Women empowerment and gender awareness in Kaniola, Idjwi and Mulungu, south Kivu The past 15 years of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has claimed the lives of an estimated five million men, women, and children. Numerous armed groups engaged in a complex conflict have created a profound humanitarian emergency, particularly in eastern DRC. Despite its abundant natural resources, the DRC is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 80 per cent of the population living below the income poverty line. The socio-economic indicators, including access to drinking water and adequate sanitation, are alarming and falling below international standards, causing approximately 80% of the common diseases.  In terms of hygiene and sanitation, 96% of the rural population do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. Since March 2011, the country has also faced a deadly cholera epidemic and reported more than 22,000 cases and more than 500 deaths.    
Collecting and transporting water is a time consumptive responsibility which predominantly falls on women and girls.  Women and children living in villages must typically walk 4–10km every day to reach clean water, placing them at
significant risk of rape and abuse, since many available water sources are isolated. The conflict has dramatically increased cases of sexual violence.  From 1996  to 2012, over 500,000 cases of rape were reported mainly located in the East part of DRC. In addition, gender inequality is a big issue in DRC. The last report from UNDP 2012, revealed that
61.2% of Congolese women are living below the poverty line (with less than 1$/day). Women are generally reduced to simple house workers without any influence at household, or community level. Women are expected to be submissive
to their husbands, but in DRC, most of the time this leads to gender based violence rather than remaining as submission by the wife.  This project from Centre Olame intends to accompany the DRC Wash and water resource management project in south Kivu in strengthening gender mainstreaming policies and practices within implementing
partners.  This will be combined with women’s empowerment so that women and men can work together to fight water born diseases by promoting hygiene and sanitation; tackling poverty by increasing their production, advocating for effective women’s participation in decision making at household and community level. 
Centre Lame is a female church department in Bukavu diocese working for women’s development and fighting gender based violence, promoting gender equality for the last 90 years. Centre Olame will work with CAFOD’s support to strengthen beneficiaries and implementing partner’s capacity in Gender mainstreaming and women’s’ empowerment in a wash programming setting. This programme contributes both to CAFOD's  DRC CSP as well as Just one world aims as part of Match Fund IPDF 2012, outcomes below:
1. Women and girls participate in activities to increase their confidence in decision making at household and community level;
2. CAFOD’s implementing partners have sex disaggregated data, gender audit and training; gender policy and strategy in place; 
The project will be implemented from 1 June 2013 to 30 May 2014(12 months).