Active Project

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

National Executing Agency: Caritas Congo

DGM DRC continues to make important progress in land tenure, policy, and capacity-building. Over the past year, DGM DRC supported the attainment of 4 perpetual titles for Local Community Forest Concessions, adoption of the Law for the Protection and Promotion of Pygmy Indigenous Peoples in the Senate, launched microprojects, and held a national workshop on community forestry and Indigenous people’s rights. The active participation of IPLCs in decision-making bodies on forest and land management has been critical to reaching these milestones.

  • To support IPLC capacity building on improving land management, DGM DRC plans to fund direct support activities for local communities, including basic education and literacy training. During this reporting period, the project organized an evaluation of the first phase of literacy classes for IPLCs and developed an action plan for the continuation of literacy activities in all territories.

    DGM DRC aims to secure land resources for IPLCs and promote economic activities and livelihoods that highlight climate change adaptation and sustainable management of forest landscapes through micro-grants. The two subcomponents are micro-subsidies for the diversification of socio-economic activities and community management of pilot forests.

To learn more about DGM DRC, visit www.dgmglobal.org/drc and the project website, www.peuplesautochtones.cd.

DGM DRC Facts

Rice harvest by project implementers. © DGM DRC

Project Highlight

Through a microproject implemented by the Union for the Freedom of Indigenous Women, DGM funding has contributed to agricultural production and food security support for local and indigenous communities in Kalehe Territory and has improved the Forest Ecosystem through tree planting, food crop and honey production in 17 villages in the Kalonge Group. The expected outcomes for this project are 5 hectares with 5 tree varieties associated with food crops, peanut, onion, honey, and potato production for 260 households, and the participation of community leaders and state services in forest landscape improvement. Some of the project challenges have been low project ownership by local authorities, disruption of cropping season due to immense amount of rainfall, decline in production, and theft in households and fields.

© DGM DRC

© DGM DRC

“Thanks to this program, there has been a considerable impact in improved literacy specifically of women, in relation to the access and protection of forests and natural resources, the establishment of initiatives, and forest concessions for use by communities. Through this partnership we have received 40,000 hectares of land which are now used by way of our customs and traditions and under our responsibility, this recognition reflects our enormous pride of our land and considers the rights of Indigenous peoples and the land we protect. At the beginning of the project, most women involved did not know how to read or write. Six years later, these are the same women that are leading the initiatives described.”

— Diel Mochire, DGM DRC NSC member