Réseau d'Education Civique au Congo (RECIC)
Strengthening citizen participation
The Civil Education Network in the Congo (RECIC) is a network of grassroots organisations in Kinshasa. It ensures that people have a say in the policy of their neighbourhood or municipality. To this end, RECIC guides and trains more than 20.000 volunteers. Half of them are women.
Living conditions in the working-class neighbourhoods of Kinshasa are often difficult. Many neighbourhoods were built in a chaotic manner. Houses were built on sandy hills with a permanent risk of erosion. There is little to no water, electricity or sewage. RECIC organises training courses to teach people to analyse their problems and then take appropriate action, such as negotiating with local authorities. Through awareness-raising campaigns, RECIC encourages citizens to take actions that guarantee access to their rights.
RECIC Kinshasa has built a strong reputation in the field of éducation civique , which means 'civic education'. Major challenges for the future are related to elections, which are constantly being postponed. RECIC organises meetings between candidates and local communities, the so-called Tribunes d'Expression Populaire (TEP). This allows residents to put forward their social needs. At the same time, the system leads to recommendations for electoral reform. Through the campaign “My Vote is Not for Sale”, RECIC tries to improve the quality of voting behaviour, so that voters choose candidates based on a programme that leads to social change, and not on gifts and presents that candidates offer them during the election campaign.
