New Project: Teaching Schoolchildren About Violence, Abuse and Sexual Harassment

AZUR Développement has recently initiated a new project in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire aimed at raising awareness among young schoolchildren about the reality of violence, abuse and sexual harassment, both in the home and at school. During my time in the Congo and especially at our workshops with women survivors of violence and abuse, we heard disturbing testimonies pointing to the growing trend in violence aimed towards young girls and boys. Young girls are increasingly the victims of sexual violence and incest; young boys are being targeted by teenagers and adult men. Schoolteachers are finding ways to entrap and pressure female students into inappropriate relationships. 


I recently received an email from AZUR's director, Sylvie Niombo, passing on several testimonies given by students at a recent information session at a middle school in Pointe-Noire. Both boys and girls were made aware of what constitutes violence, abuse and harassment and encouraged to come together in speaking up and denouncing it. Several students spoke up on the spot about the difficult situation they and other family members suffer at home and at school each and every day. 

Rapport  journalier des activités compagne 16 jours

Du  08 au 09 décembre 2011, nous il a été réalisé des sensibilisations

sur violences dans les  écoles :

Collège de Pierre Tchicaya de Bonpire et  au collège  de Ndaka Soussou

au Fond de Tié-Tié .

La sensibilisation au collège PTB vague B a eu lieu hier le 08

Décembre,  100 élèves repartis en groupe de 50 ont participé à la

sensibilisation.

La même procédure a été suivie pour la sensibilisation au collège Ndaka Soussou

Deux animatrices.

Les thèmes abordés  étaient de la violence faite à l’égard des

enfants, les violences psychologique et physique le harcèlement et

abus sexuel et les violences par abus à l’usage des nouvelles

technologies de l’information et la communication (TIC), nous avons

aussi  parlé un peu de la violence conjugale.

A la fin de chaque  présentation nous avons introduit la séance de

dessin représentant les différentes formes de violences,  compte tenu

du temps qui nous était imparti, nous étions obligé de procéder ainsi

,en plus les enfants sont dans une période des examens de fin de

trimestre.

Pour le collège PTB, les enfants  étaient  plus attentifs et

disciplinés pour les 2 groupes, à Ndaka soussou, au départ les enfants

étaient un peu distraits, mais à la fin, ils étaient intéressés.

La séance a été marqué par des séances des questions – réponses, et

quelques témoignages :

1- Fouanani Fildrine, 15ans élève au collège PTB en classe de 3ème

orpheline de père et de mère de puis l’âge de 9ans, 1 petite sœur et 1

petit frère. Elle vit chez un oncle, mais celui-ci ne l’a traite pas

vraiment bien, il y a des jrs où elle n’a pas droit à la nourriture,

et pourtant chaque jour on prépare chez elle, ses cousins et cousines

ont le droit, son oncle prétend qu’il  la loge déjà c’est largement

suffisant. Même pour les fournitures scolaires c’est son cousin de 20

ans, le 1er fils de cet oncle, mais qui ne vit pas avec eux, qui les

lui ont achetés. Ce fameux oncle  travail à la mairie de Loandjili,

pour subvenir à ses petit besoins, elle est obligée de vendre les

pains , mais son oncle ne devait pas le savoir, sinon il pourrait la

chasser de chez lui.

2- Mouyele  Préfina à Ndaka Soussou : le témoignage est celui de sa

sœur dont le mari couche avec sa fille, aujourd’hui la fille à 20ans

c’est depuis le bas âge que celui-ci a commencé à violer sa fille, la

maman qui craignait pour son mariage, a préféré de souffrir en

silence, la fille quand à elle a finalement  accepté cette condition,

elle jalouse même sa maman.

Il y a 3 jours précisément, que la maman  a décidé de  dévoiler le

secret, et pour être crédible, elle a  fait venir un photographe qui a

filmé le père et la fille en flagrant délit d’adultère à travers la

fenêtre , le monsieur a été mis en garde à vue à la gendarmerie et la

femme est partie  de la maison parce que sa fille l’ a violemment

chamaillé  et injurié en la traitant de  sorcière. Nous   avons vu  le

photographe qui nous adonné tous les détails, ils nous a mêmes promis

ces fameuses photos  lui a demande  si nous pouvions rencontrer  cette

femme.

