Bringing people together in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Photo provided by DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) works to reduce the suffering of those affected by conflict and displacement in 40 countries. It strives to secure the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons and promote durable solutions to displacement. It does this by responding to acute emergencies, all the while trying to understand and address root causes.

DRC believes in building the self-reliance and resilience of communities. To this end, the range of its work is everything from relief work to increasing the opportunity for a brighter future through education grants, food assistance and training in business and entrepreneurship.

The organisation has worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) since 2009. In 2013, it started responding to the humanitarian crisis in the North Kivu Province. Throughout this period of internal conflict, where increasing numbers of men, women, and children were displaced, DRC provided education, protection, essential household items and food assistance.  In 2017, political instability within the country worsened as people awaited the election of a new leader. DRC began training teachers and volunteers in psycho-social support for displaced children, supported children to return to school and provided legal assistance to internally displaced people and refugees from South Sudan.

On top of this work, DRC has more recently established a project to improve coordination among not-for-profit organisations and donors working in the DR Congo in efforts to work towards more durable solutions for communities affected by displacement.

By ensuring better coordination and collaboration, DRC works to support and protect the most vulnerable throughout DR Congo. Oak supports DRC through our Special Interest Programme, which covers a wide range of fields, including humanitarian relief. Read more about the programme strategy and other partner stories here.