Wrapping up 2019 with gratitude and a new organic farm!

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

We hope that this busy holiday season you've had time to spend some slow hours embracing the darker winter days, lighting candles in the celebration of Hanukkah, Christmas, or soon, Kwanzaa. 

As we celebrated the winter solstice and now look to lengthening days of light in the northern hemisphere, it's a good time to pause to reflect on what this year has gifted us. Living near the equator, our Congolese partners in South Kivu, DRC don't experience the change of light and length in their days, but they have seen great change in the community of Mumosho because of your commitment to equality and peace through education and entrepreneur training. 

From Amani, our founding director and visionary leader:

With the support of you, our sustaining monthly donors, our partnership with Jewish World Watch, and the Guardian Donors through the Dillon Henry Foundation, we opened the second year of the Congo Peace School on the 3rd of September, 2019 to 280 students in primary classes 1-4 and secondary 1-3, with 44 preschool students in two different classes thanks to the Pedagogical Institute of Los Angeles, making a total of 324 students at the school.

Amani with some of the elementary school students.

We began the year with a one-week training for both the returning staff and newly hired staff. Focusing on the pillars of the Congo Peace School and what makes the project more than just a school, the training approach is participatory and seeks to ensure the teachers and the school support staff grasp clear practical knowledge on the following topics which are at the same time the pillars of the Congo Peace School, based on the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Congo Peace School teachers and staff engage in the journey to become practitioners of equality, respect, justice, grace, courage, caring, appreciation, simplicity, humility, and integrity, to name just a few. We covered the 64 ways to practice active nonviolence and the approach and methodology was to learn from one another. The first-year staff took the opportunity to teach new staff what they learned last year and this was one of the most exciting parts of the training.

One of the staff shared her experiences: Shukuru Bahizire said, "I am blessed to be part of the Congo Peace School family. This is the first time I am exposed to the content of nonviolence, transformational leadership, entrepreneurship and mental health in school settings. I am happy to learn and practice, I like the training approach [in which] we are discussing issues, we are given the opportunity to talk and speak our mind. However I realize it will take us time to really live a nonviolent life but if we succeed, our school will become a great source of inspiration to the others and it will spread and change is possible."

Shukuru Bahizire

As we raise funds and look for grants to develop the a community farm and animal husbandry program at the school, in order to supplement our school meals program with sustainably grown food, Amani began the project with a nursery filled with cabbages, red onions, carrots, and cucumber. As it’s community permaculture, the plants will be taken from the nurseries to be distributed among community members, with some to be grown on the school farm. In three months, we will be able to harvest if the rains don’t destroy the plants. The harvest depends on how the rains are, but we are expecting more than 500kg of cabbages on the school farm. (That translates to approximately 1,100 lbs of cabbage.)

In the above photo, agronomist Mukengere is teaching permaculture to community members near the Congo Peace School.

We are grateful for your work and support of this community in Mumosho, and Amani's visionary leadership and personal sacrifice. It is a model for the world of working in community to care for each other and meet the needs of individuals as a whole.
 
In the spring of 2019, 42 more women started small businesses, thanks to our family of donors who provided a year of free education for girls and women to learn the skill and trade of sewing, and to Pour Les Femmes for the grant to graduate the students with a machine and the tools necessary to launch their businesses and co-ops. You are part of changing lives and creating greater equality, education, and peace in Congo!

How can you continue to help us grow and deepen this life-changing work?

1. Create a personal post on social media and tag @actionkivu, sharing the impact of Amani’s work and message. Check out our blog for stories to share or re-post stories from our Instagram / Facebook feeds.

2. Make a year-end gift! https://www.actionkivu.org/donate

3. Share with others how a donation to Action Kivu will support a powerful vision for peace, connection, and equality by sharing our website: https://www.actionkivu.org/

4. Become a sustaining member with a monthly donation via https://www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool or https://www.actionkivu.org/. and receive monthly updates from Congo!

We are grateful for the candle you've lit with your commitment to peace and equality. Thank you. Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

DIY: How to make the most of Giving Tuesday (Hint: post early!)

