Transparencia de Fundació CODESPA Catalunya

An opportunity for children and young people who were former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to recover their lives

The 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child recognizes the right of children to education, play, healthcare, and a protective environment. When children and young people, one of the most vulnerable population groups, find themselves at risk of violence and social exclusion, they deserve a second chance; one they should never have lost.

Since 2022, CODESPA has been developing the Social Reintegration of Former Child and Young Soldiers in Goma Detention Centers (EGEE) project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its participants, aged between 7 and 17, have seen their childhood cut short by circumstances beyond their control. Each has their own unique story, all of them difficult, and which has dragged them into a spiral of violence, causing social marginalization, from which it is very difficult to escape without help. With the support of various companies and foundations, this project aims to offer them an opportunity to reclaim their lives, re-educate them, and prepare them for peaceful coexistence, enabling them to overcome their ordeals and reintegrate into their families and communities.

The process towards their social reintegration

Various activities are carried out to achieve their social reintegration:

  • On the one hand, children and young people are provided with psychosocial support and individualized medical accompaniment, on a weekly basis and following an initial assessment, and their living conditions at the Center are improved with basic materials, such as blankets, sheets or hygiene supplies, and their food, to guarantee their nutritional security throughout the duration of the project;
  • In addition, socio-educational, creative, and recreational activities are organized with them, aimed at educating them in values, peaceful coexistence, and restoring their social sphere. A basic literacy, reading, writing, and math training program is also developed, with sessions held four days a week, taking into account the children’s ages and educational levels.
  • In addition, awareness-raising sessions on child protection are held so that children know what their rights are as children.
  • Among the adolescent beneficiaries, a vocational training selection process is also underway. Participants will attend vocational training workshops four days a week, with theoretical and/or practical sessions taught by specialized teams. This will help them find a profession or potential job opportunity that will allow them to earn a living once their prison term ends. This will be complemented by training in work and behavioral skills, emotional intelligence, and professional notions that will provide these young people with the tools to find work.
  • Finally, and a key aspect for the social reintegration of these children, is the family reunification process. After a few initial months of working with the children and assessing their physical and emotional recovery, contact is established with their family of origin, or a foster family willing to integrate them upon their release from the detention center, and meetings and mediation processes are organized and held privately.
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Behind each of these young people, there is a story

Since 2022, this program has helped support the social reintegration of 1,118 children and adolescents and provided vocational training to 360 young people. Behind each of these children is a story. Names, ages, dashed dreams, and the desire to pursue a more promising future.

Like that of 16-year-old Fabrice, who says: “Since I’ve been here, we’ve been advised and assessed by CODESPA and EGEE agents. The awareness and training sessions I’ve received will be useful once I leave the Center and return to my hometown. I can only thank CODESPA for its support of EGEE and the young people here. Our prayer is that this support may continue for our well-being.

Or that of Olive, a 15-year-old girl, who explains: “I received psychosocial support from CODESPA through group and individual sessions on GBV (gender-based violence), women’s education, and behavioral problems… “Today I know how to live with my family, in society, and with myself, because I lived under sexual exploitation for a long time… Now I see the world from a positive perspective.

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