Aloys Mahwa is Director of the Living Peace project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Using group therapy techniques and educational workshops, the Living Peace initiative addresses the trauma associated with the experience of conflict and promotes equitable and non-violent paths to recovery for individuals, families and communities.
Aloys is responsible for adapting Living Peace in North and South Kivu, western provinces of the DRC, coordinating working sessions with participants, developing the Living Peace Institute, documenting and elaborating on program lessons learned and best practices, and overseeing the monitoring and evaluation actions of the initiative. Aloys joined Promundo after five years of experience working at USAID on health financing projects in Rwanda.
[This is a translation of the original English version of the interview]
1) What factors or experiences made you interested in working with men to promote non-violence and gender equity? How does this work connect to your life experiences?
From a very young age, when I was in high school in Bukavu [western DRC], I learned to use my free time to help others. In high school, I was good at math and English. I used my vacations, holidays, weekends and free time to help my brothers and neighbors do their math and English homework.
These first family educational experiences shaped my attitude towards others and reinforced in me a notion of non-violence, vulnerability, fragility, solidarity and responsibility that those who enjoy some privilege should have towards the most vulnerable.
For example, in 1998, while I was a university student, I spent two months of my vacation supporting the elderly in Bujumbura [Burundi]. I helped them wash their clothes, do physical exercises, read and follow their doctors' prescriptions.
In 2002, I provided translation services for exiles and refugees in London, and from 2001 until 2003, when I was studying in Paris, I dedicated my free time on Wednesdays to teaching social work and ethics to children under 12. In 2009, he was actively involved in developing a program to reduce domestic violence against children following the genocide in Rwanda. I never stopped doing this work for vulnerable people.
Elderly people, children, exiles are all particularly vulnerable to different forms of violence. Supporting them represents an important contribution to violence-free education and the promotion of cultural diversity.
In 2010, I was among 10 consultants who developed the gender policy for the National University of Rwanda. I remember a simple contribution and reflection that I brought to the infrastructure team – classrooms, dormitories, offices, bathrooms, kitchens – about the importance of reducing not only gender inequality at the university but also symbolic violence.
Most of the university's infrastructure was built in the 1960s by men who never imagined that women and girls would one day attend the university as students or teachers. It's no surprise to find classes built to accommodate only male students and teachers. To address gender equity within institutions such as universities, we must understand whether the infrastructure is built to promote equality between men and women, especially whether it welcomes women and girls.
2) Living Peace in DRC is estimated to have reached around 900 men in the first year, along with thousands of wives/partners and community members. What are the most important impacts of the program in the first year and in the long term?
Promundo has achieved global recognition in engaging men in different aspects of gender equality. The Living Peace project, which we are implementing in the DRC, especially in North and South Kivu, seeks to engage men and boys in peacebuilding in western DRC. For decades, this region of the country has experienced wars, population displacements and violence, including sexual and gender-based violence.
We cannot restore peace without addressing the sexual and gender-based violence that has made western DRC known as the “rape capital”. Local authorities share this concern and many civil society organizations are looking forward to seeing the DRC become the “capital of peace”.
The restoration of peace is included in the peace agenda established by MONUSCO [United Nations Organization for the Stabilization of the DRC]. The pilot phase of Living Peace was implemented in Luvungi [South Kivu] and Goma [North Kivu] last year.
For these communities, Living Peace contributed to restoring communication and dialogue between couples, men reduced their use of violence and alcohol abuse to resolve conflicts, they learned to control their frustrations and violence, and health and harmony in the family were improved. favored.
The most important impact of the project is the reduction of sexual violence and how men, instead, realized that they can contribute to maintaining peace and preventing sexual and gender-based violence – a change present in several reports from perpetrators of violence . In the first year, the project sought to reach 900 men, primarily in the zone established by MONUSCO, and transform them into ambassadors of peace. Of course, this number is still small, but it should gradually increase through other strategies such as the campaign that will reach 12 thousand people in the communities.
3) What are the biggest challenges in adapting the Living Peace program and how do you intend to overcome them?
The main challenge is still the insufficient quality of public health services to address trauma and mental health. The lack of mental health professionals has left problems of this nature unsolved. In contexts where sexual violence is a consequence of trauma, it is important to increase the number and qualifications of mental health professionals. The poverty of the population is another challenge, as we are working with the most vulnerable population affected by the conflict. However, the approach and community mobilization of the Living Peace methodology seeks to resolve issues of accessibility, sustainability, solidarity and poverty one by one. We are bringing services closer to the population. To do this, we combine efforts to increase the interest of the vulnerable population in seeking assistance services. The community approach also values the idea of solidarity and responsibility that each member of the community must have towards others. When mental health support is ineffective, the community plays a fundamental role in the healing and reintegration process for survivors of sexual violence.
4) Living Peace in DRC will adopt a holistic approach of working at different levels of the community and in partnership with various institutions, from the health sector and military to other NGOs. How the multi-level approach strengthens the program – and others to example of this?
Firstly, we realize that a complementary approach is needed in the field. Most local actors are working on the issue of gender-based violence to provide support to women and girls who are victims of violence. With Living Peace, we want to complement this action by providing support to men/boys who are survivors or perpetrators of violence. This is why we are working to transform the police and army – aiming to restore trust between security forces and civil society. We are working with men in communities to establish harmony in families affected by domestic violence. We do this by supporting and strengthening Congolese civil society organizations: the Institut Supérieur du Lac to empower other organizations and support security services; Benenfance to restore peace in MONUSCO's priority zone in Kitchanga, Massisi Centre, and Beni; Heal Africa to increase the quality of health services offered to male survivors or perpetrators of violence. Living Peace is also a strategic approach that seeks to build peace from the individual to the community level. This means that we are not imposing peace from the top down, rather, we are concerned with the role of individuals, families, and communities in restoring peace, nationally, regionally, and internationally.
5) How do men who participate in Living Peace act as agents of change within families and communities?
Living Peace helps men recover from trauma. This change has a tremendous impact on families first and on the community second. Men reduce the use of violence against partners, children live in harmonious families where dialogue and communication are important for resolving problems. Men who participated in the final year of the pilot phase became peace ambassadors and conflict mediators in the family and community. Some of them saw their social capital increase and continue the process of experiencing peace by creating Living Peace groups in their communities.