This Giving Tuesday, Facebook has committed $7 million in matching donations to nonprofits! Their campaign starts at 8am Eastern, 5am Pacific, and that matching grant $ will go fast, with all the nonprofits vying for attention. (Where are our early birds who can post / encourage their community to give at 8am Eastern / 5am Pacific?)

This is where you come in! We'd love for you to DIY a personalized #GivingTuesday post for Action Kivu. We've linked to our four complementary initiatives here, and posted photos and links to videos below, that you can download or copy/paste to create a #GivingTuesday post specific to what makes your soul sing.

Whether it's education rooted in peace and nonviolence for kids previously denied access to school because of extreme poverty (the Congo Peace School), AIDS / HIV education and prevention (HIV Education) that literally saves lives through education, testing, and references for medical services, Entrepreneur Training for women to start small businesses, increasing the equality of women in Congo, or our Community Farm, teaching and implementing sustainable, aquaponic farming practices for the future of organic food and combating climate change while ending hunger, there is something for everyone to connect to!

How to: When you log in to Facebook, look in the left hand column, and under "Explore," click on Fundraisers, where you will be prompted to choose a nonprofit. Please share why you've chosen Action Kivu's life-transforming projects. Making it personal makes a difference.

If you're not on Facebook, there are several other ways to engage your community in Giving Tuesday: post on Instagram, Twitter, or compose your own email, and ask people to give via https://www.actionkivu.org/donate. With these options, you can encourage them to make their donation monthly - our sustaining monthly donors are critical to our work, as it makes it possible to plan for the year. With a monthly sustaining donation, people will be added to our monthly update with a video report straight from Congo!

Using the photos and videos posted below, you can highlight the impact a donor makes:

$12 buys one school uniform for a Congo Peace School student, made by a graduate of our Sewing Workshop.

$30 buys two egg-laying hens for the animal husbandry project, to support food security and sustainability.

$55 pays for one month of school for a student complete with with two daily meals, supplies, a backpack, and a uniform.

$150 pays for one month of one of the literacy teacher’s salary.

$200 pays for one month of family planning education and HIV/AIDS testing and prevention.

$660 pays for one year’s Congo Peace School tuition for one student (providing funds for a teacher, assistant teacher, supplies, and the support staff of the school).

https://www.actionkivu.org/peace-school

https://www.actionkivu.org/peace-school

https://www.actionkivu.org/community-farm

https://www.actionkivu.org/entrepreneur-training

https://www.actionkivu.org/hiv-education

Videos:

Amani's overview of Congo and his vision for peace through equality and education.

Student video: Peace Ambassador Rosalie's Thoughts on Nonviolence

Planting Seeds of Peace & Hope: Amani on the impact of nonviolence via a community farm.

We know there are many great nonprofits doing amazing work, and we are grateful that you have chosen to support Action Kivu!

Warmly,
Rebecca
___
Rebecca Snavely
Executive Director, Action Kivu

Brewtique's Holiday Bazaar: A day of celebrating regeneration, local makers & artisans, and Action Kivu's work!

Thanks to Brewtique’s Holiday Bazaar benefitting Action Kivu, we are feeling extra grateful this holiday! It was amazing to meet so many new people and introduce Amani and his vision for peace through education and equality. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us! Scroll through the galleries of photos below.

To deepen your impact and outreach:

• Make a donation in the name of a friend/family member (make a notation in PayPal's note to seller),

• For $3/month sign-up to be a sustaining member,

• Make a social media post tagging @actionkivu and share the impact of Amani’s work and message,

• Encourage one additional person to become a sustaining member via patreon.com or actionkivu.org,

• Share how your dollars will help support Action Kivu's vision for peace, connection and equality via the attached information sheet,

• Share the video we screened to introduce others to Amani’s vision.

Click on each photo to scroll through the galleries below!

Determined to Learn: Anouarite's Story

Nsimire's Story: Taking Charge and Creating Equality

Born into a family of boys, 19 year old Nsimire Barhalibirhu never got the chance to attend school. As is common in the region, the family chose to spend their money sending the boys to school, knowing that in an unequal society, boys would have more opportunity for jobs after graduating than a girl would.

