Rémy Kabwiku has been a carpenter since 1982. The trade has evolved over time, he says, and now increasingly requires the use of machinery. Rémy requested a solidarity loan to purchase a portable saw so as to increase his client base.
One of the biggest obstacles to improving the living conditions of the Congolese people is access to financial services. Nearly 55 percent of the population is classed as “financially excluded”, and potential borrowers are often unable to provide the guarantees required to receive credit.
Access to micro-financing can make a difference in terms of stimulating employment and the economy, particularly in rural areas. That is why UNDP and UNCDF (the UN Capital Development Fund) have set up a programme to support inclusive finance, funded by Belgium and Sweden. The project supports the creation of solidarity groups to provide better access to finance for the poor through loans that are guaranteed collectively.
In Walungu, Sud Kivu, the CIMWEMWESA group (which means “that which brings joy” in Mashi) has seven members, all neighbours, who work in different sectors: roaming saleswoman, pharmacist, carpenter, shopkeeper, miller, etc. Together they can receive a solidarity loan from the Savings and Loan Cooperative that has just been established in the village.
“Our group was created spontaneously in 2013 to establish a joint savings scheme. We hold two meetings a month, and the loan is repaid monthly,” says Ernest, the group’s chairman.
Over and beyond the financial benefit, these groups have a real impact in terms of social cohesion. The members help one another in day-to-day life as well, doing little bits of work for one another and giving each other moral support.
“The members help each other out. If one of us can’t honour a repayment, we cover it for them,” says Jeanine, a mother of three who was abandoned by her husband.
“We want to work closer with people who do not have enough money,” says Rosine Zumba, manager of the Bomoko COOPEC.
After only two years, the Walungu COOPEC already has 1,179 members. The average loan amount requested is US$500. In March 2016, total savings stood at US$207,200.
Today, DRC has 160 microfinance institutions, banks and cooperatives, 80 percent of which are in urban areas. They have 1.9 million clients in total, 50 percent of whom are women. Most are excluded from traditional financial services.
The formula of establishing solidarity cooperatives in rural areas has enabled more than 6,000 new clients to be reached, including nearly 4,500 women. They now have access to savings and credit services that meet their particular needs and context.
Learn more about the project (in French).
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© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
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