

Emergency/Long Term Food Security & Resilience in Budikadidi DRC
Project Details
Project Locations: Kasai Central Province
Timeframe: 2023 - 2028
Donor: USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
Partners: IMA World Health, National Cooperative Business Association International, Farm Radio International, Humanity & Inclusion, Cornell University, Sun Mountain International, Caritas Développement Kananga, Caritas Développement Luiza, Actions Pour la Promotion du Bien-être Social, and Lumière du Kasaï
Project Overview
With support from USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, CRS is implementing the Tudituale ("Let’s be self-reliant" in the local language of Tshiluba) program engages with community, public and private sector stakeholders to address the root causes of food, nutrition and economic insecurity using proven approaches to build household resilience and develop strong local organizations and inclusive markets. Tudituale strengthens the food system so that it serves communities at the last mile while building household capacity to use food, water and sanitation resources to improve nutrition.
Tudituale builds on approaches that were tested and adapted in the CRS-led Budikadidi program. Learning from this experience, CRS has designed Tudituale to support robust private and public sector engagement and provide strong market linkages, driving sustainability from the outset. CRS will leverage existing community structures and organizations, improving their responsiveness, accountability and service delivery capacity. Community consultations to address restrictive gender norms and factors that impact social cohesion will support further contextualization.
Key Areas of Intervention
Tudituale uses a high degree of integration across sectors and a series of mutually reinforcing components that are intended to holistically address Food, Nutrition, and Economic Security. Increased access to income and financing is coupled with financial education oriented toward decisions supporting Maternal, Young Infant, and Child Nutrition and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene behaviors. Tudituale’s interventions will result in improvements in agronomic practices are focused on both homestead and plot-level production to support increased food availability for both consumption and sale.
Expected Key Outcomes
- Strengthened livelihoods and increased incomes.
- Improved utilization of quality food among vulnerable people.
Expected Additional Outcomes
- Improved usage of credit and capital
- Increased profitable, diverse enterprises and income generating activities.
- Increased sustainable agricultural production.
- Improved maternal, infant and young child nutrition behaviors.
- Improved water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors.
CRS in DRC
CRS began operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1961 at the invitation of the country's Catholic Episcopal Conference. Since 1993, the agency has maintained a continuous presence due to permanence of the conflicts, to provide timely assistance to populations at risk.
With an initial focus on emergency response, CRS has expanded into development programs with integrated, wide-ranging and gender responsive and transformative health, water security, nutrition, and agricultural interventions. Whether through direct implementation or through local partners, CRS' presence across the country ensures our ability to rapidly start-up projects and reach beneficiaries in remote areas.