3- Le même garçon nous a aussi  confié que l’un de  ses cousins a

failli être violé  par des prostituées  du fond Tié-tié. mais   nous

lui avons demandé si l’on pouvait recueillir le témoignage de son

cousin.

Les enfants étaient satisfaits, surtout la séance du dessin les

beaucoup plus et nous pensons que cela leur a permis de  mieux

comprendre les formes de violences. D’autres élèves, principalement

les garçons réclament tjrs de participer aux sensibilisations.

Aujourd’hui, la pluie a failli nous gâcher la séance, mais nous  avons

néanmoins tenue notre sensibilisation, et les  enfants étaient très

motivés.

Moving On

It has now been nearly five months since I returned home from Brazzaville--more time than I spent there. In that time, to my surprise, the Congo has still been very much on my mind. I have remained in contact with AZUR Développement and my former colleagues Sylvie and Ginette, as well as with other family and friends I met during my time in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. From time to time I check in with AZUR's recent activities and projects, even its day-to-day activities and updates. It truly meant something to be part of their team in Brazzaville.

Much seems to have changed, in my opinion, since I left the office in mid-July. For starters, one of the project coordinators whom AZUR had hired midway through my internship, Audrey, is no longer with the association. In fact, it appears her departure from AZUR occurred on very unpleasant terms, and may have been precluded by her making unauthorized withdrawals from one or more project accounts. While Sylvie and other members of AZUR were able to bring Audrey to the police station and lodge a formal complaint, Audrey was herself rather defiant and accused the association of cruelty and discrimination. No settlement was reached: an entire day at the station resulted in nothing more than a war of imprecations and calumny. 

The fact of the matter is Audrey proved rather soon after her hire unable to meet her assigned responsibilities. I was able to spend more than a month by her side at the Brazzaville office from early June to mid-July, and remarked immediately multiple issues. First of all, she had a difficult time diving into and coordinating a project that had begun before her arrival. The FTX project, for which I had coordinated a rural workshop in Kinkala April 12-14, was her principal preoccupation. Indeed, there remained much work with this project concerning follow-up meetings, activities and local mobilization efforts. Audrey has been hired for this very purpose: to use her knowledge of social issues, NGO projects and mobilization techniques to ensure the FTX project remain on schedule. The success of this project is all the more imperative since it is being financed by a new British donor, with whom AZUR hopes to create a lasting partnership. In most cases, a renewed contract or sponsorship typically is met with higher funding. Audrey was unable to plan and mobilize project activities in a timely manner. She simply seemed at a loss for what to do. The second issue thus is that it was clear she needed assistance in one form or another but was incapable of asking for it. Each day as we would all sit at the same large table and work on our respective tasks, it was clear to us all how little progress was being made--she wasn't making calls to people, or on the computer sending emails, or creating forms or schedules... Even more difficult to bear was her ineptitude with computers. She was uncomfortable navigating on the Web and with handling her Email account; nor had she learned to formally type or use a word processor. Her lack of skill was embarrassing for us since, after all, AZUR is an association whose primary approach towards women's development is to harness new technologies. To our dismay, Audrey showed no commitment to improve these very skills. 

In the end, Audrey and the continuing delays of the FTX project became an increasing burden for the rest of the AZUR team. I believe their disappointment was never in response to her lack of computer skills or technological maladroitness. These technologies are not ubiquitous in Congolese society, and people most often must pay relatively high prices to spend thirty minutes or an hour at an Internet cafe. Owning a personal computer is out of the question for many. Rather, the problem most likely is attributed to Audrey's lack of personal motivation to acquire these necessary new skills, or even her inability to grasp their imperativeness. Everyone at AZUR, even Sylvie the Executive Director had to devote themselves to learning how to use computers and other technologies. They committed time and energy to improving their competencies, taking nothing for granted. AZUR relies on having competent, well-trained and motivated personnel to remain competitive and retain its credibility as one of the leading NGOs in the Congo in the field of technology and women's rights. 

