On 26 September 2026, Renaissance Africaine (RENAF), a partner in WFAD’s Voices for Change project, inaugurated the South Kivu Youth Advisory Council in Panzi, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council is the second Youth Advisory Board established in the country through the project.

The event brought together 28 young people to discuss prevention, health, protection, reintegration, civic participation, and community dialogue. At the end of the session, 15 young people were elected to serve as members of the Council.

The Council aims to provide a space for young people to share their concerns and contribute to initiatives and advocacy addressing issues affecting their communities. Its work will include gathering young people’s perspectives, developing recommendations, engaging with stakeholders, and identifying priorities for advocacy.

Ensuring that young people with diverse experiences can participate was an important part of the event. Participants included young people with lived experience of substance use, whose perspectives are relevant to discussions on prevention, access to support, reintegration and reducing stigma. The discussions emphasised prevention, protection, non-stigmatising approaches, and referral to appropriate services, with attention to the context in which young people in South Kivu are living.

The next steps for the Council include adopting its terms of reference and internal regulations, developing an initial action plan, and setting its advocacy priorities.

The inauguration marks another step in strengthening youth participation in the Voices for Change project, which works with young people and civil society to support inclusive prevention and reintegration.

For information in French: Sud-Kivu: installation du Conseil Consultatif des Jeunes à Panzi (CongoForum) – CongoForum

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Launched in December 2025, Voices for Change: Empowering Youth and Civil Society for Inclusive Prevention and Reintegration is a three-year project implemented in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Uganda. WFAD works with its DRC office, East African Liaison Office and implementing partners, including Renaissance Africaine (RENAF), C-SEMA and Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL). The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

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