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Who we are
The name Yetu means “Ours” in Swahili. Congo Yetu Initiative “CYI” is a grassroots; non-profit organization of passionate, dynamic, and energetic volunteers working to provide support to women and children in the DRC, our main focus is job creation and economic simulation. CYI provide sustainable development programs and project need to sustain its own. Our volunteers come from many professional and personal backgrounds, from many ages, and from across Canada and the United States as well as from many of the Southern Countries in which we work.
CYI members believe in sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for women and children who are victims of war in the DRC, regardless of religion or ethnicity
CONGO YETU INITIATIVE
Since the 1990's the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) entered a cycle of armed conflicts and violence, which strongly shook the Government in power, its institutions; destroyed its capacity to produce and tore its social fabric.
The aggravation of the internal and regional situation of the Congolese conflict in the nineties generated a process which contributed to: violence against women, being generally victims of rape, sexual violence, forced prostitution, forced infection and transmission of HIV/AIDS; the creation of militia and an increase in the illicit trafficking of light weapons and a proliferation of the antipersonnel mines.
Since September 1996, the DRC experienced two successive wars that involved enormous losses in human lives and massive violations of the Human rights. The post-conflict indicators show the extent of the crisis: More than 6 millions death of people due to war, violence, torture and abuse, More than 3 million people displaced and 400,000 more refugees outside the country, Political insatiability and loss of democracy, An increase in mass violations of human rights, corruption, immorality, The deterioration of the quality of life of Congolese, A decreased per-capita income, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and increased rate of inflation.
A stagnant economic development and increased rate of poverty, A fall of the net schooling rate (increased school drop-out), and no primary education, Poor health conditions and even less access to the health care, which led to an increase in malnutrition, death of children under the age of 5, and pregnant women, An Increase in the rate of HIV/AIDS new infections and death in the conflict zones. The Congo Yetu Initiative (CYI) is an intellectually conscious and san independent body working to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equity, women and children rights, and sustainable development.
