Posted on Nov 25, 2020
As fellow members of the Alight family, and stewards of the transformative Asili social enterprise, all of us at ECI applaud Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s nomination.
Posted on Oct 08, 2020
Employees from five of ECI’s other partner organizations learned about photography, videography, audio production and social media.
Posted on Sep 25, 2020
A birth certificate says: I belong. The lawyers of DFJ are working to make sure all children in Congo have the security of belonging — to their parents, to their country, and to the world.
Posted on Sep 14, 2020
Every day, in defiance of the law, Congolese women are driven away from land that rightfully belongs to them — sometimes by neighbors, often by their own families, and too often with impunity. “Women’s access to land remains an enormous challenge in Congolese society, particularly in the eastern DRC,” explains Me Aline Bahati, attorney and […]
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
"Offering a new model for 21st century NGOs, Asili combines big-picture thinking and individual understanding." — Prof. Jeanne M. Liedtka, UVA Darden
Posted on Aug 20, 2020
"The ECI-Asili merger, while still a work in progress, offers a useful perspective for any philanthropy that sees an opportunity to have more impact." — Kris Putnam-Walkerley, Forbes
Posted on Aug 19, 2020
This is a big week for Eastern Congo Initiative. We’re officially announcing our acquisition of the Asili business model. Nespresso is releasing a new single-origin coffee grown exclusively by our partner co-ops in South Kivu. And the work we do with public and private partnerships is receiving a prestigious honor.
Posted on Aug 19, 2020
Today Nespresso is launching a new organic single-origin coffee, grown exclusively by ECI’s partner Congolese cooperatives. At the heart of this partnership is Asili, ECI's new and transformative platform for social enterprise.
Posted on May 19, 2020
Months ago, Un Jour Nouveau (UJN), a local community organization in the Congo, was planning to use $500 in capital from ECI to strengthen their dressmaking program, a social enterprise that helps women in North Kivu uplift their communities with training in business, leadership and in-demand skills. UJN planned to use half the money to set up a display of students’ handmade clothing at the 2020 Women Of Congo exhibition, and to use the other $250 to buy fabric and supplies. As the pandemic overtook their plans, the women’s entrepreneurial agility transformed that $500 grant into infinitely more.
Posted on May 11, 2020
Living in conditions of fragility and scarcity is a profound misfortune, to be sure. But misfortune survived turns into enduring wisdom. At this moment of global crisis, I want to share some simple ideas I have learned from a lifetime of partnership with people who have been through the unimaginable and survived.