In Burundi and DR Congo our priority issues are (i) Community empowerment, (ii) Sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation, (iv) Education and (iii) Youth empowerment.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
In Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, Aspire for Humanity Initiatives is working with local communities grouped in associations for their collective actions. Group formation ranges from 10 to 30 members per community group. Most of these groups are involved in agriculture and environment protection, income generating activities and reconciliation. These groups also provide an excellent platform for community discussions and complementary training in topics such as household nutrition and health/hygiene.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
Through tree planting and sustainable agriculture practices, Aspire for Humanity Initiatives strives for a better environmental conservation and to help farmers revitalize their soil fertility, which leads to increased availability, accessibility, quality, and stability of local food supplies. Aspire for Humanity Initiatives use associations of farmers to train local households in basic sustainable agriculture techniques and caring for the environment. The associations also provide a solution to land scarcity issues, because together associations are able to rent tracts of land that are beyond the reach of an individual household.
EDUCATION
At Aspire for Humanity Initiatives we believe a good quality education should be available to all children. Indeed, there is no dispute about its benefits. Education – especially that of girls and women – saves lives, reduces inequality and transforms communities. Researches have shown that a child born to a literate mother is 50 per cent less likely to die before the age of five and every extra year of education is estimated to increase a girl’s earning power by 10 to 20 per cent. Girls who have completed seven years of education will marry on average five years later than uneducated girls. Education transforms societies. It challenges inequality and discrimination. And education is often the most effective means of reducing inequality. But more than 150 million children in the world have to work to help their families instead of going to school. And for hundreds of millions of other children, access to education is hopelessly inadequate.
Aspire for Humanity Initiatives will work with communities in Republic Democratic of Congo and Burundi to help girls and boys get the education they need. By empowering local communities and supporting organizations at local levels, we will work to remove barriers and help all children realize the full potential of education.
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
Young women and men may be some of the most invisible and excluded groups - not only within their own communities, but also within national and international development. The concerns of older adolescents and young adults - particularly around health, education and jobs - have not received sufficient global attention.
Many young people feel shut off from the jobs market for instance, and mostly it is not that the jobs are not there. Some employers report that they cannot fill available positions as young candidates lack basic skills to engage in formal employment or have never had the opportunity to get work experience or training.
Aspire for Humanity Initiatives is committed to working with young people, and in doing so, we are initiating programs that aims at improving vocational education and entrepreneurial skills of young men and women to increase their access to household income generation and productive assets that enable self-reliance and enjoyment of life.