Activity Monthly report March 2024

Our Monthly Report: March 2024 ( here is a French version of some activities during the month of March 2024: RAPPORT MENSUEL DU MOIS DE MARS 2024 OK

Training session on fundraising with local organizations in Goma

This report covers the period of March 2024 of various activities held by the Collective of Youth Organizations for Solidarity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Coordination of North Kivu.

Internal weekly meetings

A total of 3 staff meeting were held every Saturday at the office from 9-11 am. Key issues that we discussed can be find in the minutes which are kept in the office and key general issues will be contained in this report. The meetings were rotative where each member was given an opportunity to chair the meeting.

Field visits

We visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Bulengo twice, Lushagala twice, Rusayu once, and also visited refugees in different communities in Goma twice. The main ideas was to collect evidence on the situation of IDPs and refugees in order to engage on advocacy with various stakeholders. We collected the necessary information we needed and actions were taken.

IDP woman selling beans and cooking oil in the IDP Camp around Goma, we are looking on ways to empower these women

Advocacy

We wrote an open letter authorities in North Kivu calling upon them to demilitarize IDP Camps in Goma, the letter was also amplified by the New Dynamic of the Civil Society, the Civil Society Active Forces, and others actors from various structures of the Civil Society. In response to these advocacy actions, the Military Governor of North stated in the media that IDPs Camps were secured at 90% and that he instructed all armed people to leave the IDP Camps. We are yet to monitor the situation in order to observe the progress.

Visits in IDP Camps

Three visits were held in the following IDP Camps: Bulengo, Lushagala, Rusayu I, Eloine and to new IDPs Camps that are not yet given names.

Hosting meetings

We hosted three meetings for other organizations working on various projects including their General Assembly Meetings, planning meetings. We are also hosting two network meetings which are held at the office, the first is on the promotion of Solidarity and Pacific Cohabitation between IDPs and the host communities, and the second is on the promotion of Democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Campaigns

Global Day of Actions to reduce Abortion Stigma in Goma, DRCongo on March 28th, 2024

We launched the Campaign for the Solidarity and Pacific Cohabitation between Internally Displaced Persons and the Host Communities around Goma. We also joined the call for the Global Day of Actions to Reduce Abortion Stigma and held a whole day of activities in Goma.

Handling cases

Individual cases were recorded and managed accordingly, while some were handled from the offices, others were referred towards stakeholders.

Advocacy

Four letters were addressed to authorities here in North Kivu, two press release were published and articles on various causes we are working upon were made public. Three interviews were held with the media here in Goma, and our social media were regularly updated.

Meetings with stakeholders

We held seven meetings with different local authorities in issues at hand, and visited two local authorities in their offices.

Fundraising

We continued with our fundraising through GlobalGiving and also participated in 10 various Zoom meetings.