30-04-2024 | di COOPI

Central African Republic. Step forward for gender equality

In Central African Republic, a country facing multiple crises that put pressure on communities, women and girls are often victims of violence. Ensuring women's rights in all aspects of life and gender equality therefore becomes critical. On March 8, the International Women's Rights Day, COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale has engaged in awareness-raising activities on the importance of women's empowerment to fight gender inequality.

Thanks to the financial support of the European Union's Békou Fund, since July 2021 the COOPI project "Young people, hope of the Central African Republic: Masséka békou ti Bé-Afrika" has been supporting young people in Bangui, promoting their active participation in the consolidation of dialogue and social cohesion.

On March 8, COOPI organized a series of lectures and debates focusing on crucial issues related to International Women's Rights Day at the 10 "Maison des Jeunes" in Bangui, followed by awareness-raising activities primarily targeting young girls between the ages of 15 and 35, leaders of youth and religious organizations, and leaders of civil society organizations. The main objective of these activities was to encourage young people to take concrete actions to promote women's empowerment and involve them in community activities. In addition, these initiatives aimed to encourage the community as a whole to adopt guidance and monitoring mechanisms to ensure gender equality in institutions and services.

COOPI has had an ongoing presence in the Central African Republic since 1974, engaging in a variety of areas, such as governance and human rights. In the Maison de Jeunes it engages boys and girls through workshops and awareness-raising conferences on topics such as peaceful conflict resolution, the consequences of drug and narcotics use, environmental protection, citizenship and positive leadership.