DRC: Women nominated their delegates to the CENI

Organizations defending women's rights filed, Saturday, May 18, at the office of the National Assembly a list of their three delegates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is Jeanne Hortense Nzuzi Tshamba, Grace and Mrs. Lula Amba Tamuzinda. The first two candidates are in Kinshasa while the third is the interior.Of these three names the National Assembly chooses one taking into account gender and regional representation to be part of the CENI. Me Angela Konde Yuya told Radio Okapi how both candidates were elected in Kinshasa:"In the exercise of the vote in the Plenary Meeting of May 16, three candidates were elected to the five names were submitted.

The journalist Guylain Chanjabo of Radio Canal Revelation of Bunia was found dead this Friday, May 17

The journalist Guylain Chanjabo of Radio Canal Revelation of Bunia was found dead this Friday, May 17 in Ngezi river 5 km from the city center. The people who discovered the body alerted the chief of the neighborhood and the police. A crowd of onlookers in tears was where the body was discovered. The journalist had been missing for twelve days.
Informed, relatives and family of Guylain Chanjabo rushed to the place and identified the journalist.
"I am abashed of wickedness. We just discovered the decaying body of journalist Guylain Chanjabo we just end up in the river Ngezi. The body is decaying. It is frayed. Swollen face. I brought the doctors. They are adamant that our reporter was strangled, "says Eka Rustic Avo, the assistant commissioner of Ituri.
The journalist was buried in a pit near the river. The state of decomposition of the body could not afford to take it further, said members of the Red Cross who were buried.

AFEM SK produced a cartoon on the discrimination against women in society

Nicole 15 years. She is a schoolgirl in an institution instead. She was so desperate to learn about their rights. one day, two human rights activists of AFEM came to educate students in her school and she took advantage. Now she knows her rights. This cartoon will be shown to the public on Sunday, April 21. <- More -> It was produced in collaboration with the student members of the Committees for Gender Activists CAG institute Kasali Bukavu.

Fighting for change: An article written by Barbados today on Pascaline Zamuda

Journalist tells of her desire to help women and youth of democratic republic of congo 

by Latoya Burnham

“Sometimes I think that it’s not enough to be a simple journalist. Maybe I have to do more, to be more to help everybody — women and youth.”
This statement from 26-year-old Pascaline Zamuda is one that touches me deeply. 

This is a story that took me almost two years to tell — one, because Pascaline moves around so much and our time zones are always so different it is hard to link up, and two, because there are some I fear who will ask, but what does the Democratic Republic of Congo have to do with Barbados? The answer is, nothing; yet everything, in this globalised environment in which we now live.
At 26 years the average Bajan girl is probably caught up with work, dating, liming, partying on the weekends, if not raising young children. For Pascaline, every day is achallenge — sometimes just a challenge to stay alive and foremost for her, to help those trying to survive in an often embattled country. I met Pascaline for the first time online while preparing for a near two-month journalism
fellowship at the United Nations. We met face to face in September 2011 when we were both a part of the programme and then we spent a short time as roommates in Washington during that same fellowship.
Pascaline is a radio producer/journalist/activist with the South Kivu Women Medias Association. Her native tongue is Swahili and she calls me “dada” or “sister”. She is more fluent in French than English. I speak English, no Swahili and my French is hardly passable, yet we were able to chat well into the nights in the US and I got to like this quiet, somewhat shy African — even more when she tackled some UN officials with the
hard questions about what was happening in her country and what this key international organisation would do about it. Born on October 26, 1987, Pascaline became a reporter at 15. “It’s was in 2003, I was 15 years old. The country came from two big armed conflicts — the first one in 1996 and the second 1998. My region, the eastern part of the country was strongly and more affected by those conflicts and rebellion, cause it’s like a gate where solders from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and others which are included and provocated those wars.”

When these soldiers, politicians and international agencies find common negotiating ground, she said then there is “relative calm”, but it is still a region considered for humanitarian and other assistance by the international community.
An NGO called Search for Common Ground started a programme called Giving Voice to Congolese Children, in an attempt to denounce the human rights violations of children during conflict. They used the media to get children to open up about what was happening, and Pascaline was recruited through her school and trained as a reporter. She was also further educated about human rights and children’s rights.
“I began going up country; far from the city, in others provinces where children [were] enrolled in armed groups, raped, ill-treated and those whose parents were killed in the wars; others who are abandoned, ect. I made a lot of reports. I become as a ambassador of children rights.”

Why I have to rise on February 14, 2013

Nadine Sayiba
Lawyer and activist of human rights.

