Samuel Yagase: Building Self-Sufficient Communities

Our #CongoLive guest for this episode is Samuel Yagase, a community leader in Isangi, a town northeast of Congo. He shared with us how his community is organized for self-sufficiency right in the heart of Africa. This show aired on December 10, 2016. Bio Samuel Yagase is a key player in mobilizing rural communities for local development mainly in Tolaw, Isangi Territory, Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the founder of the the organization GOVA (Group of Village Organizations for Self- development ) that works on promoting local initiatives and leadership. He is very committed to improving matters related to local governance in the DRC. He is interested in fighting against injustice (especially traditional customs that discriminate against women) and fighting for the promotion of human rights. He works on promoting dialogue and collaboration between the two medicines (Traditional and Modern ). He is the initiator of the Solidarity Fund for the fight against sleeping sickness in Isangi. For Samuel, development aid has virtually failed. It is in the process of reviewing, with his group, the perception of aid by paying more attention to local assets, helping the population to be the masters of its situation by mastering its agenda that Samuel sees lasting solutions for change in the DRC.