Uvira, 9 December 2019 – On International Anti-Corruption Day, more than 100 young people marched through Uvira to the Town Hall to hand a memorandum of demands to the authorities.
The march was organised by CERC with the Cercle des Jeunes dans la Région des Grands-Lacs (CEDEJ). The marchers were members of the Integrity Clubs of Students Acting for Honesty, Integrity and Equality (SHINE), a project implemented by CERC with Integrity Action and funded by NORAD and Sida. Through SHINE, 55 Integrity Clubs now operate in secondary schools in Uvira and Bukavu.
The march responded to high-level corruption in education and other key social sectors in South Kivu. “Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in corrupt behavior in all public sectors,” said Heri Bitamala, CERC's founder and Executive Director.
At the Town Hall, the young people handed their memorandum to the Mayor of Uvira, Kiza Muhato, and sent copies to the provincial government of South Kivu and to the central government in Kinshasa. It asked the government to intervene against corruption in the education sector and to rehabilitate and equip schools, so that Congolese children can study in the best conditions.
The marchers brought evidence of what students can achieve when they monitor their schools:
- in SHINE's first year, 300 monitors followed the services and infrastructure of 20 secondary schools worth more than US$1 million and reached a fix rate of 43%, against a target of 15%;
- at Institut Itara in Luvungi, where 70 to 90 students sat in classrooms built for 50, new classrooms were completed in October 2018;
- in 2018, 1,780 students in Uvira were able to study in safer conditions thanks to the clubs' monitoring and advocacy;
- in February and March 2019, 202 teachers, principals and club leaders from 35 schools were trained to coach the clubs.
This year, club members have also taken part in debates, sketches, paintings and short films against corruption; at Institut Guido Maria Conforti, they made a painting against corruption at school.
“These individuals are key to the work that we do at Centre de Recherche sur l’Anti-Corruption. They enable us to speak with authority of the public and to amplify the experiences of the ordinary members of our community,” said Heri Bitamala.
Club members are now encouraged to move beyond their schools' boundaries and organise activities between clubs, and after school to continue their commitment through platforms such as the Integrity Builders network.
Stand with the young people of South Kivu: make a donation or become a supporter to help bring Integrity Clubs to more schools.
Read also: Integrity Club convinced school officials to build extra toilets and classrooms