"I have to rise on feb 14 up the following conditions under which victims of sexual violence live.
We signed texts that give the International Criminal Court warrant and the right to intervene in the DRC. And yet it has a fund for compensation or better reparation for victims of sexual violence in the DRC but they do not benefit. The irony is that when there is a judgment there are no more often the perpetrators have no means to compensate the victim. "

************************************************************************************
 

Dr. Nene
Panzi Hospital
"I must rise on feb 14 after all those who still say that it is women who want to be raped.
it is a vice and as long as there are these kinds of fantasies I will rise."


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Anne Cirume
Activist Human Rights
"I must rise on feb 14 due to poor living conditions of military vulnerabilities in South Kivu. Majority of these families, especially military and police officers no longer live enmity. Their children never go to the school.
Just for all that I have to rise!

VDAY confirmed for February 14 Bukavu as a base for the International Campaign One Billion Rising

"A billion abused women in the world is an atrocity" a slogan that has been fixed since the beginning of the campaign "One Billion Rising" movement VDAY. VDay movement is convinced that on February 14 this year, at least one million men and women will be present at this event. Evidence on different types of violence experienced by women will be given by the participants and volunteers eager to say NO to violence. On 23 January, the VDay movement recently held a conference to debate the city of joy to Panzi. Participants exchanged on why say NO to violence in many place of women. One billion Rising campaign started months ago in several countries of the world. Men and women who fight for women's dignity protest against this evil that eats the entire society. February 14 is the deadline. Stage of Kamagema panzi in Bukavu will drop point where one billion people are expected. As a prelude to the 14th February, the men and women present at the conference on 23 January were expressed and explained why they too will revolt. Some were comfortable giving their testimonies about different types of violence experienced by women and the other could not restrain their anger. A report published by the United Nations says one in three women will be abused in the world.

BUKAVU: February 14, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

February 14, 2013, Grever, and Dancing in revolt; 3 main activities that are scheduled for this day to mark the fall of the campaign "One Billion Rising". This is an assurance that more than one billion women and men will rise up throughout the world to say "Enough is Too" that violence against women and girls quit.

One month prior to this campaign, movement VDAY just held a press conference Tuesday, January 15. drop point of the campaign will take place on February 14. The theme: "Ending violence against women and girls"

Christine Schuler Descryver describes the current situation of violations of women worldwide.

For VDAY, 1 in 3 women will be abused in her lifetime on this planet. By refusing to be observant of this scourge and this dehumanizing crime, VDAY lance through the "One Billion Rising" call for mobilization, solidarity and unity power to show the world the collective strength and unity. February 14, VDAY hope that a million men and women will observe one-day strike by abandoning their ordinary activities to express their ras-le-bol violence against women.

They will denounce the injustices committed against them to revolutionize attitudes.

And dance for a total success and the day of the fight, share cultures

VDAY wants everyone agrees to actively participate in this event must shake the world to a new consciousness.

The return to Bukavu Dr. Denis Mukwege and his family is planned for this Monday, January 14,

Renowned for its support to many women raped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the doctor had escaped an assassination attempt on Oct. 25 at his home in Bukavu, capital of the province of South Kivu.
After a few days of exile in Sweden, the doctor went to Belgium, where he currently resides.
"The return to Bukavu Dr. Denis Mukwege and his family is planned for this Monday, January 14," said a statement from the Panzi Hospital, founded by Dr. Mukwege.
"This is the doctor who made ​​the decision to learn that he received more messages: there are many requests for sick women who demand his return," said the Communication Officer Panzi Hospital.
Each year, the program against sexual violence, the largest hospital receives 3,000 women. 

Dr. Mukwege activities earned him including the price of the UN human rights.
The investigation is ongoing to identify the perpetrators of the attack perpetrated by unidentified gunmen.

Jolly Kamuntu was re-elected as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Media Women in South Kivu for a term of 3 years.

Jolly Kamuntu was re-elected as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Media Women in South Kivu for a term of 3 years.

Jolly Kamuntu will make a new private team of all former collaborators. Of the 8 positions were filled, only the President of the Board was reappointed.

The other 7 members who have joined the team are new.

The Vice President is for once in the history of the AFEM occupied by a young journalist Sourire TUMSIFU rural radio Obuguma of Idjwi North. This young journalist grew up in the hands of the AFEM SK. To this day, the Vice Presidency was never occupied by a rural woman journalist.

After reading the Minutes of the General Assembly of 2010, it was passed with amendments. The financial and narrative reports for the year 2011 were well presented, discussed and approved by the Assembly.

Caddy Adzuba was awarded "Women of the year"

At the fifteenth edition of the International "Woman of the Year" prize was awarded to the Congolese Furaha Adzuba Caddy. It is through his work to denounce human rights violations of women and children, to inform and educate women about their rights.

