About Us

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HandUp Congo

HandUp Congo Incorporated (ABN 12 611 460 987) is a small, non-government organisation based in Australia and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. It was created to make a difference to the health and well-being of Congolese communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country that ranks at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. 

SMALL BY CHOICE

HandUp Congo remains small by choice, continuing to focus on food security, education and emergency medicine. Remaining small allows us to successfully engage with our Congolese project partners. We regularly visit Congo with skilled volunteers and communicate with donors and volunteers about our projects.

 

Founding team

In 2005 HandUp Congo was founded by Anne and Lucy Hobgood, two sisters who grew up in Congo, and their friend, Betsy Brill.

Friends and colleagues from around the world support projects identified by Congolese project partners based in areas where the Hobgood family has connections.

 

“We work on projects identified by Congolese communities with whom the Hobgood family has connections. We know and trust one another. The goodwill is tremendous."

~  Lucy Hobgood-brown

 

Where we work

Our focus is on community development work in Equateur Province - and medical education in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, as well as with hospitals in other provinces.

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Lotumbe, our community development focus

Lotumbe (“low-toom-bee”) is in Equateur Province and is a 7-day paddle from Mbandaka, the province's capital.

To reach Lotumbe, you take a short flight from Kinshasa to Mbandaka, the province’s capital, and then board a dugout canoe for Lotumbe. If you’re paddling, like most of the locals do, it would be a seven-day trip. If you’re lucky enough to afford an outboard motor, it’s a snap… about 16 hours with a stop or two along the way.  Fast Facts about Congo

Committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, HandUp Congo seeks to promote sustainable community-driven business, educational, social and health initiatives. 

To amplify our efforts, we collaborate with outstanding organisations worldwide that are seeking to raise awareness about issues faced by the Congolese people at home and abroad.

Through donations of both financial and material goods, and with the help of skilled volunteer teams,  HandUp Congo works with grassroots communities on a range of capacity building projects.

These include a women’s microfinance loan scheme that funds income generating projects for the community, an emergency medicine training program, a duck raising project that enables Pygmy children to pay for their school uniforms and tuition and a sustainable beekeeping initiative.