Improving resilience in conflict-affected host communities

Context

Currently there are more than 1.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many IDPs are hosted by local communities and only a minority reside in camps.

Resources such as land, food, water, firewood and housing are under tremendous pressure. Jobs are scarce and there is high competition for the insufficient positions. This situation causes frequent conflicts between IDPs and the members of host communities and poses high challenges for local administration.

Sexual and gender-based violence is widespread in the eastern DR Congo, occurring in domestic contexts as well as in the context of conflict. Significant gender inequalities persist, with women rarely involved in formal conflict resolution mechanisms, despite their active participation in local peace initiatives.

Objective

The social and economic resilience of internally displaced persons and residents of host communities is improved, taking gender-specific needs into account.

Approach

Project measures include:

• Promoting employment: Based on a labour market analysis, members of host communities and IDPs are provided with short-term vocational qualification measures. They are also supported in increasing their revenues, for example, by creating small businesses or finding better employment.
• Encouraging dialogue between citizens: Through inclusive dialogues, members of community structures, local authorities, youth groups, women's groups and representatives of displaced persons, identify measures for integrating displaced peoples into host communities and giving women a greater role in decision-making bodies.
• Supporting women’s micro-projects: Women’s groups receive support through small-scale initiatives to empower women and to promote the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence as well as the peaceful coexistence among different population groups. Additionally, men benefit from trainings on positive masculinity.

Last update: September 2024