Bulengo Camp, North Kivu: Empowering Internally Displaced Women through Bean Cultivation in the DRC

Every morning at dawn, Rachel gathers her tools and walks to the communal plot, hopeful that today’s harvest will feed her children and perhaps also earn her enough to buy home essentials.

Persistent socio-political insecurity in the DRC’s North Kivu province has led to the creation of many internally displaced camps (IDCs). One such camp is Bulengo, located at the far western edge of Goma, in the ‘Lac-Vert’ neighborhood. It is home to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled regional violence. Residents of the camp faces severe insecurity, with women facing some of the greatest hardships as they struggle daily to provide for their families’ needs amid the ongoing instability.

These women face significant challenges related to food access and land availability for producing food that could support their households and earn income. To meet their daily needs, women in the camp often venture into dangerous areas to gather firewood or seek work in surrounding villages, putting themselves at risk of violence from armed groups that control certain territories.

The basic needs of the residents in these IDCs are typically addressed through humanitarian food distributions. However, ongoing insecurity in the area can disrupt the efforts of aid organizations, leading to irregular and often insufficient deliveries, which further exacerbates the residents’ vulnerability.