So AZUR is once again in the position of recruiting a project coordinator. This time the association may be more apt to reconsider which skills and characteristics it is seeking in its candidates. Audrey was by all means a seasoned professional in the civil society sector, though in the end we were led to question where her true motivations lay. 

Home

It was one week ago that I took off from Brazzaville on a 31-hour return trip to the United States. Since last Friday evening I have been back in North Carolina, surrounded by countless comforts and luxuries that I hadn't known or seen for more than four months. Hot water, refrigerators, ovens, air conditioning and central heating, paned windows, and more. I'm also returned to the land of droves of cars and endless traffic. There's also the fast food, and with that I'm shocked to see how many obese people I was able to see during the midday rush at McDonald's. I can't help but admit these are my first impressions after having left the country for only a few months. 


We certainly live the 'good life' here in the US. I'm privileged to enjoy it myself. In Brazzaville I met a lot of friends who did all they could to make the most of the life they had and the conditions in which they found themselves. I'm older now and hopefully wiser than I was four years ago when I first traveled to Senegal. I realize now the slight discomfort I feel isn't a wholesale judgment of the society and the culture in which I was raised. Things here are just... different. Time is different, money is different. Relationships and careers are different. 


My four months in the Congo has helped me realize I have a gift for seeing these differences and for adapting my behavior and actions. Whether I'm in Brazzaville of Pinehurst, it has also reinforced the importance of making the most of one's time and energy. Even the 'good life' can be misused and lost, if we so wish. 

$170/month

That's the price AZUR pays for dial-up internet that, for the past two months, continues to become slower and slower. With three or four colleagues online at once there is a virtual logjam where no one is able to navigate without cutting someone else's connection. 

$170/month. That's almost equal to the rent AZUR pays for the house where we all work. 

The Congo and other countries in the region are in the process of building a new underground fiber-optic network that will connect to the rest of the world. I know very little about the trans-atlantic fiber-optic cable or any others for that matter, but it basically means that in a few years' time the Congo will have better quality and faster internet for its customers, which in theory should lead to an increase in demand and lower prices. In theory. 

Fourth of July at the American Embassy

Yesterday evening I attended an event hosted by the American Embassy in Brazzaville in the celebration of our national holiday. My boss Sylvie had received an invitation from the Embassy for herself and a guest, though she wasn’t feeling well enough yesterday afternoon to attend the party. So this ‘guest’ grabbed the invitation and took off for the party.

I am constantly intrigued and impressed by how well the security is coordinated at such events, and at the Embassy in general. As I approached by taxi the avenue leading to the Embassy the entire road had been blocked and there were several armed Congolese Special Forces stationed in front of the barricade. I descended from the taxi and was directed to an off-site shuttle that would take me to the Embassy entrance: walking to the front gate was not an option.

After exiting the security building, I was immediately ushered into a line to shake hands with the Ambassador and his wife. I was rather excited and nervous to be able to finally meet the Ambassador, though the introduction was fairly brief. The party was outdoors on the lawn beside the Embassy, with a large tent and outdoor bars and high-top tables. There were string lights and miniature American flags everywhere. The catering was the best I have seen in the Congo, in terms of cleanliness, friendliness of the servers and the quality of the drinks. (Seriously, I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences.) Still, there was no tonic water and at one point I was given vodka and coke instead of whiskey and coke. I eventually settled for a lukewarm gin and soda. The music at the party was, in a word, awesome: Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, Skynyrd, Otis Redding and other classics. The national anthem was performed by an American gospel quarter visiting the Congo and followed by another group singing the Congolese national anthem, which, I have to admit, was pretty catchy. There were even two Marines stationed in Kinshasa who came to the event to walk and hoist the flag.

Towards the end of the evening I found a few minutes to chat with the Ambassador. He asked me about my experience thus far in the Congo and told me he was pleased, if not a bit surprised, to see a young American involved to the degree that I am here in Brazzaville. The Ambassador was familiar with AZUR Développement and the association’s prior work in collaboration with the Embassy.

Alas, there were no fireworks to cap off the evening, but between the open bar, classic rock and meeting the Ambassador and other consular officers, it was a memorable Fourth of July.