Djolu Technical College (DTC) is the only accredited college that teaches environmental and agricultural science in a remote rainforest region the size of England. I am a long-term donor to CEP and its Congolese partner, DTC. By empowering local people through higher education, DTC is making real progress in protecting the Congo rainforest and developing sustainable livelihoods for rural communities. Donating to CEP is the best way for me to use money to be a force for good.
The members are tremendously passionate about their mission to provide educational opportunities to uplift people living and working in the Congo region. By doing so, they are helping to save communities while protecting the ecosystems.
Previous Stories
CEP demonstrates concern for the survival of humanity and the natural resources of this planet. Funding provided by CEP serves to educate the people of the Republic of the Congo, offering them a future in stewarding, protecting and enhancing biodiversity in the rain forest. The immediate beneficiaries of CEP activity are the college students and their communities; and, by focusing efforts on the epicenter of climate change mitigation, the favorable impacts are and will be global.
I'm on the board of this organization and support securing grants from foundations. The work done by Djolu Technical College in a large area of DRC to educate future health and environmental professionals is vital to everyone's future. It can not be over stated the importance of this forest to everyone's climate security. Djolu educates and engages those on the front lines of protecting this forest and the important biodiversity there.
Previous Stories
I am on the board of Congo Education Partners (CEP), a donor, and I volunteer for them.
As someone who has worked in conservation my entire career, I know how important communities on-the-ground are for conservation to really work. CEP supports the only college in a remote area of DRC that trains future conservationists and health care professionals to improve their quality of life. You can’t get more on-the-ground than that! And the student body is growing…more people are interested in the classes and community work that Djolu Technical College provides. Tuition is 3x more than an average yearly income in this region, so more support is needed to ensure this community has the education they need to develop sustainably.
Congo Education Partners supports the Djolu Technical College in the heart of the Congo Rainforest. The college is educating local men and women to become stewards of their rainforest home. Djolu Technical College has recently expanded to serve more students living in remote areas through satellite campuses. In addition, students are being offered more opportunities for field research training and engagement in outreach to small holder farmers to protect biodiversity and increase their food production. This is an important nonprofit partnership serving both the global environment and improving the quality of life in the community.
Previous Stories
I applaud Congo Education Partners and Djolu Technical College for continuing to promote education for women. The proportion of female students enrolled and graduating has increased, and CEP has supported three young women faculty members to increase their academic qualifications. More female faculty strengthening in ongoing. In addition, CEP has broadened their funding sources which enables the College to expand student research and outreach to smallholder farmers who are predominately women. In the remote Tshuapa Province where CEP's partner Djolu Technical College is located, food insecurity is high and there is need for climate-smart agricultural extension to help farmers enrich their soils and increase productivity while at the same time protecting the Congo Basin Rainforest for the local community and all of mankind. Promotion of regenerative agriculture that CEP and Djolu Technical College are now able to conduct will expand the knowledge of female and male farmers who can reduce practices that harm the environment and contribute to deforestation, and instead use sustainable farming techniques. Women graduates and faculty are on the frontlines of regenerative farming and many other strategies to protect the Congo Basin Rainforest, their home, while leading communities to improve their quality of life. Congo Education Partners continues its fruitful partnership to create leaders from the local community, educated in conservation and sustainable development, who are making lasting change.
Congo Education Partners (CEP) is doing critical work to protect the Congo Basin Rainforest and support communities that live there by providing local men and women with tools and technical expertise to become stewards of the land they love and depend on. By supporting Djolu Technical College, CEP ensures that people in one of the most remote, rural areas of the DRC have access to a college education (focused on topics like ecology, conservation, nursing, and sustainable agriculture). By supporting CEP's work, you are supporting locally-led conservation efforts that are critical to our survival on this planet.
As a longtime supporter, volunteer and advisor for CEP who has worked with NGOs in health and development for more than 20 years, I can attest to the fact that CEP’s work is truly transformative!
Previous Stories
CEP is one of the most genuine nonprofits I know, doing work that meets a critical need. The longer I support Congo Education Partners, the more inspired and convinced I am by the work they do. Supporting local communities must be an integral part of any sustainable conservation effort. CEP focuses on higher education and sustainable development in a remote and under-resourced area of the Congo Basin rainforest to equip local communities with the knowledge and skills they need to lead conservation and development efforts. I am honored to be involved with an organization that does such meaningful work.
