Sister Rose always says the work found her the moment she began to listen.
In South Kivu (DRC), where men often leave for the forest and women become the heads of households, she saw neighbours carrying water for miles, children missing school, and small businesses unable to grow without seed money or guidance. It hurt her to watch. So she began sitting with people, asking simple questions: “What do you want? What do you need? How would you change this place if you could?” The answers were practical, clean water, reliable income, and safer lives for families.
As a teacher and member of ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE TUJENGE (ASSIT), Sister Rose believes that real change begins when a community takes charge of its own future. She has spent years helping women and youth build strength through trust, learning, and sustainable livelihoods. “Change does not come from what we give people, but from what we help them discover in themselves,” she says.
Through the Vidushi Global Mutualism Fellowship – Africa, Sister Rose has been learning alongside changemakers from across the continent, exploring the principles of mutualism, shared responsibility, interdependence, and collaboration across borders. “Mutualism taught me that interdependence is not weakness; it is wisdom. When we lift each other, no one is left behind,” she reflects.
The Fellowship has amplified her journey of community-led change, equipping her with new tools and perspectives to strengthen women-led savings groups, nurture local enterprises, and design solutions that sustain themselves. “I want my community to know that knowledge grows when it is shared,” she adds.
For Sister Rose, transformation is not measured in numbers but in moments; a child drinking clean water, a woman reopening her shop, a community managing its own resources transparently. Each moment reminds her that empowerment begins when people stop waiting for change and start becoming it.