Rights and Indigenous Sustainable Economies RISE-DRC

Defending Ancestral lands. Building Sustainable Economies

We bridge the critical gap after land mapping- empowering indigenous youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to lead community-based conservation and build viable, green economies that protect the rainforest.

Discover Our Impact Model

THE POST-MAPPING CHALLENGE

Securing Land Rights Is Only the First Step. Once indigenous lands are mapped and legally recognized, communities face an urgent challenge: how to generate sustainable livelihoods without turning to deforestation, illegal logging, or land sales. RISE DRC steps into this post-mapping economic viability gap, providing indigenous youth with the tools, market access, and conservation strategies needed to transform legal land tenure into lasting self-sufficiency and ecosystem protection.

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Post-Mapping Economic Viability

Indigenous-Led Conservation

Rainforest Healthcare & WASH

Education & Civil Rights

Developing non-timber forest product (NTFP) value chains-such as wild honey, medicinal plants, and sustainable crafts-to ensure communities thrive economically on their protected lands.

Combining traditional ecological knowledge with youth-led forest monitoring to protect high-biodiversity rainforests from extractive degradation and illegal logging.

Deploying mobile medical teams, essential medicines, maternal health services, and clean water infrastructure directly to frontline forest communities.

Running bilingual primary education programs in native languages and conducting mobile civil registration drives to secure official birth certificates for indigenous children.

HOW THE MODEL WORKS

Our is built on principles that deliver lasting ecological, social, and economic benefits to target communities.

Tenure & Protection

Economic Viability

Community Investment

Support community-led forest monitoring and conservation stewardshipIntact ecosystems safe from illegal extraction

Build non-timber forest product (NTFP) supply chains and youth enterprise skillsSustainable income directly tied to forest health

Channel economic yields into local healthcare, WASH, and primary schoolsSelf-reliant, healthy, and educated communities

Ready to Transform Your Territory?

Partner with us to deploy community-led conservation and build lasting economic viability.