We lend a hand without creating dependence.
We partner with Congolese professionals leading initiatives that are locally conceived and owned. We help them build their capacity until they no longer need us.
October 22, 2026.
Ebola continues to spread and kill. Beni is still the epicenter, with AGIR’s teams working hard to communicate, facilitate discussion, answer questions and provide real information in a way that people who don’t trust outsiders can access and act on. There have been no reported cases in the area around Goma.
Borders between provinces and countries complicate matters for Congolese. Congo has 9 countries around its borders, and now there’s an internal extra set of borders around the FRN/AFC/M23 controlled areas. There are few resources to support quarantine for people who cross borders, which makes containing the virus difficult. A vaccine is being tested in a few places.
As in many places around the world, people have family ties on either side of every border.
However, AGIR continues its work of helping individuals gain skills that help them reintegrate society, wherever they land. Right now there are tailoring students taking juried exams in Goma. Literacy, auto mechanics and pastry students are finishing their courses. Savings and loan groups meet and encourage each other. Life continues.
Your support makes all the difference. Thanks to all who contribute to this work of resilience, peace-building and hope –a lesson for all of us!
Oct 2026: Tailoring Students Work Through Their Exams.
Learning to take correct measurements, make a pattern, tailor to fit perfectly are skills that take time and practice. At AGIR this year's cohort of tailors is doing their final exams: three days of oral and practical exams. Expert tailors are hired to evaluate and judge. It all takes place in the small spaces at the AGIR training center. To give you a taste, here's a flash video. Finished products are available on AGIR's Facebook page, which we encourage you to follow!
At Twa Weza Shinda Center
What is Twa Weza Shinda?
In May of 2021, Mt. Nyiragongo erupted and quickly displaced more than 50,000 people near Goma, Dr Congo. Our partners, AGIR-RDC, provided local emergency response and were operating on the ground immediately. They created a program and called it Twa Weza Shinda.
Twa Weza Shinda means, “We can succeed again.” It is an integrated approach to treat people’s trauma, provide education and community support, and help people learn skills they need to start again.
In November 2021, armed conflict broke out and the violence persists to this day. The people suffer crushing insecurity and waves of displacement. In June 2023, the UNHCR reported that 6.2 million people were internally displaced by conflict in DR Congo.
Twa Weza Shinda is now in its fifth year of operation — and growing.
Please click CC for English subtitles.
What makes us different…
Rather than choosing a solution to impose from outside, we identify local leaders who know how to make a difference because they understand their communities — and we help them build their network, capacity, and credibility. We work with programs that are locally conceived, directed, and owned. No one is empowered when an outsider controls their basic needs.
They lead. They own. They change the future of DR Congo.
Our Partners and Programs
Let us tell you about the people we choose as our partners and the work that they do.
Will you join us?
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