Sylvestre Kimbese, project manager for Catholic Relief Services’ Justice and Peace Department in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is spending two months at Notre Dame as a Kroc Institute-CRS Fellow.
While at Notre Dame, Kimbese will conduct a comparative study of peacebuilding efforts led by Catholic bishops in six African countries, using results to help bolster peacebuilding and development efforts led by Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Congolese Catholic bishops are some of the most outspoken and influential voices for peace in the country,” Kimbese said. “My research at the Kroc Institute will help ensure these voices have a lasting impact.”
Based in Kinshasa, the Congo, Kimbese helps integrate peace and justice into all regional CRS initiatives and programs. He also participates in conflict analysis in rural areas, evaluates CRS peacebuilding interventions, and trains individuals in conflict management.
The Kroc Institute and Catholic Relief Services have sponsored the CRS-Kroc fellowships since 2006. Kroc-CRS fellows pursue short-term research and writing projects related to peacebuilding while engaging with Kroc Institute students and faculty. Past fellows have come from Burundi, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal and South Sudan.
Catholic Relief Services is one of the world’s largest humanitarian relief organizations, serving more than 100 countries around the globe.
Contact: Sylvestre Kimbese, sylvestre.kimbesebigedjo.1@nd.edu