A global, women-led consortium
Three grass-roots, Congolese women'-led NGOs are at the heart of this consortium: ASEFA, SOFEDI and IFEDD. Each has a strong background in mobilizing women and vulnerable communities while recruiting allies and champions within the DRC government. ASEFA - the consortium lead - is a women-led Congolese NGO with deep roots working in mining towns in eastern DRC to elevate the voices of women, youth and vulnerable groups. With leaders embracing different, tribes, ethnicities and religions, the consortium is able to bridge communities and bring together a unique set of stakeholders. We are particularly proud of our work to bridge the gap between government agencies and women and other vulnerable groups that work in mining towns. The academic partner, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, ensures that the curriculum development is evidence-based and adaptive.
A National Network of Women.
Annie Sinanduku Mwange is not only the president of ASEFA, but was also elected by her peers as President of the National Women’s Mining Network, RENAFEM. RENAFEM, like ASEFA and the other partners, has a strong working relationship with the relevant government entities, including the Ministry of Mines and SAEMAPE. This unique ability to create a bridge between powerful and often-marginalized stakeholders makes this consortium unique.
Creating an evidence-base.
The Resource-ful Empowerment Project also welcomes the Program on Gender, Rights and Resilience (GR2) at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) as a partner. After 15 years working together, ASEFA and GR2 have continued their partnership to ensure that the curriculum and approach use proven practices and continue to build evidence around women’s role in improving health and supporting environmental justice.