Democratic Republic of the Congo

Our Work

Established in 2001, SFCG DRC's innovative conflict transformation and good governance programming has gained international acclaim, as exemplified by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2009 visit. Our largest program, with six offices across the country, SFCG uses a range of media and outreach tools to provide information, foster dialogue, and strengthen the capacity of local actors to address key issues.

SFCG has been active in consolidating the gains made by the 2006 elections, supporting good governance and accountability efforts across the country. SFCG produces weekly radio programs from its Kinshasa studio that provide information on national-level governance processes, including decentralization. This radio programming has built a strong reputation for providing accurate and credible information, with recent surveys demonstrating an average listenership rate of over 80%. At the same time, SFCG has placed substantial emphasis on addressing the continuing conflict and violence lingering in eastern Congo. Driven by its Bukavu production studio, SFCG's eastern operations seek to facilitate informed refugee repatriation and reintegration, prevent sexual and gender-based violence, and reduce human rights violations committed by the Congolese military.

SFCG uses a wide range of peace-building tools, including common-ground media production, joint cultural and sporting activities, participatory theatre, and media and conflict transformation trainings. These tools address the principle threats to the long term stability of the DRC, and aim to prevent violence. SFCG’s tools are designed to permit flexibility and strategic repositioning according to new challenges and opportunities. SFCG aims to contribute to the consolidation of democracy by improving the population’s knowledge of citizen participation and accountability under the new democratic dispensation, while encouraging dialogue and participatory decision-making between the population and their elected leaders. Faced with ongoing insecurity and human rights abuses, particularly in the east, as well as tensions around refugee return and internal displacement, SFCG’s activities seek to renew relationships broken over years of war through communication and collaboration.

SFCG DRC Toolbox

An audience member joins actors during a participatory theater performance in Uvira.

1. Radio
SFCG produces 14 radio programs each week, several of which are in two or more Congolese languages.

2. Television
SFCG produced spots during the 2006 elections campaign, and currently broadcasts DRC's first reality TV show.

3. Common Ground Media trainings
SFCG does in-house trainings for SFCG's 100 partner radio stations in all provinces of the DRC. These trainings reinforce journalists' professional skills and apply them with the Common Ground approach: accuracy, impartiality and responsibility.

4. Comic Books
SFCG produces comic books in Congolese languages and French to reinforce the knowledge, attitude and behavior change communicated in its radio programs. Previous comic books have addressed voting and elections, the demobilization process and military-civilian relations.

5. Participatory Theatre
Actors trained in conflict analysis listen to community concerns and conflicts and create scenarios that reflect real life conflicts. During the performance, members of the audience are invited to "replace" the actors to play out the scenario in ways that more constructively address the conflicts. SFCG's participatory theatre work was awarded the Ashoka-Changemakers 2006 award for "Innovative on-the-ground strategies for conflict transformation."

6. Mobile Cinema
SFCG uses large screen mobile cinema to inform Congolese and raise discussion around sexual violence in South Kivu. Facilitators are trained in Common Ground approaches and SFCG engages in more intensive follow-up with target communities, including the military.

7. Training
SFCG conducts conflict transformation training for specific groups, such as military, civil society, youth groups, and vulnerable communities. These modules, which include rumor management, aim to equip targeted groups with the basics of conflict transformation.

8. Joint Activities
SFCG uses engaging joint activities, such as a goat credit scheme, to enable people to find common interests in working together. These activities may involve sports, community work, or income-generation, and target groups that normally see each other as adversaries.

9. Arts and Culture
Music, drumming and theatre festivals are some of the ways in which SFCG uses arts and culture to bring divided groups together and communicate information.

10. Sports
Football and other sporting activities are organized by SFCG, bringing together military and civilians, residents and returnees and people of different ethnic and tribal groups, as a fun and interactive bridge divides.

11. Local peace building competitions
In order to encourage ever greater community participation, SFCG holds local peace building competitions where ordinary citizens can suggest “micro-projects” aimed at transforming conflicts. For instance, Madame Mbila of Bunyakiri suggested setting up an intercommunity tailor shop to combat price discrimination. Unanimously applauded by a jury of peers, SFCG helped Madame Mbila set up the tailor shop, which is now promoting a fairer economic model to other businesses.

12. Mediations
SFCG also conducts ‘pure’ conflict resolution work. Expert conflict mediators travel to remote and dangerous parts of the country, and have effectively reconciled numerous disputing communities. For instance, in Dongo, Equateur Province, violent conflict between the Enyele and Munzaya communities resulted in 130,000 displaced persons and refugees. SFCG spearheaded the peace process there, and after two years of hard work, refugees are beginning to return home in large numbers.

Our Offices

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