How Eveline’s Resilience is Forging a Path for Women Leadership in DRC

Eveline Mapfumo was displaced from her home and community simply for asserting her rights. When her father, who served as Mwami, or chief, of their village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, died several years ago, Eveline was next in line to serve as chief. Although too young to ascend at the time, a council of elders appointed her to the role with her uncle serving as a custodian in the interim. But when Eveline turned 18, her uncle refused to step down.

“When I started actively pursuing it, my life was threatened. Fearing that I would be killed, I abandoned my studies and fled from home with my children,” Eveline, now 25, says.

Eveline found sanctuary 80 kilometers away near Goma with her grandmother.


Heveline Mapfumo skins bananas with her grandmother Bauma Shabira as they prepare a meal in Ndosho, Goma.

Several tribes and communities in DRC still believe that administrative leadership roles are the domain of men and should be passed from father to son. This line of thinking caused the dispute between Eveline and her uncle despite her father’s wishes and her appointment by the council of elders.

“In my village and territory, women are not allowed to say anything in front of men let alone hold positions of authority,” she says.

Despite this setback, Eveline did not give up her pursuit of what was rightfully hers. She is determined to address the challenges facing her community. “Our roads are quite poor and dilapidated. The other issue is education. Children are not able to pursue their studies due to constant conflict. Insecurity is a major issue that plagues the residents of my village and it will need to be addressed urgently. People can’t visit their farms and, as a result, they do not get access to food. When I see that I feel a lot of pain.”

From the safety of her grandmother’s home, Eveline filed official complaints with key community leaders to contest her uncle’s position. One of the individuals she met during this process was Andre Mirimo, the Division In-Charge of Customary Affairs, who approached CARE DRC. “CARE supported us and we went down to Masisi to map the conflicts because we have other cases where women’s rights have been affected,” Andre says.


Heveline Mapfumo speaks with CARE DRC Head of Governance and Civil Society, Sylvie Wendo in Ndosho, Goma

Andre is a member of CARE’s Men Engage program, which seeks to raise awareness of women's rights and ensure related laws are upheld within the community. It includes, among its participants, traditional authorities, religious authorities, and community leaders.

“We educate men to consider the woman as an ally and not as an adversary. At the structural level we work more with the authorities because we know that when there is a complaint it is to him that the woman must address herself to,” says Sylvie Wendo, CARE DRC Gender Equality, and Women Empowerment Program (GEWEP) acting project manager.

Eveline's complaint was heard through an arbitration process that ruled in her favor. The judgment was made in September and has passed the deadline for appeal without being contested. Eveline can now be enthroned by the local administrator, an event that will be supported by CARE DRC.

“To those who feel like they have been denied their rights, I call on you not to be afraid but to be valiant to fight for your rights.”
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CARE International in DRC’s Gender Equality and Women Empowerment program has four components: Women's economic empowerment —Through the creation and education of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), women have a safe space to not only talk and share their struggles but also collectively save and loan each other money; Governance, where the focus is empowering and supporting women's organizations that work together to claim women's rights; The Men Engage component, which educates men to consider women as equals; Resilience, through which women VSLAs members learn to respond to impacts of disaster or armed conflict.