Lens on Life is dedicated to supporting photography and computer literacy training for at-risk youth around the world. They help students overcome trauma, grow artistically, and gain skills to enter the global marketplace.  Luckily for us, one of their hubs is based in Goma, right next door to the ECI office! And for this round of Changemakers 365, we wanted to show our support—by hiring them to help document the past 30 days of change.  Meet Ngoa Kamundu Kennedy and Basizi Michel. They’re two of the talented photographers out of Lens on Life’s Operation Goma, where they’ve gained the skills to jumpstart their own careers as photographers.  Eastern Congo Initiative is all about supporting community-based organizations and people who are already solving the most challenging problems the Congolese people face. That’s why Lens on Life are such natural partners, and why for this final day of our series with Asili and ECI, we were happy to dedicate a day of change to supporting … [Read more...] about Lens on Life

Yesterday, we got some of the survivors that Dynamique des Femmes Juristes supports access to a much-needed source of income—goats and sheep.  After they’ve prosecuted the perpetrators of violent crimes, the team at DFJ thinks about women's futures, too. “They are often single mothers who have families to support,” said Bernadette from the DFJ office in Nyiragongo, about 30 minutes outside of Goma. “They need to have more ways to earn a living.” The goats and sheep work well for women who don’t already have access to a plot of farming land. But for those who do? That was a different story.  “With something like more seeds for their farm and better tools to tend the land, these women can do much more,” said Bernadette. So we jumped right in. Good quality seeds and tools can be difficult to find locally. Instead, we brought them from Goma, and gave them to the women who are ready to plant them in their fields.  Beans, Sorghum, potatoes, and more will soon be … [Read more...] about Seeding Strength

Out in the rural areas surrounding Goma, Dynamique des Femme Juristes help women gain access to justice. Facing threats of violence and discrimination after speaking out or prosecuting acts of violence inflicted upon them, these women are at great risk. But their strength is monumental—despite the threat, they are determined to see the perpetrators held accountable. And DFJ is there to help them do it.  One of the DFJ offices is out in Nyiragongo, about 30 minutes outside of the city. So far this year, the team of layers and program coordinators have accompanied seven survivors to justice. When we spoke to Bernadette, a lawyer who leads the Nyiragongo team, how 365 could help these survivors regain their footing, she had an idea right off the bat - goats and sheep.  They’ll use the livestock to earn some extra cash, raising them up and selling them when the time is right. "Having a source of income is very important," she said. "It will help them afford the needs of … [Read more...] about Get Your Goat

Meet Claudine. She's the head of Dynamique des Femme Juristes, a grantee of partner Eastern Congo Initiative. The DFJ team has one powerful mission—fighting for justice for women and children who have had their rights violated. There are so many cases of gender-based violence that go unprosecuted in Goma and the surrounding region. With a team of lawyers, psychologists, program managers, and social workers, Claudine leads a holistic response to GBV, connecting victims to the support they need.  We met Claudine at DFJ's office in Goma, where 45 staff are based. She told us that one of their needs is to support their team a bit better when it comes to providing a lunch option. "It's a daily need," she said. "It takes time for people to go outside of the office, when we're all so busy." She wanted to open a small restaurant, where staff could purchase a daily lunch, the profits of which could then be put back into DFJ's daily operations.  So that's what we did! With … [Read more...] about Fueling Justice

One of the many projects Heal Africa supports is Ebola prevention. Mainly in rural areas, where access to awareness and things like soap and hand sanitizer can be more difficult to get.  So with our partners at Eastern Congo Initiative, we headed out to Sake, an area about 45 minutes outside of Goma that has been hard hit by Ebola. Heal Africa is working with schools in the area, honing in on things like hand washing and education.  The simplest tool to combat to infection? Soap. But the problem was, at one school in Sake, they were simply running out of it. “Lack of soap is a huge problem,” said Didier, the head teacher. He’s in charge of almost 2,000 students at the school, and only seven hand washing stations. And it was seeming like they were going through soap at breakneck speeds.  So we put our heads together and came up with an idea….and with the support of 365, we helped the teachers there set up a school supply shop to sustain soap purchase well into the … [Read more...] about Clean Hands, Clean Bill of Health

The work of Heal Africa is well-known in Eastern Congo. They’ve been pioneers in healthcare, particularly for women healing from sexual violence in Eastern Congo, for decades now. They have a huge medical complex in Goma, housing everything from surgeries to primary healthcare support to even community activities like karate classes for kids. They do a lot outside of the complex, too, like their Ebola prevention program in rural areas, which our partners at Eastern Congo Initiative support.  We sat down with Daniel, one of the Program Managers at Heal Africa. And he talked about thinking toward the long term. “We want to invest in projects that help not just in the short term,” he said, “but in the long term as well.” One of these long term projects they’ve been dreaming of is setting up an office supply store at their medical complex in Goma. “We want to create something that supports all the departments here, and that they can go to easily,” he said. “Because right … [Read more...] about A Place to Heal

Aside from the hundreds of young people they help lift up, Esther and Camille from Un Jour Nouveau have a knack for spotting talent and opportunity—wherever that may be. And a few years ago, they saw that talent in Annette. "I came here to learn how to sew," said Annette, a survivor of violence and single mother. "I met Esther and she helped me to learn but also to teach others." Now, Annette runs a bustling business that supports a dozen women, producing bags, dresses, baskets, and, their most popular product, yoga mat bags. "I've brought this to California and they've been a huge hit!" said Esther. "People love them."  Working with our partners at Eastern Congo Initiative we wanted to do something to help support Annette to grow her social business.  So we jumped in to help her sewing team with a boost in materials—cloth, thread, and other supplies—meant to fuel their already burgeoning success. "We want to go bigger," says Annette. "We have dreams of opening … [Read more...] about Starting Up Sewing

As you can imagine, making furniture and transforming recycled tires into works of art takes a lot of electricity to keep things moving. For the team at PERFECT, this is a challenge that threatens to put them out of business.  They spend a lot of time—and money—thinking through how to keep the lights on and their tools powered up.  As PERFECT saves up for the new space they hope to open in the near future, any way they can cut costs will add up in a big way... Our partners, Eastern Congo Initiative, have played a large part in helping PERFECT get their start and grow. Together, we wanted to help them feel a little more secure as they reach toward that next level.  So we pitched in to solving their energy problem—by supporting them with $500 worth of electricity!  “This is something they really need,” said Masudi from the ECI team. “It’s always an issue, with all the power tools they use.”  It will be a bit of a power move, transitioning from their current … [Read more...] about It’s Electric