1. SEMINAR « Inclusive Employment » Vientiane, 7 – 11 October 2013 Who I am ?Who I am ? Brief presentation. My name is Virna, I'm a Belgian anthropologist. I joined the Handicap International team in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo 11 months ago. I work as a project coordinator, this means that I coordinate two projects: one on maternal and child health and one on the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. Before this, I was working for Caritas Belgium in the DRC, for whom I was implementing a food security project. At that time, I was based in the province of Equator, in the North-West of the country, where travel was by boat or plane between the different sites. I have also had the opportunity to work in Haiti and Mali. My career in the humanitarian sector allows me to fulfill my need to discover new cultures and countries. It allows me to satisfy my curiosity; personal enrichment every day! I am an expert / specialist in …..I am an expert / specialist in ….. I am a social anthropologist by training and therefore I have a rather general profile. Through my career I have had the opportunity to become knowledgeable and experienced in many fields, such as general project management, food security, maternal and child health and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. Many other fields, such as capacity building, gender, disability are transversal themes in all projects. My primary aim is to become more knowledgeable about inclusive employment and socio-economic insertion. But a secondary aim is to meet, share and learn from the different professionals that I will meet here. My picture

2. To which question would you like this seminar to answer? I do not expect answers to specific questions but rather I hope this seminar will allow me: - to understand HIs position on the issues of inclusive employment and socio-economic insertion - to gain deeper knowledge on these issues - to identify best practices - to learn from the experience of our partners - to discuss challenges and understand how these can be overcome SEMINAR « Inclusive Employment » Vientiane, 7 – 11 October 2013

3. What are the main challenges / stakes for the future of inclusive employment projects ? Despite its enormous economic potential, the Democratic Republic of Congo is among the countries with the lowest level of human development. The vast majority of job seekers are active in the informal economy. According to the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC), starting in 2006, a recovery in (formal) economic activity has been observed throughout the country and especially in the city of Kinshasa, particularly in the areas of real estate and construction. The majority of companies are in the trade and services (46.76%) against 2.03% in agriculture and 16% in industry. One of the main challenges is the lack of data on the number and situation of people with disabilities (PWDs) in general and more specifically on their level of education (formal education and practical skills), moreover PWDs are generally excluded from standard training systems. Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs) have estimated that among female adults with disabilities, the literacy rate is less than 40%; one of the factors leading to general exclusion and increased vulnerability in terms of social and economic integration. But the core constraint on the economic integration of PWDs is the process of social exclusion itself; for instance, the birth of child with disability is often considered a curse or witchcraft. Some other general challenges: In the urban context of Kinshasa, where the levels of poverty and marginalization are high, there is a general problem of access to livelihoods, i.e. jobs. The enrollment of children with disabilities (CWD), especially girls, remains very low The level of knowledge on disability among the general population is very low, leading to negative attitudes and practices. A first step has been taken with the ratification of the UN Convention, however, no national law or framework on the rights of PWDs exists in DRC. The job market for PWD is very limited, with most women working as tailors and most men as carpenters. Another challenge is the attitude amongst some PWDs themselves, long years of exclusion and lack of support have lead to very high levels of dependency on local (charity) and foreign aid. SEMINAR « Inclusive Employment » Vientiane, 7 – 11 October 2013