DRC: SECAM urges women and youth to be agents of change and environmental education

A workshop on engaging women and youth in faith-based environmental campaigns for the preservation of the Congo Basin is taking place from May 18 to 19, 2026, at the Caritas Reception Center in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Participants are urged to be agents of change in the face of the ecological crisis.

Organized by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), in collaboration with the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), this meeting brings together some forty participants from Kinshasa, Boma, Kisantu, and other provinces of the DRC. Representatives from the CENCO (National Episcopal Conference of Congo), dioceses, religious congregations, Justice and Peace Commissions, ecclesial movements, universities, and several experts in environment and environmental governance were also present.

A delegation from SECAM Secretariat based in Accra, Ghana, is also participating, led by the First Deputy Secretary General, Rev. Fr. Zéphirin Moubé, accompanied by Madam Mavis Anima Bonsu, accountant at SECAM Secretariat, and Rev. Fr. Louison Emerick Bissila Mbila, C.S.Sp., SECAM Liaison Officer to the African Union (AU) and Catholic Chaplain to the AU, in Addis Ababa.

At the opening of the workshop, Fr. Zéphirin Moubé emphasized that this meeting comes at a critical time for Africa and for all of humanity, as the Congo Basin is facing increasing pressures related to climate change, deforestation and the illegal exploitation of natural resources. He stated that the Church cannot remain silent in the face of this ecological crisis and reiterated that safeguarding creation is a spiritual and moral responsibility, in accordance with Pope Francis’s appeal in the encyclical Laudato Si’.

The need for ecological conversion

This workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of women and young people, promote faith-based environmental approaches and develop community action plans for the protection of the Congo Basin. Fr. Moube emphasized the need for an ecological conversion rooted in faith, solidarity and collective responsibility.

The Secretary General of CENCO, Monsignor Donatien Nshole, indicated that the forests of the Congo Basin constitute an essential world heritage, serving as the planet’s ecological lung, a reservoir of biodiversity and a source of livelihood for millions of people. He highlighted the fundamental role of women and young people in the sustainable management of forests. According to him, women, the primary users of forest resources, hold a significant portion of the solutions to environmental challenges. As for young people, they represent the transformative force, innovation and commitment essential for addressing the current climate crisis.

At the beginning of the opening ceremony, Madam Jeanne-Marie Abanda of the Episcopal Commission for Natural Resources (CERN) highlighted the challenges facing Africa, such as poverty, despite the continent’s immense natural resources, and urged participants to be agents of change.

SECAM Communications Office