Women for Women International (WfWI) is an organisation that has been working with women in war torn nations for 16 years. We provide women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies.

Our belief is that stronger women make stronger nations; we believe that if women are given access to knowledge and expression of a voice, as well as access to and control of resources, this will create lasting political change. By actively involving women in development, countries can move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.

Since 2004, WfWI has provided direct support to 31,195 women in the DRC; there are 11,811 women currently in our programmes. Our year long programme offers participants rights awareness and life-skills training, as well as individual relationships with sponsors who provide direct financial assistance and emotional support through letter writing. Participants also receive vocational and income-generating assistance through business start-up services, access to capital and input supplies, and perhaps most importantly, identification and development of market linkages to help bring products to market.

For example, 106 women are now making a living from tile production after participating in our programme. With significant local demand in particular from neighbouring Rwanda, tile making is a lucrative and sustainable income-generating activity. Production breaks down into three areas: tiles for housing, cooking pots for domestic purposes and ornamental pots for decoration. The women have been trained in business planning and development and are now actively building a co-operative.

An innovative Men’s Leadership Training Programme sensitises male leaders to crucial women’s rights issues and prepares them to leverage their community influence on behalf of women. Engaging with men is paramount for lasting community change.