"SOS Kavumu": assistance with reintegration in DRC

FH Switzerland's "SOS Kavumu" project will support 65 vulnerable families in the Kavumu region, totaling 520 people. Many of them have suffered sexual violence; the others have been affected by violence and poverty. All of them live in very difficult conditions and struggle for survival. Together, they will be supported by FH RDC in partnership with the association PPEK to rebuild and improve their living conditions. The project is aimed at supporting their progressive reintegration into the community.

Recurring rapes of young girls in Kavumu
Between 2013 and 2016, around 40 girls aged between eight months and twelve years were raped in Kavumu. Suffering from serious physical injuries and psychological trauma, these girls were cared for by Dr. Mukwege* at Panzi Hospital. However, after leaving the hospital, their return to everyday life has been difficult. The girls and their families have been stigmatized by people around them and are struggling to reintegrate into their community.
Families will benefit not only from psycho-social support, but also training in raising animals and growing crops so that they can increase their income. Gradually they will be able to establish income-generating activities such as setting up an operation for raising rabbits. In addition, the association PPEK, 90% of whose members are illiterate, will be strengthened in its administrative and management capabilities through this project.

Your donation allows us to help these girls and their families reintegrate into their community. Thank you very much for your support!

With CHF 40.-  you provide four rabbits that allow a family to
                         start raising them for breeding.
With CHF 500.- you allow us to support a family for a year.


* Dr. Mukwege, nicknamed "the man who repairs women," is a Congolese gynecologist. He founded the Panzi Hospital in 1999. More than 50,000 women, including the young victims from Kavumu, have been treated there.

** After the hard work of several associations, a trial opened last November in Kavumu. On 13 December, the South Kivu Military Court found a local elected official and militia leader guilty of the rapes. He and another ten defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment. Beyond obtaining judicial recognition of their trauma, it is crucial to care for these girls and their families at a psychological level and to support them in their reintegration into their community.