Member Q+A: Meet The Leader Of Our Newest Cluster

Image credit: Aerial view of the town of Uvira from a MONUSCO Puma helicopter

GULAIN leads the newly launched Uvira Cluster in The DRC. In this Q+A, he tells us more about himself, the Cluster, and what they hope to achieve...

Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in an environment marked by humanitarian challenges, population displacement and inter-community conflict. However, my family was rooted in community values and solidarity and this forged my commitment to peace and local development. My work involves providing logistical and psychosocial support to families fleeing violence, protecting vulnerable children and providing them with education and health care, and advocating for human rights.

Where are you from and what makes you proud to come from there?

I come from the territory of Uvira, in South Kivu province, specifically from the Bavira chiefdom. It is a land rich in history, culture and resilience. What makes me proud of my origins is the strength of our people in the face of adversity. Despite conflict, displacement and crises, the communities of Uvira remain united, dignified and deeply humane.

How did you know about Arukah and what attracted you to the Network? 

I came across your website while looking for collaborative initiatives focused on community development. Arukah immediately appealed to me. Your approach is centred on human relationships and co-creation. You don’t offer ready-made solutions, but encourage members to learn from each other, share their experiences and work together to create solutions that work for their contexts. I found this rare and valuable.

Tell us more about the Uvira Cluster and why you started it.

The Cluster is made up of 15 people including 5 men, 6 women and 4 young people who come from different professional and community backgrounds. Our region is facing complex challenges including socio-economic crises, armed conflicts and poverty. Many NGO projects here have been abandoned after being ineffective. Our goal is to encourage local sharing and collaboration of our different gifts and skills.

You had your official Cluster launch recently. But you started working together as a Cluster before that. What activities do you do and what have been able to achieve so far?

Before we officially launched, the Cluster had already begun collaborating through simple training sessions, awareness campaigns and hosting community events. Since we launched, we have been able to create a governance framework, run trainings on project management and communication, launch joint advocacy efforts and start an amaranth cultivation program which is directly benefiting 175 households in the community. 

Amazing. What challenges have you experienced so far?

South Kivu is a region marked by recurring tensions and conflicts. This affects the mobility and sometimes even the safety of members. Also, Cluster members work on a voluntary basis and with limited financial resources which makes it difficult to implement large scale projects. And as the Cluster model is still relatively new, it’s difficult to obtain official support or integration into local public policies. We also find measuring the real impact of our actions a bit complex especially in areas where data is difficult to collect or analyse. Despite these challenges, we continue to make progress thanks to the resilience of its members and their commitment to community well-being. 

How do you hope to solve those challenges?

We hope to establish strong links with NGOs, academic institutions, donors and international networks in order to increase access to resources, training and funding opportunities. Our goal is to involve community leaders, women and the youth in our programs so that they can take ownership and steward them. We also plan to continue workshops, mentorship sessions and conversations using digital tools and social media so that members can improve their skills. 

What plans do you have for the future?

We have a lot of plans! Through drawing on local knowledge and resources, we want to develop local mechanisms for preventing and responding to crises. We also hope to expand our network of members and partners, and improve our capacity through leadership training. This will help us be creative in how we run our initiatives. Lastly, we want to develop tools to measure the impact of activities and collect feedback so that we can know how to serve the community better.

What do you like doing outside work?

I don't have much of a life outside of work, but if I could relax, I think I would like to listen to music and do a lot of reading. 

Thank you Gulain, and welcome to the Network!

Meet another humanitarian and community leader in the DRC here.