RCA 09 - PROMOTION OF SINGLE MOTHERS IN BANGUI
Project Location
The project is carried out in Bimbo, a suburb of Bangui. The city of Bangui and its surroundings, like other major cities in the Central African Republic, have suffered the negative effects of multiple military and political crises. The population of Bangui has abandoned some of the central districts of the city, moving to the peripheral areas considered safer, including the area of Bimbo where we live. Here improvised camps were built, to welcome thousands of people deprived of all their possessions as they fled the violence and clashes of the various militias inside the capital.
As a result, public schools are overcrowded, with the number of students reaching up to 150/200 children per class, studying conditions are deplorable. This demographic situation demotes many children who end up dropping out of school, especially girls who are forced to stay at home to help parents with housework and small businesses to meet the needs of their families.
This educational inequality contributed to exposing girls very early to unwanted pregnancies and other forms of gender-based violence. There is therefore a real need for psychosocial support to give them the opportunity to reintegrate into society. It is from these shortcomings that this project is justified and that it is intended to be a modest contribution of the Congregation of the Comboni Missionary Sisters in response to the problems of abandoned single mothers or victims of rape.
Project description
The aim of this project is to empower the young single mothers, aged between 15 and 25 years. In addition to the usual difficulties related to an early pregnancy, these young mothers experience a moral suffering linked to their particular positions in the society. The cultural attitude of her family, in most cases, is rejection. The father of the child, being often also a minor, feels unable to support her thus declines his responsibilities.
This project’s aim is primarily to improve the living conditions of single mothers to make them independent. We identified this problem through the two surveys that were carried out on the territory, respectively with single mothers and the local community. From the results of these surveys, we decided to start with this project in order to support the girls in learning a trade that can help them earn money and be able to take care of themselves and guarantee the future of their children. The project offers tailoring training courses (cutting and sewing) and training aimed at human, psychological and spiritual growth for a total duration of 2 years.
The project is divided into 3 phases:
Phase 1. Training: theoretical training on tailoring, human training, entrepreneurial skills, sales and marketing.
Phase 2. Practice: Students will cut, sew, use the sewing machine, test market skills, be exposed to business and accounting.
Phase 3. Internship: the girls will have an experience in a company and will be placed in strategic places where the possibility of being hired in the workplace is foreseen.
The project includes the cost of building simple outdoor toilets for students.
Objectives
- Give a chance of redemption to these single mothers by making them independent through learning a trade so that they can lead a dignified life
- Strengthen the capacities of single mothers in order to guarantee their livelihood and enable them to guarantee the formation and education of their children
- Professionally train and provide entrepreneurial skills to single mothers so that they are able to find a job and become financially stable to take care of their children and themselves
- To offer an holistic education to face the challenges of life as single mothers and learn ho to a better plan their lives
Beneficiaries
Direct: 20 Girls Mothers between 15 and 25 years’ old
Indirect: their children, their families and the community of Bangui
Referent sister of the project: Sr. Juliette Makolet
Project's costs