Festive joy: How the Big Give Christmas Campaign will help in the DRC

THE BEST PRESENT: A BRIGHT FUTURE

Our record-breaking Christmas campaign will help thousands of women in the DRC escape the poverty trap – Thank you

In 2020, Mothers’ Union decided to take a fresh approach to its annual Christmas campaign and raise money to fund a twoyear project to support 1,800 women in the Democratic

Republic of Congo (DRC) in accessing life-changing literacy and skills training workshops.

To help us reach our fundraising target in an increasingly challenging economic climate, we took part in the Big Give

Christmas Challenge, which enables charities to reach new audiences online and maximise donations through match funding.

‘The opportunity to secure match funding for members’ donations, making each pound you donate go twice as far, was an opportunity we could not pass up, especially after the way you all so generously responded to our Urgent Appeal earlier in the year,’ said Adam Sach, Mothers’ Union Head of Fundraising, Communications and Retail.

Our Christmas campaign was a resounding success, raising more than £124,000 to transform lives in the DRC.

How will your donations help?

The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, coming 179th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index, with 76 per cent of its population estimated to be living below the poverty line on less than $1.90 (£1.40) a day.

Repeated conflict and outbreaks of disease, plus economic and political uncertainty, coupled with illegal mineral extraction which displaces local people, contributes to poverty, particularly in the north western and Kasai regions.

Our literacy and skills training project in the DRC is about so much more than that. As well as literacy, business and agricultural skills training in the community, the project helps reduce sexual and gender-based violence, and bring about improvements in health, hygiene and nutrition.

Naomi Herbert, Mothers’ Union’s Regional Development Lead for the DRC, said: ‘Thanks to your generous donations, we are able to support individuals through literacy and savings skills training to grow businesses and build their confidence to take on leadership roles in the community.’