Nsimire took her education into her own hands, and enrolled in Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop, graduating in March 2019 with a sewing machine, tools, and the skills to start her own business, thanks to funding from Pour les Femmes. Several years ago, she also learned how to make her own fabric in a training course supported by Jewish World Watch. Today she wears a skirt that she made from start to finish!

To support heroes like Nsimire and equality through education, become a monthly sustaining donor at actionkivu.org! Every dollar makes a difference.

Education, Equality, & Peace: The Congo Peace School and Action Kivu's Adult Education Programs

Education is the thread that ties together everything Action Kivu supports in Congo. The Entrepreneur Training provides education and training for women to launch a small businesses, that ties in to:

The Community Farm, providing both an education in organic farming and regeneration as well as crops to sell for income and for daily meals for the Congo Peace School students, students who are tied to:

An education grounded in peace, nonviolence, and equality, giving the students a sense of agency to act as ambassadors of peace, ready to change the world!

Join the movement today, and partner with the people of Congo.

A New Life: Sewing Workshop Class of 2018 Graduation

"We believe that by empowering women, training them, building their capacity, we are helping to make real the eradication of poverty, which is the first goal of sustainable development." ~ Amani Matabaro, Action Kivu's Founding Director and Executive Director of ABFEC in DRC.With gratitude to our family of donors who provide a year of free education for girls and women to learn a new skill, and to Pour Les Femmes for a grant to graduate 42 students with a machine and the tools necessary to launch a small business. You are part of changing lives and creating greater equality, education, and peace in Congo!

Julienne Baseke, a member of AFEM, the Women's Media Association in South Kivu, spoke to the graduating class of 42 students, inviting them to use all the knowledge they had gained, and to be generous with their knowledge. As reported on Mama Radio: "The jubilant opportunity," said Julienne, "sensitized these women about their rights as human beings while emphasizing their right to development, empowerment, and quality education."

If you are inspired to commit to the communities of Congo, please consider a monthly donation. That helps us plan for the future as we work toward greater equality, education, and peace for all.

Rosalie: Congo Peace School's Ambassador for Peace Speaks about Nonviolence

Today's inspiration from Rosalie, one of the Congo Peace School students: encouraging us all to go out and be courageous in peace & nonviolence! Rosalie dreams of being the president of a peaceful Congo, and she is practicing being an ambassador for peace every day.Please share to let others know about the exciting education grounded in Kingian peace & nonviolence principles at the Congo Peace School. Invest in a more peace-filled future here: actionkivu.org/peace-school.

Rosalie's Thoughts on Nonviolence:

Nonviolence. As for Gandhi, he defines nonviolence as nonparticipation of whatsoever one thinks is badly done, that in his book, all men are brothers. Nonviolence is a real resistance, a tactic and spiritual path which aims to trigger peace. Nonviolence rejects all forms of cowardice and requires courage of its practitioner. It is a matter of loving your opponent and being ready to forgive him/her. We, young girls of the Congo Peace School, the Congo of tomorrow, let’s be committed practitioners of nonviolence and peace ambassadors. Thank you! 

Amani's Message of Gratitude for 2018 and Action Kivu Year in Review

A message from Amani Matabaro, Action Kivu’s Founding Director and the co-founder of our local Congolese partner, ABFEC.

As we say goodbye to 2018 and welcome a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters, and to share what your partnership has meant to the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo is a country with very little in the way of access to quality education for children, women’s empowerment, and socioeconomic services. Yet the country is as vast as all of Western Europe and a very rich country in natural resources such as diamonds, coltan, copper, cobalt, and gold. It is what I call a rich country for poor people.2018 was a special year in that, for the first time, a local Congolese organization built a high standard school to promote nonviolence and peace, entrepreneurship, equality, equity, and transformational leadership. With the dedicated support and majority funding from our Peace School partner, the Dillon Henry Foundation, and generous support from Pour les Femmes, as well as the individual contributions from so many of you, the Congo Peace School, a decade-long dream of mine, became a reality. The construction of the school campus started in September 2017 and was completed in July 2018. Using the training I received from the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies as well as my training in Cognitive Processing Therapy for communities that have experienced trauma, I began training the staff and students in August, and the Congo Peace School opened in September 2018 with four classes of the eventual 12 grades, a student population of 160, balanced for equity between girls and boys. It is one of the only schools in the region where the students receive two meals a day, often the only food they will eat, as well as have access to a school counselor and nurse.

