From 2 to 6 August 2021, CERC staff took part in a week of training at the organisation’s headquarters and its Kinshasa office. The sessions are part of the learning agenda of the Year Zero of Students Acting for Accountability and Quality of Education, funded by the Global Partnership for Education through Education Out Loud, with Oxfam IBIS, which prepares Integrity Clubs for 150 secondary schools.
The first day covered implementation research, which enables young people and youth-led organisations to research how programmes are delivered, use the data to improve them and engage adult decision-makers. Muriel Sifa, Advocacy and Policy Engagement Officer, and Eden Maganga, Communications Officer, presented the challenges facing young Congolese – including ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, young women, people with disabilities and LGBTQI+ people – and the causes of their exclusion, and the opportunities of Youth Represent DRC, run by CERC in Kinshasa since July 2021.
The second day, facilitated by Programme Officer Byalukiza Kanana, focused on the theory of change and adaptive management.
“Adaptive management recognises that management actions create opportunities for learning and improvement. The adaptive management cycle is a structured, continuous process that provides a basis for robust decision-making in the face of uncertainty, through monitoring and feedback.” – Byalukiza Kanana
On the third day, CERC’s Director, Heri Bitamala, covered corruption and its history, its context in the DRC and the public integrity approach and its steps. In the afternoon, Wivine Byamungu led the session on gender and inclusion and presented CERC’s commitment to equality in its team and programmes. The team took a decision:
“At the training on 5 August 2021, our members agreed to appoint a Gender Focal Point every year within our organisation to represent and follow the interests of people who are marginalised or at risk of exclusion.” – Wivine Byamungu
On 5 and 6 August, a second training at the Kinshasa office covered the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its review mechanism. It prepares the team for the parallel assessment of the DRC’s implementation of the convention that the UNCAC Coalition commissioned from CERC in June 2021.
Next, the team will apply these skills to the Year Zero: the evidence from the consultations with 534 students and education actors will feed the project’s theory of change and its gender equality and social inclusion strategy.
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Read also: Year Zero: 534 students and education actors consulted to design Students Acting