Since then, Susila Dharma Canada and Susila Dharma Congo have embarked on a mission to create 3 one-stop community-based service centres, giving women access to basic education, technical skills and small enterprise training, and activities focused on gender-inclusive advocacy and how the learners can use their voices to influence community-based decision-making institutions and processes. Additionally, the SD Congo and SD Canada teams are working toward offering complementary health and reproductive health information and services, including memberships to their local mutual health associations. Micro-credit possibilities will be offered to support entrepreneurs of all ages.

Training of community relays in Nkandu III July 22, 2023

Registration of student during awareness campaign in Ngiri-Ngiri, January 2024

The SD DRC and Canada teams at the MAC Centre, Kinshasa, June 2022

The construction of the centres was possible due to the generous financing provided by the Buchan International Foundation. The two CLCs of Kingantoko and Nkandu are neighbouring SD Congo’s community health centres- designed and overseen by Matthew Gonzalez and Paul Roberge. The Kingantoko CLC was built with the bricks made with the brick machine financed by SD Canada a few years ago. The third and final centre is at the Kinshasa Subud house, which was completely renovated and to which a floor has been added. This is also where the SD Congo team now has their office space.

In 2023, the teams worked to create the centre’s curricula and the incorporation of gender into various aspects of teaching and learning across disciplines. It also involved the certification of the CLC’s new "gendered" manuals and learning materials by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is the ministry that issues accreditation for technical and vocational training. This means that all CAC learners who complete the required number of hours and pass the Ministry's tests will be fully certified by the Ministry to practice their chosen trades. 

Finally, the project team and ministry staff worked together to develop the roadmap for each course over a three-month period, and to ensure that in addition to the gender-sensitive curriculum, the three-month period included weekly sessions on gender issues and the development of women's leadership skills, as well as weekly sessions on entrepreneurship, including the different skills learners need to master on their journey towards setting up their own businesses.

Media footage of training at Ngiri-Ngiri’s CLC, January 22, 2024, by Rémy Mulingati.

The work begins!

In 2022, SD Canada signed a $1.9 million contribution agreement with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to start the 5-year project, Community Learning Centres (CLC) for Women and Girls in the DRC.

After a year and a half of receiving funding from GAC, SD Congo has made immense strides in opening the centres. The teams worked to set up staff, partners, policies and procedures, and acquired the equipment and services needed to open and run the centres. In early June 2022, the SD Canada team met with the SD Congo team and its partners to ensure a harmonized understanding of the project and to begin preparing the Project Implementation Plan. Partnerships were made with local women’s groups, UN Population Fund (UNFPA), micro-finance institutions, and organizations that will provide sexual and reproductive health services to the learners. A market study was conducted and baseline data were collected to understand the specificities of each CLC area and its learners. A third and final study was conducted to collect interviews with local institutions, assessing their knowledge of the government’s gender equality strategy, whether they were aware of the gender equality issues facing local women, and the extent to which women occupied management or decision-making positions. 

Paul Roberge, construction specialist, inspecting new CLC in Nkandu III, with SD Congo employee, Papy Kabondo, monitoring, procurement and logistics specialist.

DGENF, CONAFED, Educators and SD CONGO, September 2023