USAID/OTI DROC Hot Topics
June 2004
War-Affected Youth Gain International Recognition
They look like any other young people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But when they joined together in 2003 in the town of Bukavu to produce a radio program on the effects of war on the youth, these youth soon gained international recognition and became local celebrities. This dynamic and ethnically diverse group of ten youths, some themselves former child soldiers, produce the radio program called “Sisi Watoto”, or “We, the Children”, which is broadcast in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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| Sisi Watoto’s Reporters Conducting An Interview. |
The team has been recognized by UNICEF/ One World, which awarded them the “Children’s Lives, Children’s Voices” award for the best radio program produced by, for, and about children. The award is determined based on a worldwide review of nominations by a panel of children’s rights experts and journalists.
To gather material for their weekly show, the team travels throughout the region to interview youths and commanders, probing sensitive topics such as child soldiers and rape. They have been threatened, shot at, and hampered by logistical and security concerns. When major fighting broke out in Bukavu, there was only a temporary pause in their production of the popular radio broadcast.
The Sisi Watoto production team works for the international non-governmental organization Search For Common Ground (SFCG), with funding from the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). The radio show reaches out to war-affected youth and child soldiers to increase awareness of the issues for youth and to help find solutions to the violence and social problems afflicting young people and their communities.
Building on the success of Sisi Watoto, SFCG’s award-winning team is developing a radio soap opera on the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers. This radio program will provide another entertaining forum to inform child soldiers about the demobilization process, its challenges, and achievements and reinforce the work of organizations that are assisting the demobilization of child soldiers.
Launch of New Program Supporting War-Affected Youth And Populations
“Pamoja…..Tujenge……. ..SE*CA…..Totonga Elongo….SE*CA”. Chanting their theme song consisting of local phrases which mean “Together we build”, the Synergie d’Education Communautaire et Appui a la transition (SE*CA, pronounced “C’est ça!” (“That’s It!”)) staff greeted local and international partners at the inauguration of SE*CA’s activities in the Kisangani region.
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| Acting Governor of Province Orientale cuts the ribbon at the opening of the new SE*CA office in Kisangani. |
At the ceremony, staff introduced SE*CA program objectives to 150 guests, including the acting Governor of Province Orientale, community representatives, members of local and international non-governmental organizations, staff from the United Nations Mission in the Congo, and donor organizations. National and local television, newspaper, and radio reporters reported on the event and interviewed SE*CA staff.
Funded by OTI and implemented by Chemonics, the SE*CA program strives to improve stability in war-affected areas by facilitating the reintegration of war-affected youth into their communities and increasing local, regional, and national understanding of issues that are key to the transition. To support these objectives, SE*CA utilizes three different tools:
- A youth education and skills program to train war-affected youth on agriculture, civic education, health, conflict management, reconciliation, personal values, numeracy, and literacy;
- A media program that supports access to information concerning issues key to the transition; and
- An in-kind small grants program that supports information dissemination projects and community-identified activities that are a priority for the economic, political, and/or social revitalization of the community.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Bronwyn Bruton, OTI Program Manager, e-mail: bbruton@usaid.gov; telephone: (202) 712-0827
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