Rodrigue Makelele

Advocate, Certified Ethical Hacker, Network Engineer, Small Scale Farmer, Blogger, Researcher, analyst, Aspiring Author Just-peace activist, MA, B.S IT

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Our Vijana Mobile School does more than teach lessons on tablets. It also creates a safe space for children who have lived through war, displacement, and loss. Beyond literacy and numeracy, our facilitators use stories, play, art, and conversation to help kids process trauma, feel seen, and slowly rebuild trust in adults and in the future. For us, education isn’t just about catching up on school; it’s about restoring hope, dignity, and a sense of safety.

#peace #justice #hope

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Que dit la constitution du Congo RDC ? 🇨🇩

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

@bub_willy Really sad for real

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Rest in Peace 🪦 brother Miguel! You were a true Peace Ambassador .

The Whole DRC 🇨🇩 will forever mourn your loss 😭

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Tomorrow saturday, I will be joining community leaders, practitioners, faith leaders, students, educators, advocates, and neighbors in Harrisonburg for a simple but important conversation:

What can we do, individually and collectively, to make our communities and our world more peaceful and better for everyone?

The International Day of Peace gathering is not about pretending that any of us has all the answers. It is about creating space to listen, connect, exchange ideas, and think about practical ways we can contribute to peace through our institutions, organizations, workplaces, congregations, and communities.

📅 September 19 | 5:30–8:00 PM
📍 EMU Discipleship Center, Harrisonburg
Refreshments will be provided.

If you are in the area, I would be glad to see you there. And if someone in your network should be part of this conversation, please share this with them.

RSVP: https://t.co/HdFCRkQdmZ

#InternationalDayOfPeace #InvestInPeace #Peacebuilding #CommunityLeadership #Harrisonburg #VijanaAfrica

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

I’m grateful and humbled to share that I have been elected National Coordinator of the Congolese Diaspora in the United States.

I receive this responsibility with a strong sense of service and a simple goal: to help bring our communities closer together, connect our talents and experiences, and build greater collective power across the country.

I’m looking forward to working with community leaders, organizations, professionals, young people, and Congolese families across the United States. We already have so much strength within our diaspora. The opportunity now is to connect it, organize it, and build together.

Thank you to everyone who placed their trust in me. I’m excited for the work ahead and even more excited about what we can accomplish together. 🇨🇩🇺🇸

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Today my heart is heavy.

At just 25 years old, my friend #PriscaBanza was allegedly killed in Kinshasa, #DRC by individuals believed to be #Kulunas.

Prisca had already survived one tragedy. She fled the war in Goma, Eastern DRC, hoping to find safety and a chance to rebuild her life in Kinshasa. Instead, the violence she escaped ultimately caught up with her.

No young person should have to flee war only to lose their life to insecurity in their own country.

Her death is a painful reminder that urban violence has become an everyday reality for far too many people in Kinshasa. Families deserve to live without fear. Young people deserve to dream, to work, and to build their futures without wondering whether they will make it home.

I call on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all authorities responsible for public safety to conduct a thorough investigation, identify those responsible for Prisca’s murder, and ensure they are brought to justice.

We cannot continue to accept this as normal.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the most basic human right: the right to live.

Rest in peace, Prisca. You deserved so much more. 💔

#JusticeForPriscaBanza #DRC #Kinshasa #EndViolence #HumanRights

@ShabanilukooJ @Presidence_RDC @ONU_fr @hrw @PatrickMuyaya @DenisMukwege @DeniseNyakeru

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

@SimaroNgongoMba @grok , is this picture real or ai generated, or edited?

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

It was great to briefly reconnect and chat with US Senator @MarkWarner . I appreciated the chance to share a quick update on Tech Peace for Congo and our work connecting responsible technology, ethical supply chains, education, and peacebuilding for communities impacted by the minerals powering today’s digital economy.

#TechPeaceforCongo

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Vijana Africa vous invite à une conférence en ligne ce vendredi 05 juin, autour du thème :

« Le volet minier des accords de Washington : avantages et désavantages »

Nous aurons l’honneur de recevoir M. Nicaise Kibel’bel Oka, journaliste d’investigation, spécialiste de la RDC et de la région des Grands Lacs.

Heure : 12h30 – 14h00 GMT+2
Diffusion : en direct sur StreamYard

#VijanAfrica #Vijana #Webinaire #AccordsDeWashington #RDC #GrandsLacs

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

A meaningful conversation with Senator @SenatorAndyKim this week in DC.

