Empowering young people affected by armed conflict with training and job opportunities

SOPRODE in Congo trains conflict-affected youth in vocational skills. Between 2020-2024, 485 trained (186 with disabilities), 24 found jobs, and 76 started businesses in agriculture, tailoring, and more.

Solidarité pour la Protection des Droits de l'Enfant (SOPRODE) is an NGO in the Democratic Republic of Congo dedicated to assisting young people affected by armed conflict. SOPRODE offers vocational training programmes in agriculture, tailoring, carpentry, and sculpture, as well as education in entrepreneurship and ICT training. Between 2020 and 2024, SOPRODE trained 485 participants, including 186 individuals with disabilities. Among them, 24 secured paid employment and 76 established their own businesses.

Problems Targeted

Young people with disabilities or affected by armed conflicts face barriers to employment and ICT-related vocational training, including social marginalization and insufficient psychosocial support.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Solidarité pour la Protection des Droits de l'Enfant (SOPRODE), an NGO based in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is dedicated to safeguarding young individuals from armed conflict, aiding in the reintegration of war victims, and supporting educational and training programmes. SOPRODE conducts various vocational training initiatives in fields such as agriculture, tailoring, carpentry, and sculpture. These are integrated with entrepreneurship and ICT vocational training, emphasizing assistive technologies that enhance accessibility, including automatic subtitling and smart household devices. The training programmes also provide mentorship for new entrepreneurs and psychosocial support. Training courses are held at centres located in the city of Bukavu and in surrounding villages where the beneficiaries reside. The duration of the training varies between three and twelve months, depending on the sector chosen by the beneficiary. Concurrently, SOPRODE collaborates with local businesses to create employment opportunities for young individuals with disabilities. The number of beneficiaries has increased from 186 (2016–2019) to 485 (2020–2024), with the number of those with disabilities rising from 140 to 186 over the same period.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

SOPRODE’s annual budget is approximately $550,000, sourced from membership fees, self-financing activities, donations, and grants from various public entities, as well as through diverse fundraising initiatives. Programmes receive additional support from local communities and the state government. Moving forward, SOPRODE is organizing its beneficiaries into Economic Interest Groups to provide targeted assistance. (Zero Project Awardee 2025)

Pictures

From 2020 to 2024, SOPRODE trained 485 people, 24 got jobs, and 76 started businesses.

From 2020 to 2024, SOPRODE trained 485 people, 24 got jobs, and 76 started businesses.

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