A few weeks ago at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in Geneva, the CONAFOHD consortium (CONAFOHD, Data Friendly Space, RedR UK, and Sphere) came together in person for the first time to advance an exciting initiative in locally led humanitarian response: the DRC Digital Humanitarian Academy.
The Academy is a digital learning platform designed by and for local and national humanitarian actors in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Built on the foundations of KOLData, the NGO mapping platform developed through a previous H2H Fund activation with CartONG and CONAFOHD, this next phase adds the capacity-strengthening component that CONAFOHD identified as their most critical next step. The platform will offer modular, certified training pathways in French, Lingala, and Congolese Swahili, work fully offline for NGOs in remote and low-connectivity areas, and feature an AI assistant to help users navigate content and build personalized learning paths. Most importantly, certifications earned on the platform will automatically sync to NGOs' KOLData profiles, making acquired skills visible in real time.
CONAFOHD, which represents over 500 local and national NGOs, wanted to address the three interconnected barriers their assessments have consistently identified: a lack of access to affordable, contextually relevant training; difficulty demonstrating organizational capacity to donors; and connectivity challenges that exclude NGOs in rural areas from existing online learning.
Sitting around the same table at HNPW gave the consortium something that months of remote collaboration simply cannot replicate. Meeting in person allowed us to...
Come together around a shared vision of what data and digital tools can truly do when they are designed with communities, not just for them. This platform is not just about training, it is about giving local organizations the digital infrastructure to tell their own story and demonstrate their own strength. - Data Friendly Space
Remember how important it is to strengthen the systems that allow local leaders to deliver humanitarian action at scale, enabling lasting capacity and shifting power - RedR UK
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Develop the human connection that is essential in projects like this which have so many moving parts and require respect for one another’s expectations and deadlines - Sphere
Each partner brings something distinct to the table, but we are united in our goal to bring the DRC Digital Humanitarian Academy to life.
The project runs through July 2026, culminating in a transfer of full platform ownership to CONAFOHD's team. From that point forward, CONAFOHD will manage, update, and expand the content library independently, and where local organizations will have the tools, credentials, and visibility to lead.