I shared Tech Peace for Congo (https://t.co/q0Qv1MLVz3) and our belief that public service, responsible technology, and peacebuilding must work together more intentionally.

The question is simple: how do we make sure the technology shaping the future also supports the people and places connected to its supply chains?

#TechPeaceforCongo #CriticalMinerals #Congo #DRC

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

A strong conversation this week with Bennett Freeman around accountability, responsible business, and the role of global systems in shaping local realities.

I shared Tech Peace for Congo and our effort to create a more transparent connection between technology companies and communities in Congo.

This work is about asking a difficult but necessary question: who benefits from Congo’s minerals, and how do we make that benefit more just? #TechPeaceforCongo #CriticalMinerals #Peace #DRC

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

A great exchange this week with Hon. Anne Witkowsky (Former Assistant Secretary of State) during the Foreign Policy for America Summit.

I shared how Tech Peace for Congo is working to connect responsible technology, development, and peacebuilding in a more practical way.

Congo’s minerals are part of the global security and technology conversation. Congolese communities must also be part of the solution.

#TechPeaceForCongo #VijanaAfrica #FP4A #Congo #DRC #Peacebuilding #CriticalMinerals #Development #HumanRights

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

A meaningful conversation this week with Senator @timkaine in Washington, DC.

I shared the vision behind Tech Peace for Congo and why this work matters to me as someone rooted in Virginia and deeply connected to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The future of technology should not be separated from peace, development, and dignity for the communities whose minerals help power the world.

#TechPeaceForCongo #VijanAfrica #FP4A #Congo #DRC #CriticalMinerals #Development #HumanRights

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Grateful to be in Washington, DC this week for the Foreign Policy for America Summit.

For me, this work is personal. Foreign policy is not just about decisions made in rooms far away. It affects real people, including communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo who continue to live with the impact of conflict, displacement, and resource exploitation.

That is why our work through Tech Peace for Congo matters.

The minerals powering our phones, cars, and technology are connected to Congo. We believe that connection should also bring dignity, peace, education, and opportunity to Congolese communities.

This week is a reminder that Congo’s future is not only a local issue. It is a global responsibility.

#TechPeaceForCongo #FP4A #Congo #DRC #VijanAfrica #Peacebuilding #ConflictMinerals

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

The world is powered by minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while many of our communities still lack clean water, basic infrastructure, and dignified living conditions.

Through Tech Peace for Congo, we are calling on companies and actors who source, process, and profit from Congolese minerals to also invest in the dignity of local communities.

This means supporting access to clean water, community development, social justice, and real impact for the people living where these minerals come from.

Photos taken in Kananga, Lukonga Commune, Tshibashi neighborhood.

#DRC #Congo #ConflictMinerals #WaterForAll #LocalDevelopment #VijanaAfrica #Communities #HumanRights #SocialImpact #TechPeaceForCongo

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Our team in Goma also had the honor of meeting with Pastor Jean Timbiri of the Community of Pentecostal Churches in Central Africa.

This meaningful exchange focused on peacebuilding, peaceful coexistence, and conflict resolution through the active involvement of faith and community leaders.

The conversation highlighted the important role that religious communities can play in promoting dialogue, strengthening social cohesion, and helping build lasting peace within our society.

At @VijanAfrica, we believe peace is built through trusted relationships, community leadership, and shared responsibility. Through these ongoing conversations, we continue working to strengthen collaboration between faith leaders, community actors, and local partners so that together we can build a more peaceful and resilient future for Goma, North Kivu, and the wider region.

#VijanAfrica #Peacebuilding #FaithLeaders #Goma #NorthKivu #DRC #SocialCohesion #Resilience #CommunityLeadership

[Rodrigue Makelele @rodmakelele]

Our team in Goma had the honor of meeting with Reverend Frederick Siamakuka, Public Relations Officer of the Church of Christ in Congo, North Kivu Province, known in French as ECC N-K.

The meeting focused on peacebuilding and conflict resolution, especially the important role that faith leaders and community leaders can play in promoting dialogue, rebuilding trust, and strengthening social cohesion.

At Vijana Africa, we believe lasting peace must be built with communities from the ground up. Faith leaders are key partners because they are trusted voices who can help bring people together, encourage reconciliation, and guide communities toward healing and shared responsibility.

#VijanAfrica #Peace #FaithLeaders #Goma #DRC #SocialCohesion #CommunityLeadership