STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Lisungi project has empowered refugee women in Congo by providing conditional cash transfers, training, and small business grants, enabling them to start agricultural cooperatives and transform their lives.
- The project has introduced digital payments via mobile money for transparency and security.
- Since its launch in 2014, Lisungi has benefited 76,000 individuals with cash transfers and 95,000 individuals with business grants, and its delivery systems have been institutionalized by the Congolese government through the National Safety Net Program.
Claudine Moukabagwiza stands proudly on her farm in Igné, surrounded by thriving crops. She has two things in common with the 24 women working alongside her: "We are all refugees from Rwanda, and we were all beneficiaries of the Lisungi project."
Thanks to Lisungi's conditional cash transfers, training and small business grants, they founded an agricultural cooperative, transforming small land plots into thriving farms. "When we arrived in Congo, we had nothing," Claudine recalls. "But the wealth comes from the soil."
Their journey hasn't stopped at farming. Their success allowed them to buy land, increase production, and set up a savings system. "That's why we named our association 'The Wealth Lies Beneath the Soil,"' explains the association's president. "We want to buy more land, grow more food, and save more. We also need to solve storage and delivery challenges."
Empowering Women Beyond Financial Assistance
Historically, many women - especially refugee women - have faced significant barriers to land ownership and access to credit. The Lisungi project tackled these deep-rooted inequalities by paying cash grants directly to women and providing training to women and men. The project further promoted gender equality through community events, awareness campaigns, and training sessions on gender-based violence (GBV). In addition, the project introduced digital payments via mobile money, reducing risks of corruption and ensuring transparency and security.
A Stronger social safety net for Congo's vulnerable households
Launched in 2014 by the government in collaboration with the World Bank, Lisungi (meaning "help" or "support" in Lingala) was designed to reduce poverty and strengthen human capital. With $34 million in funding, the project combined conditional cash transfers (linked to school attendance and health check-ups) with business grants, education, and apprenticeships. Between 2015-2023 about 76,000 individuals benefited from Lisungi's conditional cash transfers and more than 95,000 individuals received grants to start small businesses. Though it officially closed on February 29, 2024, its impact lives on. The government of Congo institutionalized the delivery systems built by the Lisungi program through its National Safety Net Program (Programme national de filets sociaux). This reflects the great commitment of the Congolese government to make social protection a national priority.
The World Bank continues to support social protection in Congo through the Social Protection and Youth Productive Inclusion Project (Projet de Protection sociale et d'inclusion productive des jeunes).
Investing in Delivery Systems
What set Lisungi apart is its comprehensive single social registry, which helped identify and enroll vulnerable households. Currently, this database contains information on 852,149 households out of Congo's population of 6.1 million. This registry remains a crucial tool for coordinating various social programs, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and collaboration between the Congolese government, the World Bank, UN agencies such as the World Food Program (WFP), and the French Development Agency (AFD).
Combining Humanitarian Action with Development Assistance
One of Lisungi's most significant achievements was its inclusive approach to refugee populations. With $22 million in additional financing from the World Bank's IDA18 Sub-Window for Refugees and Host Communities, the project expanded its reach to more than 60,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.
Through awareness-raising campaigns and workshops, the project also helped reduce tensions between refugees and host communities as well as between the Bantu majority and indigenous groups. Transparent communication about beneficiary selection, beneficiary rights and payment processes helped build trust and social cohesion. Lisungi stands as a success story of collaboration between the World Bank and UNHCR and shows how strategic partnerships can enhance the effectiveness of social protection initiatives.
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Ensuring No One Is Left Behind
Lisungi's inclusive targeting reached beyond refugees and host communities. It also provided support to persons with disabilities, elderly people, indigenous populations, pregnant women, and children aged 0-14. For example, in Likouala, in the north of the country more than 71,000 people received access to free healthcare, 900 young people benefited from apprenticeship grants for skills training and 4,830 indigenous kids have benefited from school kits.
For women like Claudine, this project wasn't just financial assistance --it was a life-changing opportunity. "Before Lisungi, I couldn't meet my basic needs. It helped me put food on the table and pay for my children's school. This project gave us hope for the future." Across Congo, women are transforming their lives through Lisungi's cash transfers and human development efforts, planting the seeds for lasting change.