Djolu Technical College (DTC) is the only accredited college that teaches environmental and agricultural science in a remote rainforest region the size of England. I am a long-term donor to CEP and its Congolese partner, DTC. By empowering local people through higher education, DTC is making real progress in protecting the Congo rainforest and developing sustainable livelihoods for rural communities. Donating to CEP is the best way for me to use money to be a force for good.
Previous Stories
I've been a CEP donor for many years. CEP has made great strides in the past year, especially in educating women and getting new grants for regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation. As a professional who works on climate change mitigation and water quality, I think that Congo Education Partners, through its support for Djolu Technical College, gives a bigger bang for the buck than any other nonprofit I know of.
Congo Education Partners is a wonderful nonprofit. The board is all volunteer so all of the funds go to Djolu Technical College. It's a really important institution for the people in the area and I'm especially passionate about the women's education and environmental education components of the program.
The 2024 academic year commenced with 127 students, 86 males and 41 females. The ratio of female to male students has increased from 1:4 to 1:2, reflecting the success of the scholarship program for female students. This year, we anticipate 44 students finishing their final year of study, including 10 in the field of environment and sustainable development, 6 in water and forestry, and 28 in public health. Thank you to all our donors, individuals, and institutions for supporting this all-volunteer charity and helping grow our impact on people and climate change.
Previous Stories
Congo Education Partners is a nonprofit that is making big change by sustaining a college deep in the Congo Basin rainforest that provides one of the keys to saving the planet. We cannot save the rainforest without supporting the people who live there, and they cannot save the rainforest without education. Education is key in making progress on all the sustainable development goals. It is key to reducing poverty and gender inequality and is a critical tool in developing local leadership for sustainable solutions. The College provides higher education and training so local students can become professionals, leaders, and active stewards of the rainforest.
With results, they help people acquire knowledge for self reliance, growth, and global citizenship. Always happy to be a supporter.
Previous Stories
As an advisor for Congo Education Partners I see the commitment in board members to support the mission to provide education and training in the Congo rainforest - the heart of Africa. There is no overhead. The organization has provided scholarships, provided opportunities for women, and provided funding for classrooms and internet, among other tangible things.
The Congo rainforest is second in size only to the Amazon rainforest and the college works to develop graduates with skills needed to protect a region important in mitigating the effects of climate change. Your support is welcome and needed.
Previous Stories
Many years ago, I took an African comparative politics class. It was the first time I learned anything about the continent. My professor was from Ghana and he told us a few facts about each country. I knew little about colonization, but I remember him telling us that the Belgian colonial rulers were brutal. I remember him describing the size of the country coupled with the fact that there were only 2 college educated people from the Congo at the time the Congolese were able declare their independence. Education saved me, so I’ve spent some time over the years wondering how the 11th largest country in the world could start off with only 2 college graduates. When I found out about Congo Education Partners (CEP) and their mission to provide education deep inside the Congo River Basin, I realized this was a chance to support someone else’s dream and started donating money. I have enjoyed learning more about Djolu Technical College and the area. I believe the college’s focus on the sciences helps the community build knowledge to protect and defend the carbon-rich Congo River Basin. I am also a big fan of women’s education CEP offers scholarships for women, too..
I’ve recently become a birder. I started exploring birds, birders and bird locations on EBird. Although the DR Congo has the 3rd highest bird species list in Africa with more than 1,000 species, the country has mostly only been birded along the edges; Tschaupa Province, where Djolu Technical College is located, only has one EBird checklist. And if you look birds common throughout Africa in any field guide, you’ll notice that it looks like those common birds don’t live in the center of Africa when there is simply little data about birds in the middle of Africa. To the contrary, the Congo basin likely has more birds and possibly is home to birds yet to be discovered. As a CEP volunteer I am working to coordinate an ornithology scholarship, and provide ornithology and general birding at Djolu Technical College. My hope is that current or format students are the ones that make these discoveries and help the world understand the intricate links between birds and habitat across their entire range. This is an exciting and important opportunity to build community awareness, education and support for birds in the Congo. I am hoping this project and training leads to jobs to benefit many.
I have enjoyed everyone I’ve worked with at Congo Education Partners. Albert Lokasola is tireless in his efforts to build a college in a part of the world that’s hard to get to. Ingrid Schulze and the rest of the CEP board have delivered to provide many scholarships, solar internet, and resources to expand the college. And CEP has delivered in culturally appropriate ways. I am humbled for the challenges and resolve to help see the school grow and the community thrive, so that the plants and animals may also thrive. I hope you will join us.
