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.
Nsimba is a 3 year old girl living in Masi Manimba, in the Bandundu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With no real livelihood or consistent source of income, her parents struggle to feed her and her 5 …
Today is World Toilet Day. Worldwide, over 2.5 billion people do not have access to clean, functioning toilets – and over 1 billion people defecate in the open. More people have access to a cell phone than use a toilet. …
A few weeks ago I saw an article in Foreign Policy about Primus, the ubiquitous beer of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The authors, Jason Miklian and Peer Shouten, explore some of the social, cultural, and conflict dynamics of …
Over the past 5 years we have almost entirely re-engineered the way DFID manages programmes and made some significant improvements. We have introduced, among other things: more rigorous design templates, tougher spending controls, better contract management policies, systematic quality assurance stronger use of …
A guest blog by Susanna Moorehead, DFID West and Southern Africa Director, about her recent visit to a center for girls living in the street in Kinshasa. During my recent visit to DRC, I witnessed life in the huge, vibrant but troubled capital city, Kinshasa. In …
Leaders from 11 countries met yesterday (Sunday 24th Feb) in Addis Ababa and signed a Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement intended to bring peace to the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. After nearly a year of renewed fighting in …
No one would dare to suggest that every international development programme or policy has been a resounding success, yet finding the space to acknowledge and learn from instances of failure is still hard work. Happily though, there are signs that this …
Does our aid have the impact that was anticipated? How much does it change the lives of the world’s poorest people and for how long? What works, what doesn’t and why? And, what could we do differently? We conduct evaluations …
Last week I went to see some road construction in a UK and World Bank joint-funded programme called ProRoutes. We headed out of Kisangani in DRC’s Oriental Province, driving some 270 km north of the Congo River through the tropical …
The Congolese really love to dance. If you haven’t had the good fortune to hear Congolese music or see some top notch DRC dancing, the mighty Papa Wemba is a good place to start. A few weeks ago, before the …
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