Our Partners
AGIR-RDC
AGIR-RDC started up in March, 2021 to organize communities and raise living standards for the most vulnerable people in Goma. The acronym stands for Action Globale et Inclusive pour le Développement de la RDC (Global and Inclusive Action for Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.)
While AGIR RDC’s Executive Director Modestine Etoy was Program Manager of Succeeding Together, she and her colleagues used a data-driven approach to identify what makes people vulnerable to difficult outcomes.
They created AGIR-RDC to act in the communities to change these outcomes.
Modestine Etoy, Executive Director AGIR-RDC
Modestine was a founding partner to ACT for Congo when she was Director of Succeeding Together, a program for young, single mothers. That program grew into an internationally recognized vocational school that still operates today.
In March 2021, Modestine founded AGIR-RDC. This startup organization is already helping internally displaced people find their way out of refugee camps, bringing water filters to schools and orphanages, and organizing to protect domestic workers who are among the most vulnerable people in DR Congo.
Pole Institute
Pole Institute started researching conflict in the Lake Kivu region of DR Congo during the wars in the 1990s.
They grew into a resource for researchers and are experts in conflict studies in the region. In particular, they study local solutions toward longtime peacebuilding — a topic that is largely ignored internationally.
Pole is a vital source of information for the surrounding community. Their radio station and library are public and share essential knowledge where common people might not otherwise have access.
Solange Gasanganirwa, Pole Institute
Solange Gasanganirwa is the head of the Gender Department at Pole Institute where she conducts research on peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region. She studies how women lift economies and mentors women with small businesses.
Solange and Modestine are longtime colleagues and often collaborate to find sustainable ways to improve the Human Development Index in Eastern Congo.
Fred Bauma, Activist
Fred Bauma is a democracy activist and member of the group La Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA), a non-violent civil society movement working for social justice and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Bauma is renowned for his work encouraging young people to create a better future through political participation and social entrepreneurship. He currently works with Congo Research Group, a research project at the Center of International Cooperation at New York University.
He is based in Kinshasa and contributes to Ebuteli, a publication by the Congo Research Group.
Maisha Soul
Maisha Soul is a band from Goma, DR Congo — a group of brothers who started playing music while they were displaced from their homes by the 2002 Nyiragongo eruption. They called their band Maisha Soul and performed at the camp to lift people’s spirits.
They are now well-known for their work producing, directing, and managing music and video. The youngest brother is an internationally famous musician and performs as Innoss’B.
Maisha Soul helps our partners use music and video in communications. You will find some of their cooperative productions on our website.