I continue to support Congo Education Partners - such an amazing project! We are helping provide vital education and resulting economic opportunity to people in the heart of the Congo rainforest. Students at Djolu Technical College focus on water and forest conservation, agricultural science, and nursing and public health - and immediately can apply this knowledge to improve the health of local populations while also preserving the rainforest (that we ALL depend on).
Previous Stories
What can I say? This organization appeals to my interests in education (especially for those with few opportunities), equity (with 25 - 40% women enrollment numbers), and environment (working in the heart of one of the most vital natural resources on the planet). That's why I continue to give time and money to Congo Education Partners.
The Congo Education Partners has gained traction in its role as a primary supporter of the Djolu Technical College located in the depths of the Congo rainforest. Evidence of success is the willingness of donors such as Planet Women, the Weeden Foundation and hopefully the Rick Steves Foundation to provide financing for a second and even third year based on DTC performance. Over the last two years CEP has strengthened its ability to understand the context of Congo's agriculture, environment and culture by the addition of two Congolese professionals to the Board of Directors.
I am happy to support Congo Education Partners. Educating the local population is the only way to sustainably protect the environment. CEP does a fantastic job making sure donors money goes toward its mission and not overhead. I feel this is a high impact way to give to help people and the environment.
I have been volunteering with Congo Education Partners since it began in 2013. It continues to attract an impressive array of volunteers, new partners, and supporters. The volunteers serving on CEP's Board of Directors have an inspiring amount of commitment and energy to advance CEP's vision and goals. CEP is dedicated to the incredible task of supporting local communities and access to education in the Congo rainforest. If you are also passionate about these topics, I highly recommend supporting CEP as a volunteer or donor!
Previous Stories
Congo Education Partners (CEP) is fueled by volunteers who donate their time to help support ISDR-Djolu, a small rural college in remote Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) focused on three important pillars: agriculture, environmental conservation, and health. Our Advisory Board has been growing and it is exciting to witness so much enthusiasm to help this college. Despite challenges with the pandemic, CEP has had a productive year, helping to support students with scholarships, constructing a new 6-classroom building, continuing providing an Internet connection for teaching and learning, and ensuring salaries for the college's professors and staff. Education of these Congolese students is critical to protecting the Congo Basin rainforest, the world's second largest rainforest. I highly recommend this organization!
My name is Pappy Orion, I was born in the Eastern Congo province of South Kivu. It has always been my dream to be part of making an impact in my beautiful country.
Congo Education Partners has given me that chance to travel to Djolu a place I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I will one day visit.
As a storyteller and a filmmaker I always seek for new challenges and interesting story worth to be told. The work of Congo Education Partners was that challenge. I travelled over a 1000 km on motorbike through the Congo deep rain forest for the first time in my life. This experience helped me to understand the challenges we are facing with our environment and if we don't take action now the impact will be huge. The work of CEP is not seen by many but many have been impacted by it.
Congo Educations Partners is a nonprofit rooted in justice and empowerment. Focused on building capacity within the DRC, they are building a system and structure that will hopefully, one day, allow Congo Education Partners to close up shop and dissolve because the people of Congo will be self-sufficient and they will be able to protect the rainforest themselves without outside help. I am so proud to support this organization focused on education and conservation. I know that my donation goes solely toward the educational program in Djoulou and is not diluted by huge organizational overhead. CEP ticks all the boxes for my donation dollars.
Previous Stories
CEP is brilliantly conceived as a partner organization to the people living in the Congo. The organization provides support based on the leadership and decisions made by the people who are directly affected. I am very happy to be a donor, helping to empower girls with education so they can be the leaders and protectors of their home in the rain forest.
I have been supporting CEP financially for years, and I am excited to watch it constantly growing and evolving to better meet the educational needs of that area. They have assembled a gifted team of board members and dedicated cadres of professors who are making this dream a reality.
With the steady march of climate change advancing, time is running out to prepare young Congolese men and women to meet the challenges of tomorrow. What better way to do that than to provide the training and tools needed for the successful implementation of sustainable development and conservation initiatives. I know of no other means of doing this so cost-effectively as by investing in the futures of the students at Djolu Technical College.
Previous Stories
I am excited to be able to lend my support to Congo Education Partners, which is preparing young people in one of the poorest regions of the world to meet their communities’ needs for public health, sustainable farming, and forest conservation.
