Investing in life

One day while gathering crops, Giselle and 20 other women were confronted by a group of armed men. “They stole what we had, beat and abused us,” Giselle recalls. Traumatized by the experience and with almost nothing to live on, the women were approached by members of an International Rescue Committee-supported, grassroots community organization. The group gave the women referrals for medical and psychological treatment. Soon afterwards, Giselle joined the community organization, a decision that changed her life.

 

In addition to providing medical and other support, the community group helped Giselle rent a piece of land that was more fertile than the fields she formerly worked. Her small farm now produces a steady yield, providing Giselle with a stable income. “I have to pay rent for the land, but as I cultivate my field all year round I am able to easily cover this cost and earn some money out of it,” Giselle says.

 

In eastern Congo, where rape is often used as a weapon of war, the IRC has aided thousands of survivors of sexual violence and their family members—40,000 people in all. Besides counseling, health care and legal services, the IRC offers programs that enhance women’s status in society and reduce their vulnerability to sexual and other abuse. A network of local village savings and loan associations, for example, helps women achieve a strong measure of economic self-sufficiency.

 

The idea behind a savings and loan association is simple: a group of villagers—neighbors and friends, family members and fellow farmers—pool resources and agree to make  a weekly contribution to the fund. Members  can draw from the fund at a low rate of interest and use the money to buy tools, develop skills or start a business.

 

“The work of the savings and loan associations can indeed change women’s lives,” says Ciaran Donnelly, the regional director for Congo programs. “By pooling resources and investing in their future, women are able to develop financial independence, which in turn enables them to 

better negotiate risky situations, or mitigate risks.”

 

The IRC is starting up additional savings and loan programs in South Kivu, and will expand into North Kivu in 2012. The crisis of sexual violence in Congo has devastated the lives of countless women. The IRC not only aids these women but also tackles the root causes that allow sexual violence to persist.

 

Today, Giselle is developing her business skills through training courses offered by her savings and loan association. “I am so happy about what  the program has done for me that I invited my two daughters and two friends to become members. I know it will change their future as well.”