inception, in part because of the fear of reprisals from recalcitrant militia groups. However, the numbers of soldiers traveling to enroll in the program increased noticeably following MONUC’s actions.
Transitional Government and Elections –
The December 2002 peace agreement calls for national elections to be held by June 2005 (although it also contains provisions for two six-month delays). In December, President Kabila ratified the Voter Registration Law, an important step in advancing election preparations. For example, the law bars military and police from voting and makes voting mandatory for all other citizens. However, inter-party disputes on key issues as well as continued instability in the east continue to negatively affect progress on elections and other aspects of the transition.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
During December, SE*CA inaugurated four community rehabilitation projects in Kisanagani: two rehabilitated schools; one rehabilitated market; and the rehabilitation of the train connecting Kisangani and Ubundu, which completes the transport route between Kindu and Kisangani. The USAID Mission Director and U.S. Ambassador participated in these high-profile events, which received extensive local media coverage and, in the case of the railway and market projects, national level attention as well. By all accounts, the inaugurations were a great success and helped demonstrate the important contribution that the SE*CA program is making to communities in transition. Representatives from USAID’s Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) in Washington also visited program activities and visited participating communities in Province Orientale.
Also this month, the program conducted monitoring activities to assess program progress to date. An impact assessment survey was carried out in Kisangani and Bunia and a similar exercise will be carried out in Kindu in early 2005. The exercise provided an opportunity to hear from participants, learning facilitators and management committees on the YES training program and the effectiveness of the training materials being used by SE*CA staff.
SE*CA Master Trainers (MTs) also conducted monitoring and evaluation visits to assess the work of local learning facilitators trained by the SE*CA program to replicate training modules in their communities. MTs reported that in almost all cases, the learning facilitators have delivered the trainings as envisioned. Classrooms were filled with men and women participants, with youth accounting for over 60 percent. Participants reported that they were proud to have been selected for the training and were actively engaged in discussions.
In Kisangani, four YES training modules have been completed. Participant attendance rates in the YES training modules remain high in that 80 percent of the participants in Kisanagani who took part in the first module were still attending by the fourth module.
On December 11, The Tooz Goal Theater Company delivered its third free play. The Kisangani performance, which addressed issues related to good governance, was well attended and enthusiastically received by more than 600 people, primarily war-affected youth. OTI-supported radio programs (three per week on four local radio stations), and TV programs (three times per week on two TV stations) focusing on “Congolese: Your Conscience For Your Country” and “Good Governance” also continued in Kisangani.
B. Grant Activity Summary
| Support the reintegration process between war-affected youth and their host communities. |
$72,189 |
$ 731,829 |
7 |
20 |
| Reinforce awareness to foster community participation on issues key to the transitional process. |
$ 3,450 |
$ 592,216 |
1 |
27 |
| Total |
$75,639 |
$1,324,045 |
8 |
47 |
Eight new grants were cleared in December: four community rehabilitation grants for palm oil presses, which will help support agricultural sector capacity building in communities in Maniema Province; three grants to support local YES learning facilitators replicating training modules in their communities; and one to strengthen the capacity of an internet centre managed by a local NGO in Kindu (Maniema Province). By providing local residents in this remote area with improved access to the internet, the grant not only helps facilitate citizen participation in the transition process, but will also help SE*CA disseminate information regarding its sensitization activities in the ‘forgotten province.’
C. Indicator of Success
During November and December, a busy time of year for farmers preparing land for agricultural activities, most participants continued to attend the YES training workshops, arranging with neighbors or family members to assist with duties on their farms. Participants stated that the training they were receiving – particularly the Agriculture module being offered at the time – was a high priority for them.
In Kisangani, following the inauguration of the rehabilitated Tshopo market, local authorities tried to block some local women from returning. SE*CA staff worked successfully with the Vice Governor to ensure that the women could move into the new market without harassment. The women are now safely installed in their new, vastly improved place of commerce.
SE*CA staff visited the Muanda community radio station after its journalists received training through the Partner Radio Network. As a result of the training, team members are now meeting daily to organize themselves and their work, news broadcasts are now edited more carefully before being aired, and there is now a noticeable sense of team work among staff members.
An impact survey for Radio Okapi was completed in early December with the results supporting the conclusion that Radio Okapi is successfully providing neutral and timely information on the transition. Radio Okapi’s website (http://www.radiookapi.net), where one can listen to broadcasts, continues to receive about 20,000 visitors and 2,000 e-mails per month.
Next Steps/Immediate Priorities
- During January, OTI will clear and finalize all grants for communities where SE*CA is currently working. SE*CA will also select new areas of intervention for the next set of YES training modules.
- OTI will continue its discussions with CONADER (the DRC’s national institution in charge of DDR) on how SE*CA can support reintegration of ex-combatants. As part of this process, OTI will lead a CONADER delegation to Kisangani and Bunia to observe SE*CA activities.
- OTI/Washington staff will arrive in late January to participate in discussions on program handover with the USAID Mission and to participate in a planning session with all SE*CA staff.
- With elections approaching later this year, OTI staff are engaging the Independent Elections Commission and others in discussions about how OTI can support the electoral process through the SE*CA program.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Holly Flood, OTI Program Manager, e-mail: hflood@usaid.gov; telephone: (202) 712-0735
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