Author: Ulf Sandström

Murhabazi Namegabe – L’espoir des enfants soldats from Françoise Moehler on Vimeo.      

COMMUNIQUE  DE  PRESSE BVES

21 Septembre 2015 : Journée International de la Paix

« Le Prix International de la Paix  2015 dédié à l’ONG Congolaise BVES et à son Directeur, Monsieur  Murhabazi Namegabe »

Dans un Communiqué  de Presse, publié depuis le 10 Septembre 2015 à Berlin, en Allemagne, le Réseau Œcuménique de l’Afrique Centrale (OENZ) annonce avoir dédié son Prix de la Paix pour l’année 2015 à Murhabazi Namegabe et son organisation BVES, le Bureau pour le Volontariat au service de l’Enfance et de la Santé, basée à Bukavu, en République Démocratique du Congo.

OENZ, par la remise de ce Prix  de la Paix 2015, veut honorer le travail infatigable du BVES et de son Directeur, Monsieur Murhabazi Namegabe, en faveur de plus jeunes membres de la Société  congolaise que sont les enfants.

Depuis 1992, l’ONG congolaise BVES travaille inlassablement, aux côtés des autorités congolaises, des autres organisations de la Société civile ainsi que de la Communauté internationale, à rendre les enfants en situation particulièrement difficile (enfants des rues, enfants refugiés ou déplacés non-accompagnés, filles victimes d’exploitation sexuelle, enfants associés aux forces et groupes armés, etc.) non des acteurs-clés de la violence  armée, mais plutôt de véritables acteurs de la promotion ou de la consolidation de la paix dans leurs communautés respectives, déclare Monsieur Murhabazi Namegabe Directeur du BVES et Prix International de la Paix 2015.

En République  Démocratique du Congo, déclare Monsieur Murabazi  Namegabe du BVES, l’utilisation des enfants par des groupes armés demeure cependant une préoccupation et appelle  tous les acteurs-clés de la société à plus d’engagement pour mettre immédiatement fin à la violence contre les enfants.

Fait à Bukavu, le 21/09/2015

L’Unité de Communication.- 

Summary

This project will allow 200 girls, ages 8 to 16, to enroll in school in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an area that has been embroiled in armed conflict for seventeen years. All of these girls have been affected by the conflict and are now being rehabilitated through the local children’s rights organization BVES.  The funds will cover school registration fees and support grassroots mobilization around protecting girls’ right to education in the DRC’s armed conflicted zones.

BVES is a leading children’s rights organization in the DRC that monitors, documents and reports children’s rights violations, and rescues child soldiers from armed groups across eastern DRC. To date, they have helped negotiate the release of nearly 4,000 child soldiers and more than 4,500 girls who have been sexually assaulted by armed groups. Their pressure and ongoing work with military leaders has also led to numerous commanders directing their soldiers to stop recruiting children and to release those in their ranks. As many released children would return to their villages as orphans, BVES also runs centers to house them, offering protection and activities to help their reintegration into society.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced nearly uninterrupted armed conflict in its Eastern region since 1996. During this time, over five million have died, and millions more have been displaced.  This ongoing conflict has left children particularly vulnerable to human rights violations, especially girls, who have been subject to horrific abuses including rape and sexual violence, recruitment and use by armed militias, and separation from their families. It is estimated that around 3,000 girls between the ages of 8 and 16 have been affected by the conflict.

How will this project solve this problem?

This project will allow girls who have been affected by the conflict to be reintegrated into school by funding their school registration fees. It will also support community education and advocacy on girls’ right to education and the obstacles to girls’ education in the DRC’s armed conflict zones.

Potential Long Term Impact

Education is an essential human right and a vital tool for combatting poverty and armed conflict, empowering women and girls, and protecting children against exploitation, particularly in volatile regions like eastern DRC. On a broader scale, education promotes democracy and peace-building.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date:
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $22,700
Total Funding Goal: $22,700

Donation Options:

$25 – School supplies for one girl
$40 – School supplies and shoes for one girl
$70 – Tuition for 10 months for one girl
$135 – Tuition, school supplies and shoes for one girl
$200 – Transportation costs for an outreach mission to one rural community
$540 – Support for four girls to attend school (tuition, school supplies and shoes)

$1,080 – Support for eight girls to attend school (tuition, school supplies and shoes)

Other amount