Democratic Republic of Congo

Action for Reconciliation, Peace and Development (ACREPADE)
$37,766
To support the decentralization process in Equateur Province and prepare the population for changes resulting from decentralization. ACREPADE will organize a three-day workshop on decentralization with local elected officials and another with state authorities and provincial ministers. ACREPADE will also hold a workshop for youth and civil society and produce a newsletter and radio program.

Actions pour le Développement et la Vie (ADEV)
$25,000
To reinforce the capacity of civil society in Muanda, Lukula, and Boma to defend community rights and encourage Congolese authorities and extractive industries to manage natural resources responsibly. ADEV will organize training workshops on social and environmental responsibility for oil company representatives, academics, and civil society. ADEV will promote regular contact between companies and communities affected by their work and regularly visit the three areas to evaluate progress in relations.

Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l’Homme (AEDH)
$35,001
To strengthen the capacity of human rights organizations in the Kivus. AEDH will organize a three-day workshop for five local human rights groups to share experiences and best practices and, ultimately, explore ways to collaborate. Participating organizations will form an online community and seek to produce joint documents on the human rights situation.

Alliance Feminine pour le Développement (ALFED)
$32,038
To improve women’s status in Kibombo and Pangi territories of Maniema Province. ALFED will organize conferences to inform community leaders of the role women can play in their communities. ALFED will also organize interactive workshops for local authorities, activists, and citizens to educate them on women’s rights and women’s potential role in public affairs.

Ambassade Chrétienne pour la Paix au Congo (ACPC)
$24,405
To promote the use of non-violent methods for advocating community concerns in Bas Congo Province and improving relations between local authorities and the civilian community. ACPC will organize a training-of-trainers workshop on civic education and conflict resolution for civil society members and local authorities, who will then teach the lessons learned to their communities. ACPC will also host a regular call-in radio show on civil liberties and local conflict.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$550,000
To assist trade unions and their partners to understand and utilize decentralization laws to advocate for issues important to them at the local and provincial levels. The Solidarity Center will engage unions and their partners to understand the numerous decentralization laws’ purpose and application; develop a cadre of trainers to support application of this knowledge; and conduct provincial forums to promote consensus and measure progress.

Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l’Homme (ASADHO)
$45,657
To inform Congolese in Kinshasa and the vicinity of their human rights and report on rights violations in those areas. ASADHO will conduct field trips to investigate abuses, organize a two-day workshop for its members to strengthen their understanding of abuses, and invite 47 civilians to a meeting on understanding various types of human rights abuses.

Association des Jeunes Femmes du Maniema (AJFMa)
$30,710
To help strengthen the capacity of local communities in Punia Territory to improve the rule of law and the fight against impunity, especially on behalf of women. AJFMa will build the capacity of the judiciary in Punia Territory to combat impunity in rural communities. AJFMa will also organize a democracy campaign to familiarize the local population with the principles of human rights and democracy.

Association Paysanne pour le Développement Intégré au Sud-Kivu (APDIK)
$30,000
To help integrate Minembwe through radio programming and to promote greater understanding of civic education and human rights. APDIK will build a radio station in isolated Minembwe, train personnel and radio club heads, and support internships of its personnel at functioning radio stations. It will then produce relevant news for the community and publish a democracy and human rights newsletter.

Association pour le Développement des Initiatives Feminines (ADIF-MANIEMA)
$34,254
To decrease the number of violations of socio-economic rights and increase the capacity of rural groups to defend their economic interests in parts of Maniema Province. ADIF will organize a seminar with community organizations to compare their advocacy strategies. ADIF will also create 48 discussion groups promoting women’s rights and monitoring public funds, and support its grassroots groups in the field.

Association pour les Victimes de la Repression en Afrique (AVRA)
$36,522
To promote the integration of state law into the traditional court system in Lubutu and Kabambare territories. AVRA will hold workshops for judicial officials and customary chiefs to develop a working relationship between the customary tribunals and the provincial courts. AVRA will monitor court proceedings to ensure both parties’ full engagement in the relationship.

Bureau Islamique pour la Défense des Droits Humains (BIDH)
$29,037
To help mobilize Muslims in Maniema province to become more politically engaged and civically responsible. BIDH will organize a two-day symposium on liberal democratic values for Muslims throughout the province and explore issues ripe for advocacy. BIDH will also organize a training session on Muslim political engagement and produce a newsletter and a regular radio show.

