NGUVU YA AFRICA

Nguvu Ya Africa was visioned by Claudine Migisha and was founded in 2019 by a team of 90% women and 10% men (10%) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a creative non-profit organization and enterprise committed to peace and sustainability. Their work specifically focuses on breaking the cycle of trauma and economic crisis facing the marginalized girls and women living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Nguvu Ya Africa provides a unique economic empowerment model that combines both psychosocial and creative artistic tools to equip marginalized girls and women. Engaging men as powerful partners helps fulfill Nguvu Ya Africa’s mission for a more equal, healthy, and peaceful society. 

In addition to entrepreneurship and self-development training, women receive tools and grants to support their families and build their communities. Nguvu Ya Africa stays connected with these women on the ground to evaluate how they are doing with their small businesses and to help them build their self-esteem and confidence. Women who are successful, repay the initial grants and sometimes apply for a second round of funding. Women who were not as successful continue to receive training and grants. These grants have been made possible through funding from Golden Girls Global and the Watson Accelerator.

“The support we have received from Golden Girls Global (GGG) and Golden Bridge is the foundation of all of our successes. GGG mentoring and the community of colleagues to support our inner life and outer plans have been invaluable to us. The curriculum for teachings was generated from the SomaSource (Golden Bridge) curriculum (menstrual health, micro-grants, financial support, and day to day leadership). Our affiliation with Golden Girls Global gives us status in our country” ~ Claudine Migisha, CEO & Founder, Nguvu Ya Africa.

RECENT CHALLENGES

• GLOBAL PANDEMIC - The Covid-19 pandemic kept the organization separated from the women they served, and more importantly they lacked the necessary finances to fund their operations. Staff had to volunteer their time, while beneficiaries were unable to grow their endeavours due to ongoing lockdown.  
• TRAUMA FROM THE VOLCANO - The volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo proved very disruptive to Nguvu Ya Africa. Attendance and engagement declined as people were traumatized, including organizational leaders. Many had to flee and many family members died due to pollutants from volcanic ash in the water. There was an outbreak of diarrhea and cholera due to communal housing in schools without proper toilets. Lack of access to proper food and shelter was another serious issue.
• SECURITY ISSUES - In the past year, the Nguvu Ya Africa center was broken into resulting in the loss of phones, computers, and sewing machines. The organization had to turn towards women in the community to share personal tools and sewing machines to keep education and entrepreneurship going. The community collaboration was inspiring and critical. 

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

• RESILIENCE - Even with the grave hardships of the past year community teamwork remained steadfast and stellar resulting in:

                * Significant increase in engagement from 18 women in 2019 to 80 women in 2020/2021

                * 180 women received microfinance grants

                * 200 women and families who engaged in some way with the organization reported life improvements

• CENTER FOR WOMEN - The establishment of the Nguvu Ya Africa Center for Women in 2021 provided a physical location in which to organize workshops and training. It also created a safe space for people to come and share their struggles and successes every day.  
• NON-PROFIT STATUS - Nguvu Ya Africa received national recognition as a not-for-profit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR

• Make the Nguvu Ya Africa office stable and secure with permanent staff that can live there. Create and build a sustainable team.
• Build community connections by reaching out to schools and orphanages to bring dance-movement and the arts to teens and young people.
• Strengthen the core program’s reach by supporting the key women who have shown up, ensuring  their continued success. Empower the community leaders on their path to becoming teachers and teachers of teachers on the Nguvu Ya Africa team.