On July 31, 2025, International African Women's Day, the BiEster Foundation, in collaboration with MONUSCO's gender section, organized a capacity-building workshop for about thirty women from various local organizations.

This activity, held in a context of deep security and humanitarian crisis in North Kivu, aimed to strengthen female leadership and resilience in an environment marked by insecurity and gender-based violence.

International African Women's Day, celebrated every July 31st, is not limited to a simple symbolic commemoration. In Goma, it has transformed into a platform for raising awareness and mobilizing women in the face of the socio-political and security challenges they face daily. The workshop aimed to encourage women to become active players in peacebuilding, despite their vulnerability in a region severely affected by war.

According to Mignonne Zaina Chakupewa, director of the BiEster Foundation, women often remain the first victims of armed conflicts: widowhood, displacement, poverty, sexual violence, trauma... all realities that affect the majority of women in North Kivu.

« Today, we wanted women from different social backgrounds to be able to reflect together on the issue of peace. Why does this war persist? And what is the woman's role in this war? », she declared.

The BiEster Foundation, engaged for several years in psychosocial support, economic empowerment, and promoting women's rights in conflict zones, relies on concrete strategies to raise female consciousness and encourage active participation of women in peace processes.

The workshop highlighted UN Resolution 1325, which notably emphasizes the importance of women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, in peace negotiations, as well as in reconstruction efforts.

« Many women are afraid to participate in the protection mechanisms that have been put in place. We therefore emphasized the importance of their involvement, despite intimidation », explained Nathalie Koné from MONUSCO's gender section.

Transforming Fear into Resilience

The testimonies collected during the workshop revealed persistent fear among women in Goma. Fear rooted in recurring violence, intimidation, and socio-cultural traditions that tend to reduce women to silence.

« What I felt in all the testimonies was this constant fear of women to gather, to speak, to denounce. But we must break this silence », insisted Mignonne Zaina.
Despite this, several women expressed their determination not to be defeated. One of them recounted how she intervened at the Goma market to prevent an M23 fighter from hitting a young tricycle driver.
« I set aside fear to plead in his favor », she confided, illustrating the resilience that women can show even in the most tense situations.

Another central aspect of the workshop was economic empowerment. Economically independent women are better equipped to make their voices heard, defend their rights, and resist violence.

The participants benefited from practical training on local entrepreneurship, notably soap or oil manufacturing, as highlighted by Gisèle Mushamalirwa from the FUPRODI association:

« We are learning entrepreneurship and that's what makes our strength. ».

For members of the BiEster Foundation, it is crucial that women are not only passive beneficiaries of aid, but that they become autonomous actors in their own development. This empowerment is inseparable from their role in building lasting peace.

A Day of Awakening and Commitment

International African Women's Day is perceived by participants not only as a day of recognition, but especially as a day of struggle.

« Since 1962, this day reminds us that women must not remain idle. She must fight for her rights, for peace, and participate in decisions that concern her », recalled Mignonne Zaina Chakupewa.

At the end of the workshop, a consensus emerged: to see the women of Goma rise, speak, organize themselves and work for inclusive peace. The participants expressed their satisfaction with the support from the BiEster Foundation and MONUSCO's backing.
« I learned that a woman leader must be clear, standing, visible. She must not hide if she wants to promote peace », concluded Gisèle Mushamalirwa.

In a context where war continues to rage in the east of the DRC, the workshop organized by the BiEster Foundation and MONUSCO is a reminder that women, beyond their suffering, are also peace-builders. And for that peace to be lasting, it must be built with them, and above all, by them.