Since 2020, NPCYP has maintained a strategic partnership with Peace Direct as part of the development and implementation of its programmatic objectives. Some of our work together includes the YAP (Youth Action for Peace) Project, seven emergency projects funded by LAF, a Youth Rapid Action project for the prevention of violent conflict in North Kivu funded by PPL, and an emergency project for households affected by flooding and landslides in Kalehe Territory funded by the Bosch Foundation.  

Responding to fatal flooding

Apart from the security challenges facing rural areas in South Kivu province, in 2023 heavy rains fell on the farming villages, BUSGUSHU and NYAMUKUBI, nestled below the hills in the Kalehe territory. Along the road linking South Kivu to North Kivu, banana, manioc and coffee plantations were found engulfed in mud. And in several places, the waters, still visible in the village, have washed away crops and livestock. According to civil society reports and analyses, more than 700 houses, a school and a church were destroyed, with a loss of human life of over 75 people, some of whom disappeared without trace. This disaster plunged the local population into a state of serious vulnerability. On 4 May, a heavy rainstorm in the Kalehe territory caused further enormous damage to human life, property and possessions, accentuating the vulnerability of the humanitarian situation.

NPCYP began an emergency project to provide assistance and support for flood victims to help them recover from the consequences of the natural disaster, rebuild their lives and prepare for the future, ensuring that they are better prepared and more resilient to the challenges they may face.

NPCYP worked with 100 of the most vulnerable victims, including 54 women and 46 men from different villages and displacement camps. All were trained in financial education to strengthen their ability to seize economic opportunities within the community for rapid economic recovery and avoid dependence on international aid programmes. At the end of the training, each person chose the activity they wanted to undertake to empower themselves, such as setting up a small shop, doing sewing work, fishing, and more. Each participant received $100 in the form of credit alongside physical supplies to finance their activities, strengthening their financial capacity.  

Nepa KAROLI was one of the recipients of investment funds. She told us, "Receiving this grant was a turning point in my life. Thanks to it, I was able to start my own small business. It goes far beyond money: it's an opportunity to regain control of my life and help rebuild my community."

The consequences of the May 2023 disaster in Kalehe territory were also psychological. Losing material possessions, but above all losing a loved one, can be extremely destabilising. 20 people were therefore also trained in community-based trauma healing, to be able to support their community’s mental recovery. They delivered four healing sessions for project participants:

1. Raising awareness of the internal injuries suffered by beneficiaries as a result of disaster losses;

2. Mourning as a global experience and coping with feelings of loss;

3. Reconciling with oneself and one's environment;

4. Setting up a life project to rebuild hope.

Clovis MURHULA, a project participant who took part in the training on facilitating community-based trauma healing sessions, shares his experience after completing the training:

"The sessions gave me a new perspective on life. They helped me cope with the pain and rebuild my life. Now I feel ready to start something new, to rebuild my life."

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Discover more about NPCYP's work on their website: https://www.npcyp.org/.