On October 30, the American government granted grants of $140,000, or 85 million CFA francs, to eighteen Congolese NGOs in Brazzaville. This aid will enable the beneficiary NGOs to carry out their projects with a view to contributing to the empowerment of Congolese communities, particularly disadvantaged ones.
s part of the Ambassador’s Self-Help Funds and the Small Grants Program of the Department of Public Affairs, the signing of contracts for these grants was made between the United States Ambassador to Congo, Eugene Young, and representatives of the said NGOs. These include the NGO Agir ensemble pour les enfants handicapées; Leb Congo; Eboko Foundation; the association for the promotion of health and family; the agropastoral cooperative Friends Earth; Yali, Congo association; Traits d’Union; the Club of Women Entrepreneurs of Congo; Espace Opoko; the association of engineering consulting and sustainable development firms; the Notre-Dame-du-perpétuel-secours community; Youth com; Minwind’Paka Tizi, etc.
“As Ambassador, I am proud of the solidarity of the American people whose tax dollars help improve the lives of so many people around the world. I am also proud to see the impact of our programs here in the Republic of Congo. These projects span many areas from agriculture to vocational and technology education to entrepreneurship,” said Ambassador Eugene Young. He also commended the grantees for their dedication to supporting those in need in their respective communities. “I look forward to seeing how these grants transform lives around you and strengthen the bond between the Congolese and American people. You have a responsibility to implement these projects and monitor their impact in your communities,” he added.
Beneficiary, Joèl-Annièle Poaty Tchibinda, president of the NGO Agir ensemble pour les enfants handicapées, indicated that this grant is a boost for her NGO which aims to improve the living conditions of young disabled people in Brazzaville through training in cutting and sewing. “My gratitude goes to the ambassador who looked at our NGO. This grant is a boost for us, because we had a problem with equipment. With these funds, we will buy machines to improve our work and especially to become independent in cutting, sewing and crocheting,” she said.
Ronnie Nsaffou Mbatchi, recipient of the annual small grants program of the Department of Public Diplomacy, was, for his part, delighted with this aid from the American government which will allow him through his project to train fifty young people aged 18 to 30 in areas such as communication, English and digital literacy. “It is a lifeline because, as you know, funding for associations is still a real problem. So, being awarded a grant for a life-saving project “Provolat” which aims to promote and enhance youth volunteering as well as training in communication, public speaking in English is an immense joy. These funds will eventually allow us to mobilize our resources in different localities,” she said.
As a reminder, the Ambassador’s Self-Help Program is a community assistance program that allows the U.S. Embassy to respond to local requests from the population for development projects. However, the Department of Public Diplomacy’s annual Small Grants Program funds organizations and individuals to advance common interests in a variety of areas.
