Ashoka in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Ashoka is the first global network of leading social entrepreneurs pursuing the vision of an “everyone a changemaker”. Ashoka started selecting and supporting leading social entrepreneurs in the DRC since 2024 who have joined our network of over 540 Fellows in 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

With a population of almost 100 million inhabitants, with the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and producing around 70% of the world’s cobalt, a key mineral for batteries, the DRC is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and the largest French-speaking country in Africa. 65% of the population is under 25 years old, reflecting a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

Our 40 years of experience have shown that system-change social entrepreneurs are a powerful driving force for inclusive social and economic development, yet they need an ecosystem of support to help them thrive and scale their impact. Join us!

In 2025, Ashoka was ranked worldwide by thedotgood

Congolese Ashoka Fellows selected and supported

mobilized through partnership to support in social entrepreneurs through 3-year stipends

people collectively impacted by Ashoka Fellows directly with a presence in 14 provinces of the DRC

Social entrepreneurs are a key force. In the depths of their hearts, they are committed, themselves and their work, to the general interest."

- Bill Drayton -

One of Ashoka Priority in the DRC is Biodiversity

Ashoka is committed to creating a lasting impact on the DRC through its support for social innovators.

Biodiversity in the DRC is under severe pressure from poaching, trafficking, and deforestation, threatening both ecosystems and community resilience. Within Ashoka’s People & Planet strategy, our priority is to integrate conservation with social empowerment, ensuring that local communities, especially women and youth are recognized as changemakers in protecting nature. In the DRC, this means advancing systemic solutions that connect biodiversity protection with livelihoods, governance, and inclusive participation, so that safeguarding the planet directly strengthens people’s futures.

ABOUT ASHOKA

Ashoka pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship in the early 1980s, coining the terms “social entrepreneurship” and “changemaker” and starting the first network of social entrepreneurs. Since then, we have found and empowered social entrepreneurs whose system-changing innovations solve deep-rooted social problems around the world through the Ashoka Fellowship. After a rigorous selection process focusing on both the entrepreneur and her solution, we invite the candidates into the Ashoka Fellowship - providing early-stage financial support and a unique lifetime membership into an extensive network of peers and partners, enabling them to expand their vision, sharpen their leadership skills and accelerate their impact.

Ashoka Fellows’ results are remarkable. Our 2022 global impact study shows that: 76% of respondents in Africa have achieved legislative change; 88% have seen their solution replicated by other groups or organizations; 91% are still pursuing the idea for which they were elected a Fellow, even 5 or 10 years later, illustrating the outstanding sustainability and resourcefulness of the social entrepreneurs whom we select and support.

Individually and as a collective, Fellows actively contribute to the SDGs by developing insightful, relevant and scalable solutions that address some of the toughest societal issues. They activate many around them to become changemakers as the foundation for sustainable change.

In 2024, Ashoka was ranked #7 amongst social good organizations worldwide by thedotgood

(previously NGO Advisor).

MEET OUR FIRST ASHOKA FELLOWS IN THE DRC