Project profile — Women’s Voice and Leadership – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• Congo, Democratic Republic (100.00%)

• Government And Civil Society, General: Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (100.00%)

• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Gender equality (principal objective)

This project is part of Canada’s Women’s Voice and Leadership Program, which supports local and regional women’s organizations and networks that are working to promote women’s rights, and advance women’s empowerment and gender equality in developing countries. This is done by supporting activities, building institutional capacity, and promoting network and alliance-building as women’s rights and feminist organizations are critical agents of change. The Program also responds to the globally recognized, significant gap in funding and support to women’s rights organizations and movements around the world. This project provides Congolese women’s organizations with the tools, resources, funding and mentoring needed to strengthen and sustain their technical and organizational capacity to drive change and promote the rights of women and girls, as well as advance gender equality in five provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This project is implemented by The Carter Centre. Project activities include: (1) providing tailored, long-term training and mentorship for Congolese women’s organizations; (2) providing Congolese women’s organizations with direct, multi-year funding; (3) establishing and strengthening networks of women’s organizations by facilitating exchanges to share experiences, accomplishments and lessons learned in order to build solidarity around a common vision for the feminist movement; and (4) supporting women’s rights organizations in the design and development of their advocacy strategies. This project supports new and innovative approaches to promote the rights of women and girls and advance their empowerment through a separate fund open to a broad range of Congolese women’s organizations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved management, sustainability, performance and innovation of local women’s rights organizations; (2) increased collaboration, collective action and innovation of local women’s rights organizations and platforms to advance gender equality and the rights of women; and (3) increased effectiveness of women’s rights organizations, platforms and movements to affect policy, legal and social change in the DRC.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) enabled 17 of supported women’s rights organizations to increase their capacity to sustainably manage their programs; (2) provided funding to 20 women’s rights organizations to achieve at least 50% of their objectives; (3) increased the capacity of 10 women’s rights organizations to work together on key women’s rights issues of shared concern; (4) increased the capacity of 10 women’s rights organizations to advocate and network for women’s participation; and (5) supported capacity-building activities for the 20 women’s rights organizations. This resulted in 100% have strategic planning, 100% have resource mobilization plans in place, 75% achieved a minimum level of viability. Results contributed to increasing enjoyment of human rights by women and girls and the advancement of gender equality.

• Proactive disclosure