A day of study for a young person in the DR Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo suffered greatly from the civil wars between 1996 and 2003. Kindu, the capital of the Maniema province in the east of the country, where our project is located, was particularly badly affected by the wars. For a total of five years, large parts of Kindu were occupied by various rebel troops. Poverty and unemployment are very high in Kindu, the infrastructure is extremely poor and access to higher education is expensive because, due to the city's isolated location, professors have to be flown in from the capital Kinshasa. Many young people are therefore unable to afford to study. The exclusion of the socially weaker population from higher education is generally seen as very negative for the country's development and reconstruction potential. This is where we want to start, as we are convinced that these regions need young, qualified workers who can rebuild their region independently and thus contribute to lasting peace.
Despite a population of over 200,000, most of Kindu resembles a large bush village. Poverty is very high, unemployment is around 40% and the infrastructure is extremely poor. Kindu can only be reached by plane or by the old diesel train from Lubumbashi, which takes around a month to cover the 1500 km journey - longer than a bicycle. There are no paved roads and the existing roads are impassable for larger vehicles after 50-100 kilometers at the latest due to destroyed bridges. The poor accessibility makes all non-locally produced goods very expensive. A large proportion of the population is still malnourished.