Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country located in Central Africa with an area of 2,345,000 km²; However, this large country with high potential for socio-economic development remains ranked 179th out of 191 on the Human Development Index, and has been facing one of the most complex and severe humanitarian crises in the world for more than two decades, especially in the East. Across the country, 26.4 million people – or one in four Congolese – are acutely food insecure, despite the country’s impressive agricultural potential. In 2022, the humanitarian situation has not improved much, due to a security situation – the main driver of the crisis – that has armed conflict and gross human rights violations, including sexual violence and grave violations against children, continue to drive millions of people to seek safety far from home: more than 5.7 million people are internally displaced, the highest number in Africa.
There is still a long way to go in terms of localizing humanitarian aid in the DRC, but the groundwork is beginning to be laid at various levels, including the participation of some national organizations in the humanitarian coordination structure in the DRC, a revision of the humanitarian architecture in the DRC to include greater participation by national organizations, and a certain involvement of local actors in the humanitarian planning process, etc. It should be noted that the aspects of direct and quality funding, equitable partnership, strengthening of local actors on the ToGether model location remain major challenges in DRC.
Local Humanitarian Partners (LHPs)
Based in DRC, AIDES works in humanitarian and development sectors, with focus to all people affected by calamities and conflicts, notably in East of DRC, in different sectors such as housing/infrastructure, Camp Coordination and camp management, education, health, WASH, food security, nutrition and protection. AIDES is co-lead of shelter Cluster in South Kivu’s province and Focal Point for Shelter and Disability in North Kivu Shelter cluster, Manager of more than 75 displacement sites in North and South Kivu for the CCCM Cluster.
ADSSE is a Congolese organization with activities in provinces of Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, South-Kivu, Tanganyika, Haut-Katanga and Lualaba; ADSSE is Co-Lead of Shelter/NFI Cluster in Ituri, Co-Lead of Nutrition Cluster in Tanganyika. It therefore contributes to sectoral needs analyses and to the preparation of response plans in DRC. ADSSE implements projects to contribute to the humanitarian response in key areas and sectors of intervention: Shelter/NFI, Nutrition, WaSH, Education, Food Security and the specific response to refugees, with funding from the DR Congo Humanitarian Fund, UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP.
RACOJ North-Kivu is a Congolese organization based in Goma (DRC) working in the field of humanitarian emergency, transition, development and whose vision is to encourage the involvement of young people in the development of their communities and the country as a whole; its interventions are located in the Provinces of North-Kivu and Central Kasai and are oriented in different areas such as Food Security, Shelter and Essential Household Items, Nutrition, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH), Health (fight against epidemics such as Ebola and Covid-19), Education and Protection.
SAD is a Congolese organization based on DRC with activities in different provinces: South Kivu, Tanganyika, Maniema, etc. Working in Humanitarian sector (Humanitarian emergency, Integral health including nutrition, reproductive health, mental health; Food Security, Food security with integration of cross-cutting themes (protection, wash, environmental protection) and also in Development Sector (Community-based development and financial empowerment), SAD is strongly involved in humanitarian leadership in DRC (member of HCT, COHP, lead of CCONAT, CONAFOHD-RDC, hosts nutrition cluster meetings in South Kivu province).
Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) is an organization under Congolese law since 2015 and works in emergencies, transition and development. Currently in 11 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo;In line with its approach and strategy of sustainability, it intervenes in different areas grouped into two programs including Integrated Health (Nutrition, Primary Health Care and Reproductive Health, WASH, Food Security, Psychosocial Support) and Protection&Education (Protection, GBV&PSEA, Education, Shelter, AME, Peace Governance and Conflict Transformation), development.