Rooted in Land. Driven by Youth. Built for Resilience.

We work at the intersection of land tenure, bio-economy development, and frontline conservation- ensuring indigenous communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo turn legal territorial rights into lasting self-reliance.

Our Vision

A thriving, intact Congo Basin rainforest stewardship network where healthy, empowered indigenous communities independently govern, protect, and economically sustain their ancestral lands for generations to come.

Our Mission

To bridge the critical post-mapping gap by equipping indigenous youth and communities with sustainable bio-economy enterprises, frontline conservation tools, legal rights protection, and essential community services that make land rights economically viable and ecologically enduring.

OUR PURPOSE & THE POST-MAPPING GAP

For years, significant international effort has gone into securing legal land tenure and mapping ancestral territories for local and indigenous communities in the DRC. While securing land rights is a monumental milestone, a critical gap emerges the day after mapping ends: economic viability.

Without sustainable livelihoods tied to standing forests, remote communities face intense economic pressure to yield to illegal logging, land sales, or destructive mining. RISE DRC was created to bridge this exact gap. We help communities convert legal land ownership into active, self-sustaining green economies- protecting high-biodiversity rainforests while lifting indigenous families out of poverty.

Our Strategic Focus Goals:

Post-Mapping Economic Viability: Developing non-timber forest product (NTFP) supply chains that generate local income without clearing trees.

Indigenous-Led Conservation & Stewardship: Equipping youth and community elders with monitoring tools and traditional ecological knowledge to patrol boundaries and defend ancestral territories against extractive intrusion.

Youth Entrepreneurship & Leadership: Training young indigenous men and women in financial literacy, sustainable business management, and supply chain negotiation to build local market independence.

Advocacy & Indigenous Rights: Securing state civil identity recognition, supporting native-language education, and upholding Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) across all territorial initiatives.

OUR GUIDING VALUES

  • Ancestral Sovereignty: Respecting the self-determination, culture, and governance of indigenous peoples.

  • Ecological Integrity: Building local economies that keep the forest standing and intact.

  • Radical Transparency: Operating with zero tolerance for financial malpractice or unaligned external interests.

  • Inclusion & Gender Equity: Actively ensuring young women, youth living with disabilities, and marginalized groups hold decision-making power.