They have assembled a talented and visionary team to lead the college and develop these students’ knowledge and skills. Charitable resources are cost-effectively applied to leverage these local talents to achieve steady and sustainable growth year after year.
CEP offers donors all over the world a way to participate directly in preserving this vital rainforest to prevent climate change, and in protecting the wildlife and communities that inhabit it. I feel privileged to personally play a direct role in achieving goals that are vital to the people of Djolu and also to the rest of us who share this planet.
Congo Education Partners centers Congolese people as beneficiaries of its work, which is necessary to fulfill its mission and simply the right thing to do for the natural resources at stake and communities who depend on them. CEP invests in education and applied training that transfers skills and financial resources where they are most needed. They focus on doing and helping rather than self-promoting, and I am confident that I'm getting a lot of "bang for my buck" when I contribute because it goes to projects that directly impact people's lives and the natural environment. I encourage others to give generously and otherwise CEP's important work.
I have been donating to CEP for about 2 years. For me, CEP is a wonderful mix of an organization that is helping reduce the impacts of climate change in a meaningful way, while supporting a local community in Africa with education that will improve the local environment and standards of health care. I know one of the founders personally and she is a person of the highest integrity and commitment to this cause. It isn’t easy to find organizations as trustworthy and impactful as CEP. Their communication and updates are also uplifting, interesting and entertaining. I’m thrilled to be involved!
My name is Clovis Bonyaka Mata Bonyaka. I am a Congolese from the Democratic Republic of the Congo currently residing in Canada. I fully support and encourage CEP's educational work in the Congo Basin as education of women in particular, plays a crucial role in raising awareness of environmental problems in the Congo. With women being in charge of household management, current day challenges and stakes demand her involvement, her active participation, in the management and the protection of forest resources.
Congo Education Partner is a lifeline to the next generation of climate defenders in Congo. I give to this organization because its activities directly tackle an acute need -- educating youth to protect the forests that will sustain them. At a time when so many climate causes are far removed from the front lines of action, Congo Education Partners takes us where action truly matters.
Congo Education Partners (CEP) does incredible work providing rural Congolese living in the heart of the Congo Basin rainforest, with opportunities to study rural development, forest management, and public health and nursing - opportunities which are unavailable to them anywhere else in the region. I am particularly proud of the commitment CEP has to furthering women's education, and to supporting female professors in furthering their training and developing their careers. I am a passionate supporter of CEP and continue to be amazed by the work they do each year!
Previous Stories
I have seen first-hand the ways in which CEP transforms the lives of young people in rural Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). By funding the only accredited higher learning institution in Tshuapa Province (DRC), they provide vital opportunities for learning and employment to rural people seeking to gain qualifications to help them manage their resources and protect their ancestral forests.
Congo Education Partners helps ensure one of the world's largest rainforests survives through education and economic development. By supporting a local college in ecology studies, and especially by promoting education amongst women, this nonprofit meets multiple international development goals in one fell swoop.
As a woman scientist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, an educator at the University of Kinshasa and someone who has worked at various Congo Basin conservation NGOs, I was very pleased to discover CEP and its mission in Djolu. Thanks to donors' generosity, more Congolese -- women in particular -- are benefiting from CEP's support for local higher education to help build stronger communities and preserve the Congo rainforest. I recently became part of the CEP board and I wish nothing more than to contribute by any means possible to its mission which reaches out to those in the Congo who would otherwise not have access to higher education.
CEP has an amazing track record of centering its work by and for the people they serve. They are focused on improving lives and saving the environment while ensuring those who have the lived experiences are leading the work.
I personally donate because of their commitment to women's education, leadership and voice. They offer opportunities that allow women to chose their path and become leaders in their community.
A donation to CEP is an investment in women, education, the rain forest and the environment.
I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about climate change, and it can sometimes be draining. But in an uncertain world, supporting the multifaceted work of Congo Education Partners and Djolu Technical College gives me hope. With organizations like CEP and schools like Djolu Technical College out there, we can make this uncertain world more equitable and livable for everyone. CEP and Djolu Technical College’s work runs the gamut — their impacts are local and global, social and environmental, short-term and long-term. Supporting CEP over the years is some of the best money and time I’ve ever spent.
The founder Ingrid Schulze is a dear friend and I have been a sustaining member for a few years now. To save the rain forest in the Congo we need to educate the people there in the importance of sustainable farming and forest management. CEP is doing just that.
