Central to our mission and organizational culture is the importance of partnership. The significance of partners who support us through prayer, resources, and presence cannot be overstated. For many of our friends and partners, it has been understandably difficult to practice presence over the past five years. The Ebola outbreak, COVID pandemic, and periods of […]

An air of intense expectancy and excitement charged the normally quiet late afternoon stillness and heat at Beni’s airport. The students of Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC), together with faculty and leaders, had flocked to the airport awaiting a flight from Kinshasa with the university’s Rector, Dr. Honoré Bunduki Kwany. He stepped off the […]

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW: Congo Initiative is a global community of Congolese leaders and international partners united for the transformation of lives and a flourishing Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Congo Initiative USA invests in higher education, leadership development, and community transformation through our partner organization Congo Initiative – Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (CI-UCBC) located in […]

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Every person is given a lifetime opportunity to impact people and their community because we are all endowed by God with unfathomable potentials. At CI-UCBC, our commitment is to unleash every student and staff member’s potential to participate in creating thriving communities, a just society and a flourishing nation. As you go into the professional […]

Challenges with land policy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo date back to the late 19th century, when King Leopold of Belgium declared all “vacant land” in DR Congo as his own (Congo Free State), creating two parallel systems of land management: one system administered by the Belgian colonial authorities and the other established […]

Dear Friends of Congo Initiative, On behalf of the board of directors of Congo Initiative – USA (CI-USA), we’re excited to share the result of our Executive Director search. After conducting an external search and interviewing a slate of three finalists, one of whom was our acting Executive Director, Justin Hubbard, we have confirmed Justin […]

Is there hope for Africa? This question has shaped much of Dr. David Kasali’s life and work as an academic and theological thinker and his years of leadership experience across Africa. Come and hear why he believes that the answer is a resounding “yes!” Please join us online for our DR Congo Discussion Group on […]

On April 4th, 2019, high school student Paluku was walking home when he passed the local radio station in the rural town of Oicha. Out of nowhere, the station director came running out of the compound shouting “mwizi” [“thief” in Swahili], apprehended him, and took him to the local police where he stayed for a […]

Congo Initiative is an envisioned community of Christ-centered Congolese leaders and global partners united for the transformation of lives and a flourishing Democratic Republic of Congo. The mission of Congo Initiative USA is to promote Christian higher education, leadership formation, and community transformation in the DRC by providing financial and personnel support for Cl’s founding […]

Congo Initiative stands in solidarity with the Black community and with protestors raising their voices calling for justice and an end to racism…. Read More →

We are together. This is a line Congo Initiative staff continue to repeat to one another during these uncertain times. Whether virtually or through our limited activities safely implemented to continue serving the community, we remind one another of our solidarity as we all face a world shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. For years, the […]

For over a decade, Congo Initiative’s global community has witnessed the impact of UCBC on lives of students, staff, and alumni. Now close to 600 UCBC alumni work and serve across Congo and beyond, creating change in their communities and embodying Christian hope and transformation. In a context that remains challenging and complex, dedicated alumni […]

The last couples weeks have been incredibly difficult for the Congo Initiative community. We lost two beloved members – CI-USA board member, Dr. W. Howard Brown, and UCBC staff member, Maman Marie Kercan. On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Dr. Brown passed away suddenly in South Carolina. Howard was a man of deep faith, joy, and love. […]

On August 1, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared a new outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the northeast part of the country. (Congo Initiative is based in Beni, North Kivu, just a few miles from the epicenter of the outbreak.) Since then, […]

Each June, advocates around the world come together for World Environment Day, a celebration and movement that draws attention to the most pressing environmental issues of our time. It is no surprise that UCBC students and staff join the global community in this effort, hosting every year a week-long initiative that promotes “Creation Care.” At […]

Exactly one month ago, I found myself on a charter plane flying west from Uganda, over some of Africa’s most beautiful and yet most conflicted countryside. A group of us from the U.S. were flying to Beni, in Congo’s troubled North Kivu province, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Congo Initiative’s Christian Bilingual University of […]

As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we are thrilled to reveal our new look! One year ago we began a journey of seeking to better understand who we are and how to communicate with our diverse supporters in clear and compelling ways. The process involved conversations with employees and board members, our Congolese community, and our […]

Wheaton College’s 2017 Symposium in Human Needs and Global Resources brings together diverse scholars and leaders to celebrate the transformative work that God is doing through young people around the world. We are pleased to share that Dr. David Kasali, Rector of the Christian Bilingual Christian University of Congo (UCBC) and Co-Founder of Congo Initiative, will deliver the […]

We are young women and men, students studying at the Bilingual Christian University of Congo (UCBC), located in Beni, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. In this year, 2016, we continue to live in a war zone, despite the peace agreements of 2002 that marked the official end of our country’s Great War, and […]

Congo Initiative is participating for the first time, in #GivingTuesday, on November 29, 2016. #GivingTuesday is a movement that celebrates generosity and kicks off the season of giving in the U.S. and elsewhere. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at 12:00 a.m. and continuing until 11:59 p.m. EST, you can join the giving movement and make […]

When Matthieu Lembelembe graduated high school in Bukavu, DRC, he planned to pursue medical studies. But, seeing the situation in his country and the consequences of decades of war, he became determined to contribute to the rebuilding of his country in the very literal sense. Now a graduate of architecture, Lemblembe is now overseeing the […]

In Beni, a once prominent hub for coffee production, UCBC alumni and students are also aware of the resurgence of Congo’s coffee industry and its importance for stability in the region. … Read More →

On April 27, 2016, Congo Initiative, UCBC, and the local church, La Communauté Baptiste au Centre de l’Afrique (CEBCA), lost a pillar in the community, Mbusa Kamabu Thaluliba Manassé…. Read More →

Download 2015 Annual Report

If you have had the chance to visit Congo, or even see photos, you might agree with Dr. Margaret Mwenda, who said in her 2015 UCBC graduation commencement address, “When God created the world, He must have started with Congo!” Everything in Congo is so lush and green… Read More →

Already a light in its corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo Initiative is positioned to set an example of ethical stewardship through caring for the created world. DRC boasts rich and biologically diverse forests, extensive waterways, and vast mineral deposits. However… Read More →

If you educate a man, you educate an individual. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation. (Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey) It’s official! Women’s Voices is a formal entity at UCBC, complete with a motto–“Confidence, Influence, Identity in Christ,” stated objectives, and officers…. Read More →