Mingi Mingi Bolingo Ya Mboka (Much Much Love and Friendship for our Nation)
The Story of UNAJAC: Mobilizing Youth in a Vulnerable Kinshasa Neighborhood
Contributed by: Jeneen Sutherland
Along with: Daniela Fast
Affiliations: Five & Two Network, UNAJAC Congo
Background
In Mont-Ngafula, an extremely poor neighbourhood in Kinshasa (the capital city of DR Congo), garbage is everywhere. Known for its high crime rate and impassable roads, the neighborhood has been in decline for decades.
Congolese citizen, Toss Mukwa, a member of the Five & Two Network of development practitioners, (MCAD – Maison du Consultant Africain de Développement) believes that every community, no matter how poor, has something to offer to make a positive difference for their own people. But, where would the help for Mont-Ngafula come from?
Toss was aware that the government had given up on the community long ago, and that foreign aid would probably never reach its streets. In 2016, Toss encountered a small group of mostly unemployed youth within the local church. As he got to know the youth (who were between the ages of 16 and 26), Toss was impressed with their social awareness and he saw great potential.
The ABCD Process
The youth were eager to turn their community around and learn about a radical approach to change. They began an intensive training period in the practices of community centred development. Rather than beginning with their problems and needs, they journeyed along a series of activities that focused on discovering their unique gifts, talents and strengths. Little by little, they saw the potential of what they had to offer their community and were inspired to act upon this discovery. All the core ABCD values were stimulated: the approach was citizen lead, relationship-oriented, asset-based, place-based, and inclusion focused.
Following training, the group honed in on a shared passion for the environment. They all agreed that they wanted to clean up their community and boost the morale of the neighbourhood. This was their starting point. The youth began with a humble plan to clean up their
streets. As they picked up garbage, they stopped to educate households about waste disposal. More linkages were made and more community members became interested; the group gained confidence and motivation was increased. Great momentum grew from here. A new sense of pride and community had literally washed over their neighbourhood.
Resulting Projects/Initiatives
Following their neighbourhood clean-up, the group was then inspired to start another initiative. The next project was to map the community (including 460 homes) and to repair two streets damaged by erosion that were unusable by vehicles. Using the map to outline their plan, they again went door-to-door, explaining their work to the residents, assembling community members to join and contribute financially if they could.
Before long, the number of young people engaged in the project grew to more than 100. With this level of support, the group then decided to take on one of the most significant issues facing the poor of Mont-Ngafula – access to health care. They approached local health clinics with a number of creative ideas to provide care for the people. They set up credit systems and group medicine purchases. They even provided the clinics with professional services like cleaning, electrical, and plumbing, in exchange for credit toward medical treatments.
In 2017, with Toss continuing as their mentor, the group formed a formal community association called UNAJAC (Union Nationale Des Jeunes Acteurs du Changement), establishing a small office supported by their members. Their vision was to equip and promote entrepreneurial vision and leadership of Congolese youth in various fields of community development. Social and intellectual development of grassroot community initiatives was key.
Their work now ranges across the areas of environmental management, education, health, agriculture, human rights and public governance. They have fostered youth businesses such as home cleaning, vehicle detailing, gardening and mechanics. They are leaders in COVID-19 prevention initiatives. Many partnerships have been born with other local associations and social service organizations to propel their efforts to improve the lives of marginalized members of communities.
What works/worked well
UNAJAC provides a space for the youth of Kinshasa to have support for their social action ideas. Rather than face the issues of their community as lone rangers, passionate young people are able to bring their skills, education and ideas to a collective group of like-minded individuals. As the youth of UNAJAC continue to share their vision and their assets material, spiritual, or financial, a kind of social capital is created within the community, which will become the foundation for long-term sustainable development.
To date, the project has still received no outside funding and stands strong as a fine example of the potential of asset-based community development. They have structured themselves into a formal association with defined leadership roles and responsibilities, membership fees and responsibilities as well as a structured plan for their future objectives. Through their initiatives they have contributed to their communities by building capacity in local municipalities, increasing household incomes and helped reduce the mentality of dependency while building a spirit of collective empowerment and self-reliance. Furthermore, they have created satellite associations in various Congolese municipalities who share the same vision, mission and objectives and are creating connections with other associations whom they can collaborate within their communities on various initiatives.
Challenges & Critiques
The main challenge faced again and again is the ‘dependency mindset’ that has been ingrained into the people of Congo. In Belgian colonial times people were stripped of their dignity and many lost their way to ‘fend for themselves’. The Belgians took a paternalistic attitude towards the Congolese and treated them as though they were all children. Some well meaning development organisations have unintentionally had a similar effect too. UNAJAC’s training starts with uncovering individual and community strengths. Once the community has gained confidence they are ready to tackle projects together. This shift from a dependency mindset is key for development success.
Key Insights and Future plans
Until a community believes in itself it is impossible to reach development goals. UNAJAC ‘moves at the speed of trust’ and instills confidence in the groups that they are working with. The organisation hopes to further expand throughout the country to inspire youth to believe in themselves.
Overall Synopsis
Many youth in Kinshasa, DR Congo complete their years of education passionate and driven only to find that there are no jobs available to them. Often this passion becomes displaced when there is nowhere to direct it. By taking stock of what talents, skills and collective passion they had, these youth of Mont-Ngafula found purpose and meaning in their education and a place to make a difference in their community. What began with a small straight-forward project led to a domino effect of bigger projects and ultimately led to the formation of their association. Now functioning as an official national association, they are recognized by the public as ambassadors for change and development in Kinshasa and throughout the DR Congo. UNAJAC’s work and commitment demonstrated that they truly live by their slogan, “mingi mingi bolingo ya mboka”, much much love and friendship for our nation.
Tags: Urban, Youth,
Related blog post: https://www.fiveandtwonetwork.org/blog/something-from-nothing
Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEtKY5C3K8U