Congolese NGOs continue to commit to the protection of women and humanitarian action

Participants in a training on women leadership. Project : "Socio-economic recovery of women from the Mushinga group to consolidate peace in the Walungu Territory" organized by ARSF. Photo credit: ARSF

In the regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo most affected by humanitarian crises, eleven local NGOs and consortia of organizations have recently launched projects which have been financed by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Action Fund (WPHF), including seven projects which have received funding through the WPHF and Spotlight Initiative partnership. The projects, selected following the Fund's second call for proposals, will receive a total of $1,660,309.91 USD between them, and will focus on the prevention and protection of women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), as well as peace-building, rights-based approaches, women's leadership and post-conflict recovery.
The following organizations are active in 7 provinces:

• Office for the Development and Implementation of Community Development Projects (BEMPRODEC) in Kasai
• Femme Plus Foundation (FFP) in Central Kasai
• Moyo Foundation in Kasai Oriental
• Sauti Ya Mama Mukongomani (SMM) in North Kivu
• Association for the Defense of Women's Rights (ADDF) in North Kivu
• Association of Indigenous Women Committed to Environmental Protection and the Fight against Female Poverty (AFPE) in Maï-Ndombe
• Union for the Emancipation of Indigenous Women (UEFA) in South Kivu and Tanganika
• Union of Women for Development and Incorporation (UFEDE) in South Kivu
• Association for the Dignity of Women and Children (APDFE) in Kasai
• Together for the empowerment of Women and the Family (EPF) in South Kivu
• Action for the social reintegration of women (ARSF) in South Kivu

UN Women DRC works with funded organizations by providing technical support, capacity building, advice on communications and visibility of their activities, and reporting and evaluation. It also acts as the Secretariat of the National Steering Committee, evaluates project proposals and conducts field missions to project sites. The WPHF Steering Committee brings together representatives of the Government, civil society and donors, along with other UN agencies.

WPHF is a flexible and rapid funding mechanism that supports concrete actions that aim to strengthen women's capacity to act locally to prevent conflicts, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize peacebuilding opportunities. It provides financial support to civil society and grassroots organizations committed to the promotion of women's rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2019. Seven of the projects in this second call are supported through a partnership between the WPHF and the European Union’s Spotlight Initiative.

The Spotlight Initiative is a multi-year global partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Launched in 2017, with an initial funding of €500 million from the European Union, the initiative represents an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality and women's empowerment as a prerequisite and driver for achieving sustainable development goals.