APADEC – Association D’Actions de Paix et de Développement Communautaire
About
APADEC - Association D’actions de Paix et de Développement Communautaire - is a grassroots peace organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo that was started by local women, men, and youth, to promote peace actions and sustainable development in their local communities. APADEC is active in the area of the middle and high plateaus of Fizi and Mwenga / Itombwe. APADEC's vision is to encourage locals to participate actively in peacebuilding and sustainable development of their own communities and to work towards solutions for their problems. Through a range of activities and projects, APADEC creates a space for dialogue between ethnic communities in an area that has long been torn by war and violence. It also works to protect human rights and, fight poverty and hunger, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, empowers women and youth, and fights against environmental destruction.
Our Story
APADEC was funded in Kalingi, Democratic Republic of Congo, in February 2006 by a group of local women, men, and youth who were coming out from the experience of war in 1996 and were reflecting on peace and sustainable development as a way of fighting against ignorance, violations of human rights of farmers and breeders. This war had caused an interethnic conflict between different communities in the areas of middle and high plateaus of Fizi/Minembwe and Itombwe and brought to countless damage, both human and material. It also brought to environmental destruction, more specifically, to deforestation of the Itombwe forest and its surroundings. Therefore, APADEC, the ' Association for Peace Actions and Sustainable Development', was created so that local communities could come together to address these issues.
Mwambi Kasongo Freddy is currently project manager within the organization "APADEC" where he is responsible for carrying out the various tasks within the organization from 2018 to the present day including peace projects, project of identification, and documentation, tracing and family reunification of children associated with armed forces and groups and also other community development projects.
Before joining APADEC, Freddy already worked with (MSF Holland) in Uvira, Action Contre la Faim (ACF) in Uvira, at the NGO Norwegian Council for Refugees in Uvira, at the NGO ADRA in Fizi, at the NGO (WWI) in Sange and the NGO CEDIER being verifier of the presumed children released into armed groups in Fizi,
Freddy has undergone multiple training courses in planning, monitoring and evaluating humanitarian needs which have increased knowledge in the various humanitarian actions.
Namudulo Maua Elisabeth is currently in charge of human resources at APADEC intervening mainly in peacebuilding and community development actions. Elisabeth worked with the Kalundu savings and credit cooperative in Uvira from 2015 to 2018, Elisabeth is involved in non-profit organizations in the fields of marketing and peacebuilding. Elisabeth is a graduate of the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Bukavu / DRC "ISP BUKAVU" in 2015 and she has experiences in civil society organizations; She has worked as a volunteer since then in APADEC and member of Uvira Peace club set up in DRC by World Peace initiative. Elisabeth currently holds a degree in computer science. She has benefited from various capacities building in human resources management, peace, the INPP in terms of planning and study tours. She likes to laugh and dance.
Busime Lazima started working with APADEC as an animator and works with children, for example with Centre de développement intégral de l’enfant Rural CEDIER asbl, in the project of identification of children associated with armed forces and armed groups, and works with AEDD on a project of identification, demobilisation and social reintegration of children.
In 2016, before joining APADEC, he was in charge of a project of empowerment of parents of children coming out of armed forced through income-generating activities with the organisation RET RDC.
Since 2019, he is protection officer at APADEC. He graduated from the Institut supérieur développement Rural ISRD-UVIRA in Rural Environment Studies.
Since 2015, Bahati has worked with different local organisations as an educator focusing on civic education, marketing, and small business activities with AEDD, Ebenezer Ministry International, Cadu and as a member of the Uvira Peace Club.
Since 2018, she has been the a psycho-social educator with APADEC. She is a graduate of the Institut Supérieur de développement Rural.
She is a women very involved in peacebuilding and human rights specifically for women in the region of Sud-Kivu.
Mashozi Muhigirwa joined the Uvira Peace Club in 2018 as an active member with the goal of working on diffent actions for peace and human rights, in particular children's rights. Muhigirwa is an educator active with APADEC since January 2021.
Kyubwa Runanika Jean is very experienced in development and humanitarian projects, protection of children, food security, and rapid inquiries collecting quantitative and qualititative nutrtiona data on health zones of North and South Kivu.
Thrgouh active participation in different projects and inquiries, he set up pri=ogrammes using diverse methods and materials for international NGOs, inclduing International Alert, Rescue RDC, in the priority programe RRMP with AVSI on Minembwe and Itombew in South Kivu.
He is used to working with community leaders of with community leaders in the areas, masters local languages and cultural understanding of several South Kivu environments in addition to the qualifications, skills and knowledge mentioned above, he have other notions acquired from various on-the-job training, IT, gender mainstreaming, investigation, and anti-corruption fight.
He is currently responsible for monitoring and evaluation with APADEC.
Paul works with World Peace Initiative Foundation as country coordinator for DRC. Since 2017 he is coordinator of APADEC.
With World Peace Initiative, Paul set up the « Uvira peace Club ». Paul is the main visionary and among the founding members of the APADEC organization and the APADEC coordinator from 2007 until nowadays. Paul worked in 2015-December 2016 as a focal point within the organization Action Committee for Integral Development CADI in a project called SHIFTING THE POWER funded by DFID managed in DR. Congo by CAFOD in its program of capacity building of national and local humanitarian organizations in
emergency interventions in DRC. Paul is an independent researcher focused on solving conflicts and disarmament of young boys and girls in armed forces and groups in the East
and the south-east of the DRC.
Paul has taken many capacity building trainings on peacebuilding, mediation, peaceful cohabitation, protection monitoring and humanitarian evaluations in DRC, Thailand, Nairobi and the Ivory Coast.
Paul holds a bachelor's degree from the Higher Institute of Rural Development in Rural Administration at ISDR-UVIRA / DRC.