Jesuit Entity’s Back-to-School Program Supports Learning, Inspire Hope in DR Congo’s Embattled Communities

Uvira, 14 January, 2026 / 5:30 PM

The Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), a global apostolate of the Society of Jesus (SJ, /Jesuits), has helped to boost educational programs in North and South Kivu provinces of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), seeking to restore hope and strengthen learning among communities affected by regional conflicts as schools reopen.

In a report dated Tuesday, January 13, JRS leadership notes that their team hosted a day of celebration, gathering students, educators, and parents to promote harmony and reinforce a spirit of peace in learning institutions as well as surrounding communities.

Funded by the 8xmille Chiesa Cattolica and managed by the Italian service for the promotion of economic support to the Catholic Church, the initiative has enabled “1,800 secondary school students to receive school kits,” the report indicates.

In the report, JRS leadership says that the initiative has also enabled “more than 700 to attend remedial classes to boost their academic performance. 22 classrooms were renovated and equipped, and five school libraries were established.”

As the learners benefit from the program to boost their academics, JRS leadership says that “parents and teachers took part in group therapy sessions to strengthen the community’s psychosocial wellbeing.”

In the report, JRS officials involved in the initiative refer to the conflicts that have affected the Congolese region for years, and note, “Last year was marked by challenging months for students, teachers, and parents due to the conflict in and around Goma in the DRC, which led to school closures and displacement.”

Despite this, they testify, “the JRS team on the ground wanted to offer its students a different way to return to school” as they hoped to “rekindle a spirit of peace within the schools and the wider community, and to set the tone for a year that could start with joy and calm.”

To make this possible, JRS officials have recalled that “the team brought everyone together for a day of celebration. Through games, traditional dances, poetry, and short performances, the event became a vibrant moment of reunion.”

“Four secondary schools took part in the initiative, gathering more than 400 students. Building on this experience, the headteachers of the four secondary schools where JRS operates plan to organise such activities more frequently,” they say. 

JRS officials further explain that frequent planning of the activities is “not only as moments of enjoyment, but above all as opportunities to strengthen the bonds between the diverse communities to which the students belong.”

With this, officials of the Jesuit apostolate affirm that “despite three decades of armed conflict, JRS remains committed to bringing hope and support to refugees, displaced persons, and local populations in North and South Kivu.”

On 4 December 2025, the President of DRC, Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington, D.C., with support from U.S. President Donald Trump and partners including Qatar and the African Union (AU).

The accord was intended to halt decades of conflict in Eastern DRC and commit both countries to cease hostilities and broader cooperation.

Despite this diplomatic milestone, violence in Eastern DRC has reportedly continued and even escalated. Fighting between the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and Congolese government forces has persisted, with clashes reported in key areas of North and South Kivu.

Congolese authorities have accused Rwanda of violating the newly signed agreement amid rebel advances, including movements toward strategic towns like Uvira.