Although women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are vital to producing food in the country, they have had less opportunities to go to school and lower literacy levels than men. This makes it harder for them to secure their property rights, grow their businesses, take part in community decision making and have the confidence and voice to advocate for their rights. This leads to lack of empowerment and equality with men making them increasingly vulnerable to gender-based violence.

Using our DRC community networks, we will use a self-help approach to improve literacy skills for economic and social empowerment. We will target women but also work with men to ensure their participation to bring about sustainable change. We will deliver a comprehensive community-led literacy training programme which includes savings, business and agricultural skills and will run alongside integrated gender training. After which the savings and credit groups/farmer cooperatives are created.