Strengthening Our Roots in the ASM Community: New DRC Hub Strategy for Increased Collaboration and Impact

The Child Rights Action Hub DRC is deepening its presence in Kolwezi’s communities to ensure we are well connected, informed and aligned with existing local child protection systems and other initiatives. Our new community engagement strategy is designed to build stronger ties, integrate with existing structures, and create synergies that amplify collective impact.

Why a New Strategy?

As of October, the Child Rights Action Hub supports 75 children through our child labour remediation programme and 99 siblings through our educational support programme. Many live in the same communities. To make sure we stay close to what’s happening on the ground, The Hub has begun a comprehensive mapping of schools, training centres and child protection services in these priority communities. This work will increasingly be led by our case managers, who visit communities regularly and know the local realities first-hand.  By empowering our network of case managers and working more closely with and within the communities where we operate, we aim to:

• Maximise impact through shared resources and community-wide activities, such as training sessions on child rights and financial literacy that benefit not only Hub families but the broader community.

• Integrate with local systems by mapping available schools, training centres, and child protection services, and connecting with existing networks 

• Engage key stakeholders — from schools and youth leaders to local committees and neighbourhood heads — to strengthen collaboration and ensure sustainability.

Building Capacity and Creating Opportunities

In the coming months, the Action Hub will roll out financial literacy and entrepreneurship sessions for parents and youth, and support local workshops to create more apprenticeship opportunities and decent work for young people. These activities will be designed in collaboration with local actors to foster shared ownership and lasting impact. Our aim is also to open up activities to more families.

How We’ll Get There

To drive this next phase, we are assigning senior case managers to take on expanded community roles. Each will act as the Action Hub’s primary liaison with schools and community structures, responsible for:

• Leading awareness sessions and youth clubs

• Supporting community-based child protection networks

• Mapping and maintaining contact with key local stakeholders

• Identifying opportunities to align with and complement other initiatives

• Coordinating Action Hub activities within their respective communities

This rollout begins in Kolwezi, where case managers will be assigned to lead work in their designated communities. Their experience and strong local relationships will be key in ensuring the Action Hub remains deeply rooted, responsive, and connected where it matters most: in the communities we serve.