About The Founder
Deedria Faulkner is the Founder and President of The Mwanga Wa Oshun Program. The program aims at contributing to the economic and social development of Lubumbashi, Congo, with a particular focus on empowerment of DRC women by addressing the problem of unemployment among women, health disparities and poverty. Unleashing their entrepreneurial potential, the program will support the establishment and growth of enterprises, owned/managed by women, thereby providing employment opportunities for self and others.
Faulkner continues working to bring U.S. political attention to global poverty. Faulkner works nationally with Congressional leaders to build support for legislations that improves conditions for people in developing nations. She is widely regarded as one of the leading poverty-reduction advocates in the United States.
Our Mission
Our mission is to educate, cultivate and inspire Congo women with income generating skills for the uplifting of community, orphanages and refugees. Mwanga Wa Oshun Program (MWO) strives to empower all women so that each person touched can begin to define their own best life and ignite their own possibility for greatness. It is a lasting mission of empowering, educating and uplifting our women.
Our Location
Lubumbashi is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country’s southeastern most part, along the border with Zambia.
This area houses and displaces vulnerable children. Most of the families living in this area are facing social challenges and do not have marketable skills. In order to feed their children, many of the young women are forced into high-risk activities (vendor, washing minerals, beggary etc.) and prostitution.
Lubumbashi Challenges:
- Although the Democratic Republic of Congo has natural human resources to thrive, it has the lowest GDP per capita in the world– compared to $63,000 in the United States.
- Decades of chaotic war, poverty and violence have claimed the lives of more than 5 million people.
- An absence of healthcare, schools, and reliable income generating opportunities hinder communities’ ability to emerge from crisis.
- Communities can gain by providing women empowerment programs which contribute to the economic development of the community.
- Key issues impacting lives in the DRC include economic development, peace and reconciliation, child soldiers, sexual violence and public health.
Accomplishments & Impact:
- Women are making progress toward starting their own businesses.
- Girls have approved attendance and are improving in school.
- Girls self-esteem is increasing due to having necessary sanitary products.
- Orphanages are growing due to surrounding areas fleeing for safety.
- Refugees are relocating to our village fleeing surrounding countries.
- Infant Mortality Rates are beginning to decrease.
- Increased food supply via purchased farmland.
- Supplied sewing equipment and materials for sewing students for hygienic and economic benefits.
- Created face mask and hand washing stations to prevent spread of communicable diseases.
- Providing maternal birthing kits and supplies to the hospital contributing to decrease in infant mortality rates.
- Provided farm school equipment and supplies to assist with malnutrition.
Our Objectives
- To empower women with economic development/income-generating activities as alternatives to high risk activities.
- To donate sterile medical supplies to the people of Lubumbashi Congo and Kenyaka.
- To provide public health and family planning education.
- To provide sewing equipment and materials and teach young women sewing skills.
- To provide microfunding loans to graduates of sewing school.
- To create feminine hygiene kits, face masks, school uniforms and other clothing items to empower young women and children.
- To train women on financial management and how to pay back their loan once granted.
- To receive referrals from dedicated leaders and provide loans to program graduates.
- To purchase and donate more farmland to the orphans and village people.
- To secure safe housing, adequate food and water and education to all orphans and refugees.
Mwanga Wa Oshun Program Trainers
When women support each other, incredible things happen.
Mwanga Wa Oshun Program Impact:
- Enabled Lubumbashi women to train young women from low-income backgrounds to sew handmade gifts and fashion accessories made from a traditional fabric (called Kikwembe)
- Women can earn a fair and sustainable income, and the ability to provide for themselves, their families and help meet other community needs
- MWO increases self-esteem, self-sustainability and enables other young women to develop income generating activities, etc.
- Developing feminine hygiene kits enable girls to attend school. These activities help relieve stress, depression, anxiety and more.
- Together MWO makes a difference in people’s lives and builds a better community to live a higher quality of life.
