Blog

The conference room at the Campus du Lac of the University of Goma hosted a workshop on March 3, 2026, dedicated to gender, social entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector, and advocacy for women's empowerment in North Kivu.

Organized as part of the Beans for Women Empowerment (B4WE) project, this activity is part of a dynamic to strengthen the capacities of young professionals and cooperative leaders engaged in promoting inclusive and gender-sensitive development in Eastern DRC.

A Structuring Project for Eastern DRC

The Beans for Women Empowerment (B4WE) project is implemented by the Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, with support from Global Affairs Canada. It aims to strengthen the empowerment and inclusion of women in bean value chains by cross-cutting gender equality, women's leadership, and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).

Through inclusive approaches that combine nutrition, seed systems, agribusiness, gender, and political advocacy, the project aims to ensure equitable access for women and marginalized groups to economic opportunities and decision-making bodies.

Training the Next Generation of Change Agents

One of the major pillars of the B4WE approach lies in strengthening the capacities of the new generation of professionals and researchers. To this end, academic and professional interns from partner universities, as well as women-led cooperative leaders, participated in this workshop.

The overall objective was to enhance their knowledge and skills in gender equality, human rights, social inclusion, social entrepreneurship, and political advocacy.

Specifically, the workshop allowed for:

-Deepening the understanding of fundamental concepts related to gender and human rights;

-Analyzing gender issues as barriers to agricultural productivity and women's empowerment;

-Exploring the principles of the solidarity economy, the functioning of cooperatives, and savings and credit associations (AVEC);

-Encouraging mentoring, leadership, and professional engagement for inclusive development.

An Interactive and Action-Oriented Methodology

The workshop favored a participatory approach, combining thematic presentations, guided discussions, case studies, advocacy simulations, practical exercises in writing policy briefs, and mentoring dialogues.

This dynamic not only facilitated knowledge acquisition but also the development of practical skills essential for effectively intervening in communities and influencing gender-sensitive public policies.

Towards Sustainable Outcomes

Beyond the one-time training, this workshop aims for long-term results, including:

-The establishment of a pool of resource persons on gender issues, women's empowerment, and the fight against GBV;

-The implementation of a mentoring system between specialists from the Gender School of UNIGOM, interns, and cooperative leaders;

-The development of concrete action plans to strengthen the integration of gender in the interventions of the B4WE project;

-The consolidation of a framework for sharing experiences and monitoring achievements.

Through its active involvement in this initiative, the University of Goma reaffirms its commitment to academic training rooted in social realities, contributing to the emergence of a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable society.