Democratic Republic of the Congo

Where We Work

Democratic Republic of the Congo

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the largest, most populous, and most naturally resource-rich states on the African continent, but it is also characterized by internal conflict, severe political instability, and severely deficient basic services. Food insecurity and malnutrition, poverty and violence generate millions of refugees and displaced people each year.

Areas of intervention :

Areas of intervention:

19 projects

32% development

68% emergency

688,459

direct beneficiaries

Expat workers

129

Local workers

Areas of intervention:

328 projects

26% development

74% emergency

14,888,273

direct beneficiaries

COOPI presence in the DRC

Present in the field since 1977, COOPI has a deep knowledge of the country where it has long carried out activities to protect, prevent and combat malnutrition, and promote food security.

In DRC COOPI has always paid special attention to women and children survivors of gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and other human rights violations, offering psycho-social support services and free health care, promoting prevention and protection projects, and encouraging educational and professional reintegration.

COOPI in DRC today

In the DRC, COOPI primarily conducts activities to combat malnutrition by carrying out prevention, treatment and nutritional support for thousands of malnourished children and mothers.

Another relevant area of activity is the protection of children, often unaccompanied minors formerly associated with armed groups, and women survivors of gender-based violence. In this area, COOPI provides thousands of children and women each year with cross-cutting assistance aimed at overcoming severe trauma and improving the quality of life of the victims through psycho-physical care, socio-economic reintegration, and educational reintegration.

Another relevant activity carried out in the country concerns the promotion of food security with the provision of food and seeds, training of farmers, and, more recently, the simultaneous promotion of environmental protection with sustainable natural resource management interventions in large protected areas.

In DRC COOPI also carries out activities to promote access to water with the rehabilitation of wells and latrines and promotes good hygiene practices.

PROJECTS

Food security to prevent malnutrition in Kasai

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In Central Kasai, COOPI implements foosd security project to treat 12,326 malnourished children aged between 6 and 59 months.

DOCUMENTS

Main sectors of intervention today

Nutrition Security

In response to the severe malnutrition affecting the country and the urgent needs of vulnerable children and mothers, COOPI promotes nutritional security in DRC by intervening on multiple fronts:

taking care of children with severe and moderate malnutrition within Outpatient Nutritional Therapeutic Units;
awareness campaigns on good practices in breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding (ANB) and food diversification techniques;
newborn screening for malnutrition and training on brachial perimeter measurement;
establishment of school canteens and nutritional assistance to boys and girls reintegrated into the school system;
community outreach programs, cooking demonstrations, and involvement of numerous local stakeholders, including health districts in the intervention areas and ANJE (infant and young child feeding) support groups.

2023

11

projects

576,259

beneficiaries

Food Security

COOPI has been promoting Food Security in DRC since it began operations in the country in 1977. Within this framework, COOPI continuously implements integrated development programs that mainly include:

food distribution
initiation and revitalization of agropastoral activities
improvement of storage capacities for agricultural and livestock products;
support for small entrepreneurs, returning migrants and youth at risk of migration.

2023

2

projects

33,470

beneficiaries

Protection

Protection activities are a constant in the programs carried out by COOPI in DRC and are present across the board in most of the interventions in the field, with a particular focus on children and women.

COOPI promotes psycho-social support interventions and free health care in the country, managing prevention and protection projects against forced recruitment of children in conflict contexts, promoting educational and professional reintegration activities, through a participatory approach and from a gender perspective.

COOPI promotes Protection activities in DRC on multiple levels:

protection mechanisms for unaccompanied children, children formerly associated with armed groups, victims of gender-based violence;
mechanisms for identifying, monitoring and reporting serious violations of children's rights;
listening centers and psychological assistance to children to accompany their development and restore their self-esteem after trauma;
creation of protected spaces and child-friendly recreational activities;
social, educational and economic reintegration activities for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity;
awareness sessions on peace education, gender-based violence and mental health;
promotion of income-generating activities aimed at economic empowerment and emancipation of women beneficiaries.

2023

3

projects

63,760

beneficiaries

Find out where we operate in Democratic Republic of the Congo

COOPI development lines in DRC

COOPI's priority areas of intervention in the near future in the DRC will remain:

Protection by strengthening assistance to women victims of gender-based violence, unaccompanied minors victims of abuse and the armed conflicts, while promoting awareness-raising and training activities;
Nutrition through strengthening community health centers and activities to prevent and take over cases of malnutrition;
Food Security mainly through strengthening the agribusiness supply chain and increasing agricultural productivity. This area of activity will be conducted in parallel with the promotion of environmental protection through the promotion of proper resource management in large natural parks from a sustainable and community perspective.