Congo-Kinshasa
South Kivu, ACDC

The partner organisation
Since 2013, ALEF has been working with the local organisation Association Congolaise pour le Développement Communautaire (ACDC), which operates in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo-Kinshasa. ACDC was founded in 2006 and has since worked with questions concerning education, health, women's rights and the environment.
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ALEF and ACDC jointly produced course material in the mother tongue Mashi during the period 2013-2016. There are teaching materials and a syllabus for three levels, as well as additional reading material.​​
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The situation
Since the 1990s, the population in the eastern parts of Congo-Kinshasa has been hit hard by conflict and unrest. There are many armed groups in the area that create insecurity, oppression and harassment of the local population. Human rights are being violated on several levels; abuse of power, corruption and lawlessness are widespread. For example, it is common for soldiers to set up illegal roadblocks aimed at extorting money from the local population.
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After years of unrest, illiteracy is widespread in the South Kivu province. Illiterate youth and adults is a group that is treated badly. Others often take advantage of the fact that they cannot read or count to control sums. Self-confidence is low among illiterate people, and often they do not have the courage to question or stand up for their rights.
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The courses
In year 1, you learn basic reading and writing in the mother tongue Mashi and practice reading on texts you create yourself. You talk about common everyday challenges and make decisions about how to deal with them.
Year 2 focuses on how to use the four methods of calculation in everyday life. At the same time, reading and writing in the mother tongue continues. At this level, reading in Swahili is also introduced. The conversations about the challenges of everyday life and the solutions to the problems continue.
In the 3rd year, longer texts are read both in the mother tongue Mashi and in Swahili. Human rights are discussed based on the local situation. The groups learn how to start and run a savings cooperative together. The basic principle of the savings cooperative is that each member contributes a small amount each week. From the joint fund, they give each other small microloans. There is also a fund for social assistance for e.g. illness and death, as well as a fund for joint projects.
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The savings cooperatives formed during the third course are called MUSO "Mutuelles de Solidarité". The MUSO groups continue to meet on their own after the completion of the three levels. They form their own organisations with statutes, boards and guidelines. ACDC regularly follows up on the MUSO groups that have previously completed the ALEF courses.​
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The impact
You can read more about the impact of the project under the tab "Impact" on this website.

En kvinna i byn Cibimbi övar sig att läsa på swahili. I varje program lär man sig ett andra språk förutom modersmålet.

Describe your image

En kvinna i byn Cibimbi övar sig att läsa på swahili. I varje program lär man sig ett andra språk förutom modersmålet.


Kabare district
In brief
Started: 2013
Partner organisation: ACDC
Area: Kabare, South Kivu
Number of groups 2024: 100
No of participants 2024: 2180