Paris

Funding from Québec to help women and children in Congo who are victims of violence announced at 14th Francophonie Summit

Friday, October 12, 2012

Francophonie

The first day of Québec Premier Pauline Marois’ mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was one of international solidarity and support for women and children, the most marginalized members of society.

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Québec Premier Pauline Marois at the 14th Francophonie Summit

Oxfam-Québec

In the morning, the Premier, and the Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, Jean-François Lisée, visited the offices of Oxfam-Québec, one of the few international non-governmental Québec organizations with a permanent presence in DRC. The Premier announced a $250,000 grant spread over two years for two Oxfam-Québec initiatives:

One to help women in North Kivu who are victims of sexual violence
The other to provide the people in a suburb of Kinshasa with better access to safe drinking water

Roundtable on human rights

Pauline Marois, together with representatives of Congolese civil society, then took part in a roundtable on the state of human rights and democracy in DRC. Pierre Even and Kim Nguyen, the producer and director, respectively, of the Québec film Rebelle, also participated. The screening of their film in Kinshasa was one of Québec’s contributions to the cultural program of the 14th Francophonie Summit.

This roundtable resulted in the announcement of a $75,000 grant from Québec, this time to Handicap International, which will help it to provide more and better rehabilitative care for handicapped children in DRC in Kinshasa’s university clinics. Development and Peace will also receive $50,000 in financial support to improve the living conditions of 425 families displaced by armed clashes in North Kivu.

It is mainly through the Québec International Development Program (PQDI) that the Government of Québec provides support for international cooperation organizations that work in partnership with communities in the most disadvantaged countries of Francophone Africa, Latin America and the West Indies.

In the afternoon, Ms. Marois and Mr. Lisée were received by Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, as well as by members of the opposition parties in DRC.

Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, Jean-François Lisée, and the Premier of Québec during the Summit

Québec International Development Program (PQDI)
14th Francophonie Summit (in French)
Oxfam-Québec