February 2026 – Data Friendly Space, RedR UK, and Sphere announce the launch of a six-month project to create the DRC Digital Humanitarian Academy, a digital learning platform designed to strengthen the capacity of local and national humanitarian organizations across the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project is funded by the H2H Fund to provide support and services directly to humanitarians working on the ground.
The initiative responds directly to priorities identified by CONAFOHD (Confédération des Organisations Non-Gouvernementales pour le Financement du Développement Humanitaire), the national consortium representing over 500 local and national NGOs across the DRC. Through structured consultations and needs assessments conducted, CONAFOHD identified critical gaps in accessible, relevant training for local humanitarian actors.
The platform will address this need by providing contextualized learning content that reflects DRC's legal framework, coordination structures, and operational realities. It will also feature an AI-powered learning assistant that helps users navigate course content, find answers to questions, and build personalized learning paths, all in French, Lingala, and Congo Swahili. Designed with full offline capability, the platform will ensure humanitarian workers in remote and conflict-affected areas can access training despite connectivity challenges.
Initial content will focus on a critical capacity area. RedR UK will develop self-paced modules on proposal writing for resource mobilisation, identified by 82.5% of assessment respondents as their top training priority, alongside facilitated online cohorts on the same topic.
“As a Congolese national, I’m extremely proud to be supporting this project, which will strengthen existing CONAFODH’s members’ capacities in core functions, necessary for institutional growth for the benefit of affected communities states Esperant Mulumba, a RedR UK Trainer.
Sphere will contribute training on quality and accountability standards, enabling local actors to demonstrate compliance with international humanitarian norms.
"In the DRC, local humanitarian actors face challenges to deliver assistance safely and effectively. Through the Digital Humanitarian Academy, we’re supporting them with practical training on quality and accountability standards including contextualised e-learning, guides, and pilot workshops in French and Lingala so they can confidently apply international norms while responding to the needs of their communities." - Zunaira Shams, Sphere
A unique feature of the platform will be its integration with KOLData, the NGO mapping system previously developed through H2H Fund support. Certifications earned on the Digital Humanitarian Academy will automatically sync to organizations' KOLData profiles, making acquired skills visible to donors in real time.
The project centers on sustainability through genuine local ownership. CONAFOHD will receive comprehensive training on platform administration, content management, and system maintenance. Complete documentation and transition support will equip CONAFOHD staff to independently manage and expand the platform beyond the project period. This initiative directly supports CONAFOHD's goal of increasing direct funding to local NGOs from the current 4% to 40%, addressing the capacity gaps that limit local organizations' access to humanitarian financing.
“By combining accessible digital learning with AI-powered assistance in French, Lingala, and Congo Swahili, and ensuring it works offline, this project removes the barriers that have prevented many Congolese humanitarian workers from accessing quality training. This platform will create a sustainable system that CONAFOHD will own and grow, directly addressing the capacity gaps that limit local organizations' access to funding and enabling them to demonstrate their expertise to donors through integration with KOLData.” - Jose Cobos Romero, Data Friendly Space
The project builds on the collaborative foundation established through previous H2H Fund activations and demonstrates the power of sustained partnership with local actors to advance the localization agenda. The H2H Fund's support enables international organizations to respond directly to needs identified by local humanitarian networks, ensuring services are truly locally led.
Data Friendly Space builds AI-powered technology and digital tools to help social impact organizations make decisions based on reliable and actionable data.
RedR UK delivers humanitarian capacity building, specializing in learner-centric training that strengthens the skills of humanitarian professionals worldwide.
Sphere sets quality and accountability standards in humanitarian action, supporting actors worldwide in applying the Sphere Handbook and the Core Humanitarian Standard.
The H2H Network supports in strengthening locally led humanitarian action by funding innovative projects that respond to priorities identified by local and national actors.
Contacts:
Madigan Johnson, Data Friendly Space: madigan@datafriendlyspace.org
