Poverty in the DRC is endemic: approximately 73% of the population live on LESS than $1.90 a day (the international poverty line). That’s 67 million people - the equivalent to the population of the UK! Five Talents’ partnership programme enables communities to achieve their own change and address the challenges that they themselves identified as root causes and impacts of poverty: illiteracy, financial exclusion and gender-based discrimination and violence (particularly of women).

We will form 80 Literacy Groups (c. 1,440 women and men), through which members will build functional literacy and maths skills, thereby increasing confidence and inclusion. After a year of training, members will graduate to form Savings Groups. Together, they will pool their savings to lend to each other and also participate in business skills training alongside workshops to address social injustices such as trauma, gender-based violence and discrimination.