The award was presented on Friday, November 30, 2012 by the President of the Council of the valley, Emily Rini, and President of the Jury Prize, Luigino Vallet. It was in the presence of the jury, the President of the Legislative Assembly of Molise, Mario Pietracupa, and the Rector of the University of Valle d'Aosta, Fabrizio Cassella, and the regional director Carmela Fontana and Patricia Morelli.

The jury said he was motivated by "His day job as a journalist to denounce violence against women and children and to give a voice to the voiceless, because it is a young woman who fights for peace in a country ravaged by civil war and it is important to give confidence and hope to the younger generation.

Minova: Many raped women including a 80-year-old woman

46 cases of rape of women are reported  to Minova and are attributed to the FARDC soldiers known as "commandos". These rapes were perpetrated in 9 villages and streets of this city. These include Minova Centre Avenue Bondeko, sous marin, Maendeleo Rutchunda, Muganga, Mubimbi, but also in the villages of Kinshinji, and Bwisha Kalungu.

Only 7 victims have been followed in the general hospital. The remaining 39 cases were referred in houses instead of listening to and benefit from a psycho-social support. Of these victims, 80-year old woman has been identified. Our gathering corroborating sources inform that the anonymity FARDC soldiers are known as "commandos" who are perpetrators of these crimes.

Note that this situation is due to other acts of vandalism such looting caused by conflict and population displacement caused by clashes between the FARDC and rebel M23.

Chouchou Namegabe lead the Press House for a term of 2 years

The Association of Media Women in South Kivu AFEM SK will lead the Press House for a term of 2 years. Coordinator of AFEM SK Chouchou Namegabe was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors. It was at the end of the general meeting of rebuilding the structure of the press in South Kivu.

At the end of this general assembly, free and democratic elections were held and this for a period of two years to replace those temporarily managed the structure of the press.

Board of Directors:

- President: Chouchou Namegabe Association of Media Women AFEM SK

Vice-President: Dieudonné Malekera of proximal free media

- Secretary: Thais Bagula Freelance Project

coordination:

-Jolly Kamuntu Radio Maendeleo

Control Board:

Chair: Olivier Kiriza club journalists conflict-sensitive

Secretary: Eliane Polepole of Three Screens

This meeting brought together representatives of organizations and media members. It was discussed to evaluate the activities that were organized for two years, the development and adoption of the constitution and the election bylaws. At the same time, the narrative and financial reports supported by an external audit were analyzed. To recap, the Press House in South Kivu is located in the former building of the Coopec Nyawera to

Pay the ticket by selling pineapple and cabbage for the return of Dr. Mukwege in South Kivu

Women victims of sexual violence of different territories in South Kivu that have been treated by Dr. Mukwege disclaimers come to collect their products fields to contribute symbolically ticket for the return of their doctor in Bukavu.

Among these women, there are those who come from Kavumu and Katana north of Bukavu, and otherfrom Idjwi,  Bunyakiri in Kalehe territory west of Bukavu.
Their products are mainly made of pineapple, cabbage, beans and braised.
They will be sold and the money will help the ticket for the Doctor Denis Mukwege returned to Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Executive Secretary of the Panzi Foundation has received the food, Therese KULUNGU said that this act is a strong signal that shows the love and affection that women victims of sexual violence to their doctor.

Chouchou Namegabe Dubuisson gives an interview to Sokka Gakkai International SGI

In the Interview, the Cordinator of the Women Media Association of South Kivu spoke about the conflict in Congo, which one has claimed over five million lives and been marked by brutal sexual violence against women. This is sometimes incorrectly assumed to be rooted in the culture of the region. Sadly, sexual violence is a tactic of terror in conflicts around the world.

When she started to talk on the radio about the problem of rape in DRC, Chouchou Namegabe Dubuisson said that People were shocked. They said, "How can you talk about sex openly on the radio?" It's a taboo. It wasn't easy.

They started to sensitize people and say, "It's not a problem of sex, it's a big problem of the community." They didn't even have a word to talk about rape, so they had to borrow a word from Kiswahili from Tanzania, and they started talking about ubakaji. It was a new word for eastern Congolese people. So it was the media that sensitized people and told them that there's a problem now that is affecting women and they have to act.

Survivors were rejected first by their families. This happens even though, when the militias attack the villages, they rape women in front of their husbands and children, in public. It's a planned strategy, a way of terrorizing the community.

About awareness rape changing, The Cordinator of Women Media Association of South Kivu says that they have done a lot of sensitization of communities and have also worked with many NGOs to empower women. There has been a change. Some survivors have been reintegrated with their families.

She give an example of a young girl. She was 13 when she was raped, and she had a baby. She had been taken into the forest with her mother, but they managed to escape. Chouchou met her after she heard the testimony of another woman and came to them. There are many women who were hiding what had happened to them, and after hearing the testimonies on the radio, they have come to them. They say that telling them their story is the first step to healing their internal wounds. 

