Republic of Congo

Acted has been present in the Republic of Congo since 1997 and works to promote the transition from humanitarian aid to sustainable development for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. In order to meet the essential needs of communities, Acted combines emergency humanitarian aid during natural disasters with support for the development and empowerment of Congolese civil society working to promote sustainable development, environmental protection, access to basic social services and the protection of human rights.

The Republic of Congo faces serious structural challenges, extreme climatic events, economic decline and growing epidemics. Despite a slight increase in per capita income, progress in education and health is limited, with an infant mortality rate of 32 deaths per 1,000 births in 2023. The decline in the oil sector has hit the economy hard, particularly affecting young people, 42% of whom will be unemployed in 2023.

The Republic of Congo is a country vulnerable to climate change, frequently marked by episodes of heavy flooding, which have intensified since 2019. In October 2023, torrential rains hit the Congo, plunging it at the end of December into a severe humanitarian crisis linked to the unprecedented flooding of the Congo River and its tributary the Oubangui, affecting 9 of the country’s 12 departments and affecting more than 1.7 million people.

In addition, the Republic of Congo is hosting more than 64,600 refugees in 2023, 50% of whom are Central African and 44% from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Acted in the Republic of Congo

Acted Congo is our organisation’s first mission on the African continent. Acted in the Republic of Congo is committed to ensuring a transition from humanitarian action to sustainable access to basic services. It reconciles a medium and long term vision of development through the creation of inclusive economic opportunities and for a civil society, strong in environmental protection.

All of Acted’s actions in the ROC are integrated in a vision aiming to create new dynamics based on the populations and their territories, to favour change through the sharing of knowledge, the synergy of actions and innovation.

2
projects in 2023
30
Civil Society Organisations supported in 2024
1,050
households received essential non-food items in 2024
766
women and girls received a personal hygiene kit in 2024

Grassroots Organization Capacity Assessment (GOCA)

Since 2012, the NGO has developed the GOCA tool to assess and strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the DRC, facilitating their access to direct funding and supporting the localisation of aid. Acted supports 30 CSOs and finances 20 of their projects to strengthen dialogue between civil society players and promote environmental and human rights issues. As part of the aid localisation approach advocated by the 2016 Grand Bargain, Acted works closely with local partners.

Revitalising and supporting civil society as a sustainable development player in the Pool and Likouala departments

This 42-month project, financed by EuropeAid and implemented in partnership with 2 organisations: the national NGO the Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l’Homme (OCDH) and the French rights association Convergences, aims to contribute to the development of the capacities of Congolese civil society organisations (CSOs) as actors in sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development.

The aim is to build the capacity of CSOs to fulfil their role as agents of change and drivers of local development that is sustainable, inclusive and a catalyst for change and innovation; to support CSOs in their actions in support of sustainable local development, promoting equitable access to social services and economic development; and finally to improve cooperation and multi-stakeholder public-private exchanges in order to promote sustainable development.

A total of 30 CSOs will be supported so that they can respond to the needs of the most vulnerable populations and improve the quality of services in the Pool and Likouala departments. This project supports civil society to promote access to basic social services and the diversification of the economic fabric for the most vulnerable populations by strengthening organisational, institutional and thematic capacities through the funding of projects implemented by CSOs. To achieve this, Acted uses the GOCA tool – Grassroots Organization Capacity Assessment – developed by the NGO in 2012, which is used to assess and strengthen the capacities of CSOs.

Current projects

Revitalization and support of civil society as an actor in sustainable development in the departments of Pool and Likouala