Empowerment for Peace and Stability

For most of her life, Neema has had to conquer dangers and challenges that threatened the safety of her and her family. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Neema’s stability was shattered by the violence of war when conflict broke out in her own family as relatives fought over the land she and her husband had inherited. These challenges reached a breaking point, and Neema and her husband fled to Tanzania. 

“We decided to come to Tanzania for security purposes,” Neema explained. She currently lives in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp with her husband and five children whose ages range from four to 15. They’ve lived in the camp for eight years and are being processed for resettlement. “We cannot return to Congo,” Neema stated, adding that their home will be in either Tanzania or another country if they’re granted refugee status. 

At the camp, Neema soon learned of the new challenges she would need to overcome, beginning with basic nutrition. “My life was very hard because I couldn’t obtain a variety of food,” she shared. Residents in Nyarugusu camp are not allowed to leave the camp while their cases are being processed, making it extremely difficult to address these challenges without the tools they need. 

Through CWS’ Sustainable Gardening program, we equip individuals like Neema and her family with these tools. When invited to join the program, Neema was given seeds, materials and training needed to start her home garden where she can grow her own food. “Before, I didn’t know how to eat a variety of vegetables. Now I eat vegetables like chia, kale and spinach. I didn’t have any knowledge of these vegetables, but now I’m an expert. I’m thankful for CWS. Now food is no longer an issue in my family.”

Beyond establishing food security, Neema has discovered another sense of safety through this program. She shared that before joining, she had to walk to other zones in the camp for food and other necessities. This often exposed her to sexual violence and harassment. “We are often humiliated,” she explained. Now through the program, Neema is able to grow everything she needs for her family in her own backyard and does not have to leave as often, minimizing her exposure to potential dangers around the camp. She added that “through this program any surplus I make from my vegetables I use to buy firewood and anything else that I would normally need outside my camp,” and she has even earned enough to buy herself a phone. 

Participants of the program are not only empowered with valuable tools needed to establish safety and wellbeing, but they are also given lessons on gender equality. In this program, both men and women learn about the massive benefits they can reap when women are empowered and couples work together while rebuilding their lives in the camp. One seed at a time, Neema is slowly rebuilding the peace and stability she deserves. 

CWS is grateful to our partners, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund and Canadian Foodgrains Bank, for supporting this work. To learn more about CWS’ work supporting refugees all around the world, click here.