From: Collective of Youth Organizations for Solidarity in DRC (COJESKI/DRC, Coordination of North Kivu
During this month of women’s rights, we invite you to pause for a minute and think about the situation of internally displaced women (IDP) in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These women have been on the run since April 2021, when the war broke out, up to now, and they are forced to live in camps. Very little is known and even less is reported on their plight in the IDP camps around Goma.
We humbly appeal to you to join our efforts to make a difference, we may not be able to save all the lives of all the IDP women, but we could manage to save some. We may not end their misery and plight but we can reduce the misery and plight of at least a few. If you agree with this, please join the fundraising campaign we have started to help them.
This project seeks to save the lives of women in Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo who are exposed to the risks of unsafe abortion practices. We intend to provide accurate information to women on issues around abortion, to reduce stigma against those who resort to abortion, reduce deaths and other health consequences of women caused by unsafe abortion and work towards the community integration of women who have been stigmatized over the years. This will focus on women in and around Goma.
With the high presence of internally displaced persons, sexual violence, rape, sexual exploitation, and sex for survival have become part of the current problems affecting women in Goma; the victims have resorted to unsafe abortion methods in order to terminate pregnancy, which has exposed them to death and other health complications, because they lack accurate information. Abortion is criminalised in DRC and this has forced women to do it in secret. This has limited access to information among others.
This project will first of all collect and disseminate accurate information to women in order to demystify abortion, then we shall identify potential service providers where women can access safe abortion, we shall engage of community dialogues, information sessions and public dialogue about abortion in Goma in order to save those who are victims, we shall also work on community integration for those who have been stigmatized over the years and provide legal assistance to the victims.
In the long term, we shall advocate towards the change of norms, beliefs and the change of legal regime in order to decriminalize abortion and make it part of human rights in DRCongo, we shall promote women’s rights and the culture of tolerance among others, which will be done through serious research and advocacy for a long period of time.
We have already started this campaign thanks to a seed grant from Abortion Conversation Projects. Now we need to increase the funds we have received, in order to reach many more women. At least let us spare the lives and reduce the number of those dying from unsafe abortions.
TO DONATE, GO TO: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-the-reduction-of-abortion-stigma-goma-drc/
Emergency relief aid to IDPs in Goma
We want to construct temporal shelters for all those sleeping outside during this rainy season; we want to offer food to the most vulnerable women and young girls and work on issues about hygiene in order to spare them from diseases.
TO DONATE: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/urgent-relief-aid-to-new-arrival-idps-in-goma-drc/
Please share these links to all your social media, inform a friend, a family member and any person in contact with you. Please influence your organization or your company to share these links on their website, social media and in other public events. Lastly become a volunteer with us.
SOURCE: E-mail from: KULIHOSHI MUSIKAMI Pecos, Coordonnateur Provincial, 10 March 2024 ; Global Giving website + photo, 2024