Vocational training for former child soldiers in Congo

The Story

Bienvenu founded “Remember Youth for Change” in 2015 at his former high school in Goma. As an orphan himself, Bienvenu decided to create a club where young people could share their stories and support each other through peer counselling.

What started as informal counselling sessions between displaced children, orphans, and street youth evolved into something more profound when one participant, after six months of regular meetings, finally felt safe enough to share his story as a former child soldier. Bienvenu was shocked to hear the horrific stories of this child’s experience as a militia member after he recounted a story of him having buried a person alive.

This revelation highlighted a critical need - these children required not just emotional support but comprehensive rehabilitation and protection from being recruited into armed groups.

The Challenge

In the eastern DRC, particularly around the mineral-rich regions, armed groups actively recruit children through various means:

• They take advantage of their exposure to Hollywood media and desire to emulate what they see, allowing them to detach and see war like a game or movie.

• They exploit their lack of economic opportunities and basic needs.

• They target youth seeking revenge for lost family members.

• They prey on youth without robust family support systems or role models.

Bienvenu identified that many recruitment efforts now focus on displacement camps, where vulnerable youth are concentrated, and humanitarian aid arrives only quarterly, creating periods of acute need that make youth especially susceptible to manipulation.

Remember Youth For Change set up programs to support these youth and prevent their recruitment into armed groups.

Current Programs and Impact

Remember Youth for Change operates several interlinked programs:

1. Prevention and Counseling: Creating safe spaces for vulnerable youth to receive peer support and professional counselling, helping them process trauma and resist recruitment.

2. Skills Training: Operating sewing programs and other vocational training to provide economic alternatives.

3. Community Integration: Working with former child soldiers in ways that protect their privacy while helping them reintegrate into civilian life.

4. Agricultural Initiatives: Teaching sustainable farming practices to provide food security and economic opportunities.

5. Microloans: Providing microloans and business training to women in the displacement camps so they can develop economic independence.

Our donation

The donation will support Remember Youth for Change's operational costs, including:

• Office rent and internet connectivity to maintain their coordination centre

• Transportation costs for field workers

• Materials for their vocational training programs

• Agricultural program supplies

This operational support is critical as the organization runs solely on volunteer effort, with staff receiving only basic transport allowances for fieldwork.