Is Congo Initiative a Congolese or American organization?
First and foremost, Congo Initiative is a Congolese-envisioned and Congolese-led organization. In the US we are registered with the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit entity under the name Congo Initiative, Inc. Informally we use the acronym CI-USA to refer to our US-based work. In D.R. Congo we are registered as a university under the official name Congo Initiative-Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (CI-UCBC). CI was incorporated in the US in 2005, and CI-UCBC’s first academic year was 2007-08.
What is the relationship between UCBC and the Community Centers?
UCBC is the primary work of CI and functions as a “hub” for all other CI activities. While none of the other centers has yet been officially launched, CI staff have conducted a number of activities (conferences, workshops, trainings, etc.) that fall under the stated purpose and objectives of one or more of the centers.UCBC also functions as a “filter” for CI’s work, translating academic learning into concrete community initiatives, and in reverse, interpreting those community initiatives within theoretical frameworks for the benefit of the UCBC learning community.
What is the annual cost of operating UCBC?
It costs on average $1,200/student to maintain all university operations. Our administrative team has set tuition at $360/student. This amount is quite difficult for many students to pay, given that the average annual income in DRC is around $200. Learn more about how you can support tuition costs at UCBC.
