Democratic Republic of Congo, 2009

The 11-year-old orphan had been accused of witchcraft and ostracized by the community. He hopped the next train, hoping for luck elsewhere. But he knew he would always live “on the streets.”  

In DR Congo, Marcel, the Program Coordinator for Outreach International, is well-acquainted with cultural beliefs that sometimes hinder solutions to people’s problems. One day, when the train stopped in Lubumbashi, Marcel met John, an 11-year-old homeless boy who had stowed aboard the train from South Africa, 200km away. When Marcel asked where he would live, the boy replied, “On the streets.”
 
Sadly, this situation is common for some 4,000 children in DR Congo who have been orphaned or placed with relatives because the children are accused of practicing witchcraft by already-burdened families who cannot handle one more mouth to feed.

“It’s not easy to deal with this practice,” explains Marcel, “because the people want to blame something/someone for the difficulties and suffering that they experience. Unfortunately, they often blame the children sent to them. Accused children are ostracized by adults, and so remain on the streets, trying to survive.”

“Thankfully,” Marcel continued, “this practice is changing with residents who have incorporated the Participatory Human Development process into their community.”

For instance, when a traditional leader was accused of witchcraft and isolated by his community, the facilitators spoke with the accused (a subtle sign of acceptance) and the rest of the community. Resolution began with mobilizing the community, so that by the time they came together to problem-solve as a group, the cause of the issue was understood and perceived in a new way—a way that did not lay blame on anyone, but was open to dialogue and solutions. Now that the community has learned to overcome this fear with the leader, this new understanding will transfer to the children who are ostracized, too.

Outreach International helps to overcome fear by facilitating an environment of understanding.