While Melbourne’s west and Congo DRC are thousands of kilometres apart, Weir Views-based charity Initiative for Peace and Development (IPD) is providing on-the-ground support for women, youth, and children in both as a catalyst for change. Oscar Parry spoke with one of its founders and directors, Amani Karumba, about the charity and its story.
Amani Karumba was just 11 years old when he and his family left the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country that he and his Weir Views-based charity are dedicated to supporting.
“I was with my family and we sought refuge in Malawi that is in East Africa, and then we resettled here in Australia – of course escaping from the conflict and instability that gripped the Eastern Congo,” Mr Karumba said.
“Years later, I found myself in a new home … in Australia, and I’d left everything, really, in Congo. But, after knowing … what’s going on … to my country … I’m determined [to make] a difference, and that is how I founded the Initiative for Peace and Development.”
Mr Karumba said he did not embark on this mission alone.
“At my side was my wife Veronique, whose [unwavering] support and visionary ideas as well were very instrumental in shaping the organisation,” he said.
“My close friend as well – we are three directors – his name is Mamadou Kenda … he is one of the co-founders. He’s been with me from day one. So, we’ve known each other since we were in Africa in the camp in Malawi … we were [some] of the lucky ones, we actually found ourselves again here.”
The organisation provides programs and aid through offices in the Congolese cities of Bukavu and Goma, along with local initiatives in Melbourne’s west from its Weir Views headquarters.
“We’ve been a little busy … the project that we are doing right now is with the situation in Congo at the moment, the population is in dire need of medical [support],” Mr Karumba said.
“Because of the war that we’ve had … for the past 30 years – and it’s actually intensified in January – there is so much need in terms of medical [support]. There’s really not enough medical equipment or medical help in …Congo … especially in Goma and Bukavu,” he said.
“We are on a mission to send medical equipment to these areas. We’ve been going around and asking for donations: either clothes, shoes, stationary, and … general medical equipment.”
Mr Karumba said the organisation focuses on creating evidence-based programs that address “the most pressing needs of the marginalised communities – mostly women, children, refugees, and those actually persecuted of their religion, sexuality, and ethnicity”.
“One of our core initiatives is promoting health and wellbeing. So, coming from DRC, we understood that access to healthcare is one … of the most pressing needs in many Congolese communities. So, through our organisation, we try to provide essential medical support including maternal and child health services, [and] health education efforts as well,” Mr Karumba said
“On another level as well, [is] education – so, we believe that education is key to empowerment. So, with IPD, we created education programs that offer resources, training, and scholarships to children, youth, and women.”
The organisation also runs a small training centre in Goma.
“We actually train youth on computer skills, which really helps them for the future,” Mr Karumba said.
“Women who have been sexually assaulted – but also former … wives of soldiers that we train as well in sewing. So, this helps them to deal with … everyday life.”
IPD also provides child protection services, which according to its website, focus on preventing abuse, supporting children at risk, and advocating for policies that protect children’s rights and futures.
“At the heart of IPDs work, there’s actually a deep commitment to safeguarding vulnerable children, which many in Congo … face abuse, exploitation, and neglect,” Mr Karumba said.
Its other services include women’s empowerment and gender equality initiatives, refugee and displacement support, and community development programs.
Thousands of kilometres away In Melbourne’s west, the group continues with its support for youth.
“We try to engage them into different activities … there’s a lot that has been happening in the past three months … it’s been a very tough year for the Congolese community where we’ve lost almost five youth in ways that are unimaginable,” Mr Karumba said.
“We try to bring them closer to our culture, to think about where they came from. So, we engage them into … sports, music as well … just to really try to get them off the streets and to do something better for themselves.”
Last month, IPD and two other organisations – ASPYA Foundation and Redsea Media – hosted a fundraising event called the African Unity Fundraiser.
The event included Congolese and Sudanese music, dance, and food to raise funds for providing aid in both Congo DRC and Sudan.
“These we actually help just to bring … youth together – be it Congolese, be it Ethiopian youth, be it Sudanese youth – so, we were all together and we … became as one community,” Mr Karumba said.
“We are working hand-in-hand with so many other organisations just to bring the African-Australian youth together, trying to help them in … the best way we can.”
Part of the funds raised by the organisations from this event went to delivering 120 school kits – including school bags, books, rulers, and pencils – to students in Goma on Saturday, September 13.
The group also partners with Rotary Caroline Springs on youth and family violence prevention programs.
Reflecting on the results of IPD’s efforts, Mr Karumba said that he is out of words.
“I’m really out of words. Because when I started this, I wasn’t sure,” he said.
“Everything we do is step-by-step, and I think we are going in the right direction. I know we cannot help everyone in the world, but the little difference that we make, the better. So, if I help one person today, that person as well might help another person, and so, we are putting smiles back [on] a lot of youth, a lot of kids.”
He said he looks forward to doing “even bigger things”.
“We are living in a very, very good country. The best country in the world. And so sometimes we take things for granted, but outside there, there are people who do not have what we have – not near … this is the opportunity we are trying to take by both hands and help those that we can.”
The group is currently fundraising to cover the expenses of shipping medical equipment – including electric hospital chairs donated by Melbourne hospitals – to Congo DRC in December.
Mr Karumba said he encourages anyone who would like to donate money towards the shipment, clothes, shoes, or stationary to contact the organisation.
Details: ipdevelopment.org