The mission of the school is in line with all of our ongoing programs that invest in the education, equity and equality of girls and women, from vocational training courses that include the Sewing Workshop. Since partnering with Action Kivu and our family of donors, we have graduated 205 sewing students with their own sewing kits to start their businesses, with 42 ready to graduate right now. Girls and women denied a formal education learn practical skills to earn income such as soap making, bread baking, basket weaving, organic farming and an education in protecting the environment, animal husbandry with goats, pigs, rabbits, and fish contributing to the health of the farm, and the Literacy Program, which, combined, have served over 300 women and girls since 2010.Our HIV/AIDS education and treatment project is saving lives. With the support of donors to Action Kivu, Nurse Jeanine has tested over 1400 people in 2018, and follows up with those who tested positive, offering access to treatment at the clinic where she works. She speaks with hope about the change she has seen from the education and information campaign we started in 2016, when she had to work to convince people to be tested for HIV. Now, she says, men and women seek her out. And some who tested positive have told her that if they had met her earlier in their lives, they would never have been infected.

As word spreads of the valuable, life-changing assistance these programs provide, we continue to see many more children, women, and teen mothers coming to seek support from locations deeper in the South Kivu Province. These survivors are my heroes, they inspire me to keep pushing forward for peace, equality, and education for them, their children, and the world!I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all our supporters, large and small, for their allegiance to the programs and steady support throughout a period in which they have other important things to take on but they chose to make our life changing programs a reality. I hope that, as you look at these pictures, you will see how your support makes a huge difference by being well used in responding to very real, critical needs. Hence your support is making a huge difference and brings a new hope in the lives of so many who have seen nothing but violence, have felt nothing but despair. We now see hope.

With gratitude and appreciation,Amani Matabaro

It's not too late for a year-end donation online, or to set up a monthly donation that allows us to plan ahead as we deepen our impact in the lives of women and children in Congo, and all the people they influence.Every dollar makes a difference. $20 buys a ream of fabric for the women in the Sewing Workshop to learn with. $35 pays for one month of one girl’s sewing education. $50 pays for seeds for the farm. $150 pays for one month of one of the literacy teacher’s salary. $200 pays for one month for nurse Jeanine’s family planning education and HIV/AIDS testing and prevention. $2000 pays for the yearly salary for one of Action Kivu’s sewing trainers.We are grateful for all you do to invest in this life and culture changing work! 

Farm to Sewing Table: Nathalie's Vision

We first met Nathalie in 2017 on Action Kivu's organic farm, where she was working a plot of land with her mother, Rose.Nathalie is one of nine children, and the fourth of eight girls. Her parents could not afford to send their kids to school, and when her father died, Nathalie's mother started working on the farm, to grow healthy food to feed her family and sell at the market.Fast forward to 2018, and Nathalie has been working hard at Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop, determined to create a better life for herself and her family. "I was envious of the women who had graduated from here," she said. "I wanted to be like them: strong, empowered women."Speaking about the community she has found in her sewing school, she said, "being here, learning from others, having them learn from me, mutual collaboration is community."Nathalie is ready to graduate, and we're raising the funds to buy her and her fellow students each a sewing kit, complete with a Singer sewing machine, to start their own businesses, and to be like Bahati, Class of 2017, who is already earning enough income to care for her six children, and to have purchased a second machine, to teach her own students!From December 10th to the 15th, 2018, Action Kivu is hosting a giveaway to raise the funds to graduate 42 students and continue our life-changing programs in Congo. Visit ActionKivu.org/giveaway to learn more, and donate!