Assassination Attempt on Dr. Denis Mukwege, Prominent Congolese Doctor and Activist

On the evening of 25 October 2012 around 19:00, four armed men, not in uniform, entered Dr. Denis Mukwege’s house in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The armed men forced Dr. Mukwege’s two daughters and their friend at gunpoint to sit silently on the floor until he returned home. On his arrival, roughly half an hour later, one of the armed men opened the gate and forced Dr. Mukwege out of the vehicle and demanded he hand over his keys. The security guard on duty ran out shouting to intervene and was shot and killed. The armed men fired the remaining bullets at Dr. Mukwege, who threw himself on the ground narrowly avoiding the gunfire. The men then fled in Dr. Mukwege’s vehicle, which they quickly abandoned before hijacking another vehicle.  The identity of the armed men and their current location is unknown. 

Dr. Denis Mukwege is the founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC. The hospital has become known worldwide for the treatment of survivors of sexual violence and women in need of specialised gynaecological care. Dr. Mukwege has been the recipient of numerous international awards including the UN Human Rights Prize, African of the Year, the Olof Palme Prize and the Clinton Global Citizen Award. He has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize. These awards recognize his extraordinary service, humanity and commitment.

Survey of women's political participation in Shabunda

As part of the promotion of Congolese women, AFEM SK has just completed a research on the political participation of women in Shabunda territory. This survey was conducted in Shabunda center Nkulu Bagabo and Bangoma.
The Association of Media Women in South Kivu aims to develop an effective approach that will touch the real causes of critical positioning of women in democratic institutions and in other areas of community life.

According to the coordinator Chouchou Namegabe, AFEM is proposed to achieve a participatory diagnosis in the community by organizing a survey of different social strata as all sectors of community life are marked by an imbalance of gender relations.
For her, this investigation has led to the social actors at the heart of their development by making a thorough analysis of the problem through individual interviews and focus group by then. Four categories of actors are targeted, including those of political leaders and civil society, women and men at the base.

Bukavu: 12 hours for 900 Congolese Francs

There are many porters in the city of Bukavu. Them are women displaced by war came from different areas of South Kivu, most of which come from Bunyakiri and Walikale.

"Instead of becoming beggars, we preferred to the porters, even if this work does not bring much" said one of them met along the way. It was carrying a can of 20liters of oil back and her baby over the bottle.

"That what we get for Congolese 900Francs (under 1 American dollar) sentence may be for a family to survive? "Exclaimed the woman.

According to most of the women interviewed at the border Ruzizi first, they are often forced to reassure the boss that they are able to transport the package to its destination, even if it weighs is more. Because their families have to live and survive, these women are called to work for which they have been accustomed since childhood because the majority was a farmer.

26 people trained in BARAKA, Kamituga and Kalehe on approach "Gender in the families"

As part of the campaign gender in our families, the Association of Media Women in South Kivu AFEM SK in his project "Advocacy and awareness for the fight against gender-based violence has training 26 people from three areas of South Kivu. 

These trainings were conducted at FIZI / BARAKA, Kamituga / Mwenga and Kalehe. 

For AFEM SK the new approach based on the integration of men alongside women in their different formations that address gender-based violence in families.These courses focused on gender and gender-based violence and human rights.

AFEM SK gives three offices to the listening core clubs

Rural women members of listening core clubs of AFEM SK will carry out their activities without much difficulty. 

This is the essentially of the message they sent to the leadership of the Association of Media Women in South Kivu. AFEM SK in partnership with DIAKONIA gave 3 offices to provide Listening Core Club in BARAKA / FIZI, Kamituga / Mwenga and Kalehe. These offices will enable NCE ensure their awareness, advocacy and recording broadcasts. According to the Coordination of AFEM SK, these offices are given in their project accompanying Listening Core club to the Women's Media Association of South Kivu.

Kalonge: hunger overwhelms the displaced

Approximately four thousand households were displaced Kalonge in Kalehe, following the upsurge in armed conflicts since January 2012. They came from Shabunda, Kalehe and Kabare.

These families are living in difficult conditions. Some are under-housed by host families and others spend the nights in small houses from straw, or in tents, tarpaulins, given by a humanitarian NGO, International Rescue Committee IRC. They are many, men, women and children, suffering from hunger, cold, and homeless.
They reach out to just anybody to find any answer.

Also, nature seems hell-bent against this population: hail rains fell in March, April and May, destroying the plants. A mosaic tackled the cassava plant, abundant food resource in the medium; which led to a general lack of productivity. Thus, neither the host families, or families displaced seem to know what to do.