Congo Tree - Dem. Rep. of Congo (CDD)
The Congo Tree believe in developing the skills of young people and supporting them to become the next generation of leaders, which is particularly needed in such a complex environment such as Congo. There is conflict and violence in the Eastern part of DRC and the young people of the Congo Tree have been peacemakers this year, passing on messages of peace to their family and friends, which has had considerable impact.
Their major project is their WYLD Programme, which equips young people with transferable ‘life’ and leadership skills, supports them with mentoring, and encourages them to get involved in their community. Their mentoring programme has created a bridge and an informal platform between young people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds, particularly in Rutshuru and Masisi; two areas still coping with active violence and conflict, as well as dealing with their respective histories.
Through peer-learning techniques, WYLD aims to build transferable ‘life’ and leadership skills in problem-solving, communication, creativity, enterprise and leadership with integrity. Designed to work specifically with young people who are growing up in difficult contexts, giving young people the space to dream, the support to achieve and the tools to overcome barriers builds resilience, opportunities and, most importantly, hope for a positive future.
Practically, the whole programme is generally run over a year. At the beginning there are 3-4 intensive training days, and after that, they hold monthly meetings. The Congo Tree also set a team challenge to design and present a social action or enterprise project for the benefit of the local community which, if presented well, will be awarded a small grant and groups then have a year to organise and begin their project. A graduation is held at the end of the year and everyone who completes the programme gets a certificate.
The programme is available at two levels; our Young Leaders are 13-18 years old, and our Leader Mentors are 18-30 years old. The Congo Tree believe strongly in mentoring, and so Leader Mentors are paired with a Young Leader and they spend time together throughout the year in a mentoring relationship, supported by our team. This relationship often continues long after the training has been completed.
Additionally, in the past year The Congo Tree team have come up with a great new group of projects under the heading of Mwanzo ('beginning'). These are Mwanzo Artistique, Mwanzo Enterprise, and Peace 4 a Future:
Mwanzo Artistique: is a professional and personal development programme designed to support young artists at the early stages of their careers.
Mwanzo Enterprise: is to equip and support teams of young entrepreneurs in the start-up phase of their business by providing them with the right spaces to work, coaching and basic lessons in business development and management.
Peace 4 a Future: is a programme to support young people to be at the centre of finding solutions to problems related to peace, justice and inclusion in their communities.
