Congo Education Partners

The challenge:

The Congo Basin rainforest in Africa is one of the largest rainforests in the world–second only to the Amazon–and is home to millions of people and to some of the most endangered wildlife on the continent, including about one-half of the remaining elephants in Africa. Nearly half of this forest is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where forests are increasingly threatened by wildlife poaching, unsustainable agriculture, logging, and population growth.

What can be done?

Successful long term rainforest conservation hinges on community engagement and leadership. By helping Congo’s young adults receive a higher education, students can become stewards of the rainforest.  Students can also become teachers, themselves fostering the learning of the next generation of leaders and change-makers in conservation and sustainable rural development.

How Congo Education Partners is meeting the challenge:

Congo Education Partners supports the Djolu Technical College in the heart of the Congo Basin rainforest, providing funding and capacity-building supports to increase their ability to provide high-quality higher education and training.  This unique college provides local students in the Tshuapa region with the knowledge, tools and strategies they need to become problem-solvers, activists, and leaders. Djolu Technical College has three degree tracks: Forest & Water, Evironment & Sustainable Development, and Nursing & Public Health. These tracks are designed to help foster and develop local sustainable livelihoods, reduce poaching and harmful exploitation of natural resources, and preserve the rainforest for future generations.