Centre des Droits de l’Homme et du Droit Humanitaire (CDH)
$40,900
To improve monitoring and reporting of local human rights NGOs and defend human rights victims in Katanga. CDH will hold nine workshops to retrain 500 local activists in human rights monitoring, reporting, and lobbying. CDH will also provide legal assistance to such victims, produce reports on abuses, and re-launch its human rights network for the province.

Centre d’Etudes et d’Encadrement pour la Participation au Développement Endogène (CEPDE)
$30,295
To strengthen the lobbying and advocacy of local groups and reinforce community dialogue with youth in gangs. CEPDE will train five local committees on effective ways to lobby to combat small arms circulation. It will also create a literacy and civic education center to help at-risk youth integrate in their communities.

Centre d’Etudes et de Formation Populaire pour les Droits de l’Homme (CEFOP)
$30,000
To strengthen the work of civil society in Kasai Oriental Province and promote greater respect for socio-economic and cultural rights. CEFOP will organize three seminars for community leaders and civil society activists on these rights and then create a team to document and produce a report on such abuses. CEFOP will also produce radio and TV shows and a newsletter.

Centre d’Études Juridques Appliquees (CEJA)
$52,299
To promote human rights in North Kivu Province and provide civilians in two territories better means to defend their rights. CEJA will organize several field trips in these territories to document and report on human rights abuses. It will also support its three offices, organize two training sessions on abuses and governance, and continue its legal assistance and publication.

Centre de Recherche sur l’Environnement, la Democratie et les Droits de l’Homme (CREDDHO)
$53,758
To help reduce the use of torture by security services and state authorities in North Kivu detention centers and to improve collaboration between security and judicial services to protect villagers. CREDDHO will continue its legal advocacy work, conduct investigations, maintain monitoring, organize a training seminar, and produce radio programming to reduce the state’s use of torture in North Kivu.

Collectif des Organizations des Jeunes Solidaires du Congo Kinshasa (COJESKI)
$40,000
To promote nonviolence and peaceful resolution of conflicts among youth in North Kivu. COJESKI will organize seven seminars for 50 participants each in Goma, Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, Lubero, Beni and Walikale. Participants will also be expected to participate in clubs that promote peace and nonviolence, called CLUPAIX.

Comité d’Action pour le Développement Intégral (CADI)
$40,925
To promote a consultative process for rural citizens from Uvira and Fizi and contribute to the reduction of illegal taxation in the area. CADI will organize 14 training sessions on tax management and monitoring for citizens. It will then organize meetings between local residents and authorities to discuss governance issues in the area, and conduct a good governance campaign.

Compagnie Tam-Tam Théâtre
$38,440
To promote local understanding and engagement of problems in seven communes of Kinshasa and promote nonviolent solutions to these problems. Tam-Tam Theatre will investigate intolerance in the communes and then organize workshops for community residents on the most salient problems. At the end of each workshop, it will perform a theatrical skit addressing intolerance.

Congo en Images (CIM)
$34,380
To help Congolese participate in democratic consolidation and local governance and encourage constructive dialogue between leaders and citizens. CIM will organize three training workshops to explain citizens’ civil and political rights and forums gathering officials and citizens to discuss the work of elected officials. CIM will also continue to disseminate news in the interior of the province and its capital, Kisangani, commission politically-themed paintings, and create two short-format films.

Friends of Nelson Mandela for the Defense of Human Rights (ANMDH)
$43,100
To fight against arbitrary arrest and detention through public vigilance and national and international advocacy. ANMDH will organize a campaign to mobilize civil society to fight against human rights violations with a focus on arbitrary arrests. ANMDH will improve its members’ techniques to document abuses and will hold press conferences and organize conference-debates gathering citizens and officials together to discuss ways to tackle impunity and arbitrary arrests.

Groupe LOTUS
$35,250
To contribute to democratic consolidation and decentralization. Groupe Lotus will organize training sessions throughout Orientale Province for civil society and local politicians on the decentralization process. Groupe Lotus will also organize forums for debate between state authorities and civilians on human rights and security issues in the north of the province. Groupe Lotus will produce monthly radio programs on decentralization and a quarterly newsletter, Echos Lotus.

Haki za Binadamu-Maniema asbl (HZB)
$36,200
To reduce the practice of torture, provide relief to victims and increase awareness among Congolese about torture. HZB will organize workshops and trainings for security personnel, magistrates, and civil society members on torture, mechanisms to prevent or punish it, and ways to monitor instances of torture. HZB will provide legal help to alleged victims and make regular visits to detention centers, will compile a database of abuses and produce monitoring reports.

Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP)
$35,000
To promote dialogue between constituents and public officials in South Kivu Province and prepare the population for the upcoming local elections. ICJP will install 50 suggestion boxes throughout the province for citizen comments on their public officials. It will hold roundtable discussions for some of those officials to respond to the notes, organize radio shows, and meet with authorities.

Jeunes Paysans en Action (JPA)
$29,250
To empower rural communities to demand their rights in Kasangulu Territory of Bas Congo Province. JPA will hold a two-day forum with Kasangulu representatives to discuss the state of human rights, and continue its grassroots awareness-raising debates on human rights. JPA will organize skits for the local population and videotape the village debates.

Journaliste en Danger (JED)
$37,740
To strengthen the capacity of volunteer correspondents in the East to monitor freedom of the press and defend journalists and media personnel facing trial. JED will hire and train monitors on violations of press freedom who will then report abuses. JED will also retain three law firms in Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, and Bukavu to defend accused journalists.

Maniema Liberté (MALI)
$35,000
To contribute to democratic consolidation and improve communication on security, human rights and governance information. MALI will report on news in Maniema Province and create a newsletter that it will distribute in the province. It will also organize a training for writers for the newsletter on investigative reporting techniques, newspaper production, and techniques for conducting live interviews.

Mwanga Association
$29,916
To help communities in Kailo Territory and Kindu manage their forest resources and demand their rights. Mwanga Association will organize a five-day workshop on the rights to access forest resources and will set up a legal clinic for victims of illegal land exploitation. It will persuade officials to accept the recommendations of a report acknowledging villagers’ grievances from logging.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
$230,000
To enhance legislative oversight of the DRC’s extractive industries, NDI will assist provincial assembly engagement in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process in five provinces. Through a sub-grant, NDI will support Publish What You Pay/DRC to build provincial assemblies’ capacity. In consultation with the Congolese EITI steering committee, NDI will organize a site visit and a town hall meeting for natural resources revenue oversight.

Promotion de la Democratie et Protection des Droits Humains (PDH)
$35,466
To reduce corruption in the North Kivu courts, encourage magistrates to promote more transparent practices, and promote civil society engagement in combating court corruption. PDH will provide legal assistance for victims of corruption and impunity, produce a regular radio show, continue its advocacy work, and organize three seminars on corruption in the courts for civil society, judicial and state officials.

Radio Maendeleo
$50,576
To strengthen grassroots understanding of democratic principles through expanded radio broadcasting and to strengthen radio club management. Radio Maendeleo will organize two workshops addressing challenges to democracy in the Congo and providing training on reporting techniques in conflict zones. The station will also construct a new antenna in southern South Kivu Province and begin work on a new multimedia center.

Securitas-Congo
$26,200
To contribute to greater respect for human rights by the Congolese National Police, and to encourage greater dialogue between the population and the police. Securitas will organize two seminars on human rights and police reform for human rights defenders and judicial police officers and agents. Securitas will also hold regular meetings with authorities in Kisantu and Kinshasa.

Société Civile du Kasaï Oriental (SOCIKOR)
$28,940
To strengthen institutional and programmatic capacity of Kasai Oriental’s civil society organizations and coordination bureau. SOCIKOR will organize three workshops on improving civil society capacity with various civil society and provincial communities, purchase equipment for its main office, and conduct a study on the problems affecting the province.

Solidarité pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix (SOPROP)
$62,014
To promote good governance and democracy by addressing citizen concerns through collaboration between officials and civil society organizations. SOPROP will conduct two investigations on human rights abuses, land abuses, and corruption in North Kivu. SOPROP’s Kinshasa team will support its human rights councils, investigate the use of public funds, organize ten debates, and provide legal help to human rights victims.

UWAKI-Maniema
$27,850
To promote collaboration between state authorities and local communities on tax collection and to encourage Maniema citizens to defend their socio-economic rights, including tax rights. UWAKI will organize four citizen rights training sessions, distribute literature and its newsletters on tax rights and obligations, and organize twelve theatrical pieces on illegal taxation for radio.

Voice of the Voiceless (VSV)
$58,058
To encourage citizen participation in the Congo’s democratization and improvement of its legal system. VSV will investigate the impact of the work of local and national parliamentarians in five provinces and present these findings to citizens. VSV will also continue its advocacy work and investigations into human rights abuses as well as promoting a regional framework for human rights advocacy.

The grant listings posted here are from the 2009 Annual Report, published in June 2010.