The Democratic Republic of Congo has the potential to be an economic powerhouse and a force for peace and stability at the heart of the continent. Progress towards sustainable development and poverty reduction will bring enormous benefits to millions of poor people in the Congo, its neighbours and the wider world. Helping turn this fascinating country in that direction is a core goal of DFID DRC's country programme.
I am drinking a cup of coffee as I write this blog. I suspect that some of you may be drinking one as you read it. The coffee you are enjoying may well be coming from the east of the …
Recently I spent a week in Kinshasa observing our talented Girl Researchers. They were analysing their first sets of qualitative data collected as part of DFID DRC’s programme for adolescent girls, La Pépinière. Sixteen girls aged between 16 and 24, from …
The 134 years since Kinshasa was founded have witnessed many people coming and going. Nowadays it is mostly development workers, peacekeepers and, encouragingly, an increasing number of businessmen and women who flock to Africa’s third-biggest city. I am one of …
It had rained solidly all night, and was still raining at 6:30 as we assembled at the Pakistani Company Operating Base outside Walungu to assess whether the road trip was possible. The Burhale to Shabunda road in South Kivu is …
The Girl Summit 2014 was a big deal in the UK. It was the culmination of months of hard work by DFID, UNICEF and Girl Hub. It was attended by Prime Ministers, Presidents and Cabinet Ministers. Hundreds of young people …
Having arrived in DRC just over a month ago, I was incredibly lucky to be taken with Alastair and Mischa - colleagues from the DFID DRC humanitarian team - to see our programmes in the east. Having seen that special security …
Cash transfers are an increasingly important component of DFID’s poverty-reduction tool kit. There is strong evidence that they are a highly effective means to support extremely vulnerable and poor people. Cash transfers can help people to recover from shocks caused …
Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must be one of the most difficult environments to deliver clean water. The city is built on the lava flows from nearby active volcanoes (the last major eruption was …
The Girl Summit 2014 is an important global campaign for DRC, where an estimated 39% of girls are married between the ages of 15 and 18 – and probably younger in rural areas. And that figure needs caveating with the …
A highly addictive substance with strong stimulant properties is being grown in the conflict torn hills of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Between 50 and 80% of the harvest is then smuggled by boat and by road across the …
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