Radio-based education and entrepreneurship training offer hope for Congolese children
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains one of the world’s most protracted and complex humanitarian crises. Decades of conflict, human rights violations, and gender-based violence have driven massive needs and heightened protection risks.
Since January 2025, escalating violence in eastern DRC has displaced a record 7.3 million people and forced over 86,000 to flee the country. With conflict, food insecurity, climate shocks, and disease compounding the crisis, 27 million people now require urgent humanitarian support. The situation in DRC worsened since the end of 2021, when the M23 rebel group has been terrorizing villages in the northeast of the country.
This resurgence of violence has had a profound impact on children’s access to formal education. Many other schools have become temporary shelters for conflict-displaced families.
Unfortunately, having one’s education cut short because of conflict is a reality that many Congolese students have had to endure. In those parts of the country plagued by violence, the walk to school – often over many kilometers to neighbouring villages – can be incredibly dangerous.
With a proliferation of armed actors in rural areas, girls face the threat of sexual violence or abduction and boys the threat that they will be taken and forced to become child soldiers.
Back to Learning II: Radio-based education
War Child recognized the need to create safe spaces for Congolese children to continue their education during times of conflict. That is why we developed a ground-breaking, interactive radio-based education program. We adapted the national curriculum to a series of radio dramas so that children no longer needed to make that dangerous trek to formal schools but rather could learn where they lived with the guidance of specially trained teaching assistants. Developing innovative solutions is essential to working in war zones and is one of the reasons why War Child is a global leader in the education of children in conflict.
INUKA Project – Democratic Republic of the Congo
INUKA — meaning “to get back on one’s feet” in Swahili — is a youth empowerment initiative led by War Child Canada in eastern DRC. Launched in 2024, the project builds pathways for young people to recover from conflict and lead change in their communities through entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills training. Using UNICEF’s UPSHIFT methodology, INUKA equips youth to identify local challenges and develop social enterprises that create sustainable solutions. The project’s first phase included a market assessment in Bukavu and Uvira, engaging over 500 young participants and identifying key opportunities in agro-processing, digital services, and environmental management. By strengthening local partnerships and promoting youth-led innovation — especially for young women — INUKA helps conflict-affected youth gain the tools, confidence, and support to rebuild their futures.
A Second Chance to Learn
At 18, Pearl had been out of school for three years, spending her days caring for her younger siblings. Formal schools would no longer accept her because of her age — until she found the Social Promotion Center (CRS) in Bagira, supported by War Child. “Here, education is free, and I’ve learned to read, write, and calculate,” she says proudly. “Now I feel happy studying alongside others.” Pearl dreams of becoming a midwife, helping women and families in her community — and she encourages other girls like her to return to school and chase their dreams.
Mboya
Back to Learning II
