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A Goma, les membres du Club RFI assurent, depuis près de 2 ans, le suivi en formation de 30 jeunes orphelins particulièrement vulnérables, avec le soutien de l’association CoopTerre. Ce projet marque le début d’une transformation dans la vie des nouveaux apprentis et de leurs pairs.
There are cities around the world that make you wonder how they managed to develop in such challenging geographical areas. The example of El Alto, Bolivia's second-largest city with nearly 1 million inhabitants and located at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, is quite telling, as is that of Yanjing in China, which houses 400,000 inhabitants in a space only 30 meters wide between the Nanxi River and the steep cliffs characteristic of this region. Goma, to the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda is one of those major questions of geographical location.
Located in the menacing shadow of the Nyiragongo, a hyperactive volcano Since the end of the 19th century, it has been on constant alert due to the numerous eruptions that frequently cascade down its slopes. A pavilion bears witness to this heightened vigilance., the May 2021 eruption had led to the evacuation of several residential neighborhoods in the city, resulting in the destruction of numerous homes. This volcanic risk must be coupled with in the vicinity of Lake Kivu, meromictic lake containing large quantities of toxic gases which could also erupt and threaten Goma.
Geologically threatened, it is also the site of a conflict situation inherited from the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Caught in regular armed conflicts since the 1990s between different military groups, the situation has become particularly tense. in January 2025 with the capture of the city by the armed forces of the M23 and the Rwandan Defence Forces. This invasion continues to deepen a profound humanitarian crisis, marked by the dismantling of refugee camps around the city. A year later, the consequences are severe, with a population struggling to access essential services despite the establishment of a parallel administration by the invading forces.
Faced with this situation, a question arises: How can we build a future in a city threatened by nature and by human conflict? How can a development process be initiated in such a threatened area? These are the questions that two partner organizations, the RFI Goma Club and the French association CoopTerre, tried to answer. Together, they carried out the micro-project «"Give me a chance too"», winner of the call for projects Autumn 2023, who wanted to do’professional integration of 30 young orphans, the heart of their intervention in this city.
THE July 7, 2024 will have marked the launch of this ambitious project. A day bringing together the partner orphanages, the National Institute for Vocational Training and the Don Bosco Training Center, as well as the State services for youth and social affairs, it will have served as a fixed course to affirm strong commitments, making in particular the psychosocial support of young people an important focus.
This is how three groups of 10 young people were formed from July 2024 to March 2025. The targeted sectors were the plomberie, la mécanique, la maçonnerie, la soudure, la couture et l’esthétique/coiffure. Once the courses were completed, exams were held to certify the students' achievements before they were placed in different professional settings for an internship. At the end of their internship, the young people received support in finding employment or professional opportunities.
It should be noted that this project was severely impacted in January 2025 by the capture of the city of Goma by the M23 forces mentioned earlier. Beyond the disruption of activities, the mental state of the young people was deeply affected by the clashes. Several of them wanted to drop out of the training programs. The psychosocial assistance offered by the RFI Goma Club and the support offered by the Don Bosco Centre auront permis d’amener au bout de leur cursus l’ensemble des promotions. Cela permet de préciser l’importance d’un dispositif encadrant la santé mentale dans des contextes où les traumatismes sont fréquents pour les bénéficiaires. Malgré ces difficultés, les employeurs des jeunes ont noté leur rigueur à toute épreuve lors des différentes phases d’apprentissage.
Empowering young girls was also one of the important issues of this project. Several have entered traditionally male-dominated fields. like plumbing and mechanics. They achieved the best results in their final exams. Here's what one of them said to the project's closing event :
I often say it, I've always wanted to make a difference. If I chose plumbing, it was to show women that we too can do what we do. we have a hidden strength behind what people think we are. I dream. to become a great plumbing engineer and develop other optional technical skills like most men, but also show women what they are capable of. The "Give Me a Chance Too" project transformed us. This project gave us a chance to change our perspective on the future, to dream big and to become useful in our community.
On saisit bien l’effet de ce projet sur l’estime de soi de ces jeunes. Le discours se porte sur l’avenir, sur l’autonomie, la dignité et la volonté de transmission des savoirs et compétences auprès des autres enfants de leurs orphelinats. Comme le précise CoopTerre, l’association française porteuse du projet :
The project enabled a way out of exclusion and a renewed sense of self-esteem through professional success. Some have returned to their families who had rejected them. They become inspiring figures for young people in orphanages inspiring vocations and strengthening social cohesion.
Beyond training, it is also important to look at the dynamics of professional integration. 27 % young people now have stable employment. 56 % have a more precarious form of employment or are still in professional training. Of these young people still in professional internships, half already have a job offer.. Finally, 17,130 young people are still looking for work. The most common job search sector remains dressmaking, in a highly competitive field. These figures must be considered in light of the very complex economic context where informal jobs do not necessarily meet our professional integration standards. Thus, through this project, 83 % young people have a professional occupation and can therefore derive some income from their activity, a rather impressive statistic in this objective of youth empowerment.
For many of the children and young people in the orphanages targeted by the project, these training programs have provided pathways to a brighter future. To continue these activities, the two partners are considering the deployment of a atelier collectif utilisé par les diplômés dont les productions permettraient de financer les frais de formation de nouveaux jeunes. Il serait équipé de matériel professionnel dédié aux filières d’apprentissage (machine à coudre, caisse à outils, sèche-cheveux, ordinateur, poste de soudure, four, …). D’autres pistes sont également envisagées pour favoriser l’installation à leur compte des jeunes comme la prise en charge des documents étatiques pour la création d’entreprise ou encore une aide au premier loyer pour démarrer son activité. Les deux partenaires souhaitent également create a digital service platform où il pourront proposer leurs compétences à la population pour poursuivre et continuer de favoriser davantage cet objectif d’insertion professionnelle.
