Kongo Demokrasia and Democracy in Congo

Five organizations duly selected following a rigorous and transparent procedure, signed Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Kinshasa, an agreement grants for capacity building and civic education. Funding obtained through the solidarity of the American and British peoples through USAID and DFID under the guidance of the “Kongo Demokrasia” coordinated by the American organization Counterpart International. The Deputy Rapporteur of the INEC, Professor Onesimus KUKATULA Falash who represented the President of the CENI at the ceremony, praised the effort of financing and encouraged Counterpart International to relax its procedures for broad participation of civil society in educational activities civic and easy access to funding opportunities.

Several organizations of the civil society and international partners have enhanced their presence the brief ceremony this Wednesday, May 4, 2016, at the House of Elections at the launch grants for capacity building and civic education and electoral by Counterpart International, with financial support from USAID and UKAid. It is within the framework of the “Congo Demokrasia” five projects of civil society organizations were selected to receive this grant are: the Episcopal Justice and Peace Commission of the CENCO (CEJP) with its committees Participatory Governance ( CLGP); the Civic Education Network in Congo (RECIC), the Regional Council of Non-Governmental Development of the former Katanga “(CRONGD Katanga); Jeremiah Group operating in the South Kivu province of the Action for the Integral and Sustainable Development (ADID) based in the former Eastern Kasai in four selected sites.

In his welcome address, the Director of Counterpart, Diane Lamberg-Liszkay, recalled that one of the strategic priorities of Counterpart in DR Congo is to strengthen the capacity of its partners to provide adequate civic education department and election to the population, for a better understanding of the electoral process and a massive and peaceful participation in the upcoming elections. She thanked the organizations and donors for their continued interest before moving on to Ms. DIANA Putman, Director of USAID in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These grants valued at US $ 50,000 per recipient structure will help the selected organizations to cut down a field work for electoral education quality.

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Ms. DIANA PUTMAN welcomed the timeliness of this collaboration, “with the grant date of the first batch of grants, the project ‘Congo Demokrasia’ and allows this group of five organizations of the civil society to have the required means will allow them to transmit to the population effectively adequate civic and voter education, “she said.

Mrs. Diana Putman recommended further that: “The work, the first group of subsidized must demonstrate good management of funds received but also convey a civic and voter education for Congolese voting age to know their rights, obligations and duties in the electoral process. “

Onesimus KUKATULA congratulate the recipients and salute the gesture of Counterpart International

Before signing the agreement protocol with representatives of the five projects of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) and Conterpart International, the Deputy Rapporteur of the INEC, Professor Onesimus KUKATULA Falash has, on behalf of the Chairman of INEC, Cornelius NANGAA YOBELUO, welcomed the signing of the first grant agreements for these five organizations, stating that: “the program” Congo Demokrasia of Counterpart International was launched July 2, 2015 in the same part of the House of Elections. The project, hailed by the CENI, came precisely, boost the efforts already undertaken by our partners in civil society and our institution towards voter education, civic education, awareness and even watching elections.

This is an opportunity to congratulate the recipient organizations grants and concluded today. You now have the heavy responsibility of carrying the mission of mobilizing the Congolese people in the electoral process. This mission incumbent now for you as fixed obligations in the sense that you now belong to guide citizens on the way forward for election activities.

You also benefit from facilitations to the extent that you will be part (if you’re not already) of the Great Commission Civic Education and Electoral Observation (EDUCIEL) whose purpose is, among others, to promote better coordination of activities civic education in order to have better readability monitoring.

We will, on the other, encourage our Counterpart International partner to relax its project management procedures to make them operationally accessible. We also invite donors to redouble their efforts in mobilizing resources for electoral civic education.

I thus have the honor and responsibility to announce the start this weekend in Kinshasa, the pilot test of the enrollment material by listed firms. This test will in the long run to complete the provider of recruitment process of registration kits voters for the revision operation of the electoral roll, “concluded the representative of the President of the INEC.

Evaluated and targeted projects for the benefit of local communities

With technical and financial support from “Congo Demokrasia” the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church will build the capacity of its Diocesan Commissions and Committee of Local Participatory Governance (CLGP) to educate and inform the process electoral populations living common Kimbanseke, Lingwala, Maluku, Masina, Ndjili, Nsele (Kinshasa), Kalemie and its surroundings (in the new province of Tanganyika) and Lusambo center and around.

The Civic Education Network in Congo (RECIC) wants for its part, actively contribute to solving the problem of the limited impact of civic and voter education activities in Kinshasa. The project will involve the NGO members and partners RECIC, and populations of 8 towns of the city of Kinshasa.

As for Jeremiah Group active in South Kivu province, it intends to build the capacity of some of the civil society partner organizations and implement a civic and voter education campaign will be conducted in synergy by 4 Organizations Civil society in 3 urban municipalities and 2 film on elections. The group will educate women, youth, indigenous people and opinion leaders on electoral issues in three municipalities of the city of Bukavu and Kabare territories 2 and Kalehe.

The same objectives are pursued by the organization “Actions Intégrale- Sustainable Development” (ADID) will focus on capacity building of civil society partner organizations and awareness of civic and electoral education of the population in the old Kasai Oriental province, particularly in the towns of Mbuji-Mayi and Mwene Ditu and in the territories of Tshilenge Kotanda and for active participation in the electoral process.