Kinshasa, march 14th, 2023 (CPA).- Human rights activists were equipped, from March 9th to 11th, 2023, in the responsible management of social network communication in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), CPA noted.
« This webinar training concerned members of the human rights protection network operating in six provinces of DRC (Kinshasa, Haut-Katanga, Nord Kivu, Sud Kivu, Kasai-Central and Kasai Oriental), » said the trainer, Grace Israella Kangundu, an expert in social media communication, at the closing ceremony.
« The objective of these meetings was to train participants in the proper use of the 7 communication channels in the media in order to improve the communication techniques of the member organisations of the protection networks and to bring them to a responsible publication of information in social networks, » she added, specifying that this information also contributes to the advocacy for the improvement of human rights, to be submitted to the political and administrative authorities in DRC.
For the trainer, social networks are today marketing tools of great importance for both public and private companies. « They provide great opportunities and allow rapid communication at low cost in order to promote the image of the NGDO while creating close links with its readers, » she added.
The importance of communication channels in society The president of the Congolese Association of Women Journalists of the written press (ACOFEPE) and trainer of this workshop, Grâce Israella Kangundu, also suggested that participants integrate social networks and the creation of a website into their communication strategies in order to enable them to achieve their objectives at all levels.
« Having a website gives credibility to the organisation in terms of the quality of the information posted on the website and makes all the activities carried out by the organisation visible, » she said.
At the end of the training, some human rights defenders opened new Twitter accounts and promised to start the procedures for building a website. The training was supported by the Carter Center through its Human Rights House program.
It should be noted that nearly twenty organisations took part in these training sessions. These were the Centre for Research on the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights (CREDDHO); Carrefour des femmes de l’action lève-toi et brille (CAFEM); Human Rights Lawyer (ADH); Reseau associatif pour la psychologie integrale (RAPI) (or Association Network for Integral Psychology (ANIP), etc. CPA/