My husband and I have contributed to Congo Education Partners for many years because it supports Djolu Technical College in practical ways that truly make a difference - for students, for graduates, and the college as a whole to maintain its presence as a credible institution in this remote region of DRC.
Previous Stories
I have been donating to Congo Education Partners for a number of years and, having been steeped in 'Aid & Development' for many more years, I can honestly say that CEP and Djolu Technical College it supports in the DRC are doing a great job with the funds that have been entrusted to them. I have no doubt that a cadre of professional and committed graduates from the college will positively impact their spheres of influence and be a force for positive change in DRC.
Congo Education Partners provides such an important service to both the local community and toward our shared climate future. I applaud the work they do and hope they can continue it well into the future!
Previous Stories
I am continually impressed by CEP's tireless commitment to supporting Djolu Technical College in its efforts to provide high quality educational opportunities and agricultural training to the people of Djolu and the surrounding rural area. The students who benefit from its scholarships and programming— particularly Congolese women — have opportunities to become leaders in health and conservation, serving their own communities and protecting rainforest that is vital to the health of the entire planet. CEP ensures that this programming can continue and expand to meet the needs of future generations of young leaders.
Supporting CEP helps people in a vastly underserved region directly combat the climate crisis by giving them tools to protect their carbon sink and biodiversity. Djolu Technical College, which CEP supports, is the only college of its kind in this region of the globally important Congo Basin Rainforest. In an area with more natural capital than cash, CEP trains students in forestry and ecological conservation, sustainable development and nursing/public health. This helps students become local leaders, contributing to a more sustainable local economy and protecting the rainforest. There are lots of good organizations out there, but few bring together as many important ways we know of to build a better world as this one does.
CEP combines the critical role of supporting practical higher education in a region of need with the also important goals of promoting environmental awareness and protection of vital ecosystems and sustainable living. The remoteness of the region, the difficult environment, and the limited communications make CEP's tasks challenging. The passions of board members and donors are more than equaled by the Djolu students and community. There is no question that the concept of the global community is at work here.
I believe conserving the Congo Rainforest is vital for not only saving biodiversity, natural resources and the populations that depend upon it but for slowing down climate change and it's unfortunate repercussions. By educating the people that depend on this land, CEP is helping to empower local communities to take action against entities threatening their home, which just happens to be the second largest rainforest on the planet.
“I have followed the CEP and the Djolu Technical College for many years. The College educates local young people in a remote region of the Congo. They provide their students with the skills to enhance the health and agricultural livelihoods of the local population and to protect the fragile rainforest environment. I am a proud supporter of this most important endeavor.”
As a former US Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo and in subsequent assignments, I have watch CEP and the Djolu Technical College for many years. I have been impressed with their commitment to the local population, their high quality education in health and agricultural and their passion for the preservation of the rain forest environment . I am honored and proud to have just joined their Advisory Board.
I have volunteered with CEP for 3+ years, have known Albert Lokasola, the founder of Djolu Technical College, for more than a decade, and previously worked as a development professional in Sudan and elsewhere for 10 years. Based on almost any criteria, CEP and Djolu Technical College are doing community-based rainforest conservation and human development exactly the right way, and deserve to be much more widely known, supported and replicated. They are educating and empowering future leaders, educators, farmers, medical experts and entrepreneurs, creating good jobs while also protecting the Congo rainforest. The College has about 100 graduates so far, and each one is an ambassador for the future. If you want to be inspired, just read the list of their thesis topics on the CEP website, and you’ll know that they are the real deal. Here's the website link http://www.congoeducationpartners.org/theses.html
I've been working with Congo Education Partners for over a year now. The team in the US is dedicated, professional and very knowledgeable, and the team in the DR Congo is just amazing!! Led by an incredible Congolese advocate for the environment and the communities that live in the rainforest, the DR Congo leader, Albert Lokasola, works tirelessly to save rainforest and bring communities together to support higher education and training that leads to long-term indigenous community-fueled conservation. He has put together an extensive and impressive team of environmental advocates, farming trainers and cooperative leaders, and rainforest and bonobo reserve leaders that are not only local but highly trained and educated. How did they get this education? By attending Djolu Technical College, also founded by Mr. Lokasola, the only college in the (very large and very rural) region where students can get degrees in conservation, sustainable development, healthcare, and water and forest management. What Mr. Lokasola and his team have accomplished in one of the most impoverished and remote places on the planet is nothing short of miraculous.