Launched in April 2025, Empow’Her, an initiative by Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), aims to strengthen women’s economic independence and leadership both within the company and in the rural communities surrounding its operational sites in the Mongala, Équateur, and Tshopo provinces.
On June 20th in Yaligimba, women armed with hoes, and determination, harvested the first fruits of an ambitious project launched by PHC: Empow’Her, a women’s economic empowerment program designed to transform rural realities in northern DRC.
Empow’Her is built around three main pillars: combating gender-based violence, increasing women’s representation within the company,and supporting socio-economic empowerment through income-generating activities and access to reproductive and maternal health services.
In its first phase, the program targets 120 women from the rural areas of Yaligimba and Boteka. The goal: to provide them with a nine-month training program in vegetable farming, composting, livestock rearing, and the management of sustainable micro-agricultural activities. At the end of the training, participants receive technical support and financial assistance to launch their own income-generating ventures.
A First Harvest, a Symbol of Emancipation
It was in this spirit that a symbolic first harvest took place on June 20, 2025, at the Yaligimba agricultural site, in the heart of Mongala province. Just three months after the program’s launch, this “Women’s Empowerment Site” is already home to the first cohort of participants, trained in agroecological techniques tailored to the realities of rural life. Here, they cultivate their first vegetables and test innovative farming methods designed to boost food security and local resilience.
To mark the occasion, Monique Gieskes, Managing Director of PHC, symbolically planted a chili seedling, declaring: “As an authorized voice, I proclaim that what you have sown here, you shall reap in abundance. I wish you continuous growth, flourishing production, and prosperity on this site and in each of your ventures.”
Standing beside her, Kamal Pallan, representative of PHC’s main shareholder Kuramo Capital Management, honored the determination of the participants and the commitment of the PHC teams, harvesting a few spinach leaves grown by the women themselves.
A Catalyst for Lasting Change
With visible emotion, the women shared their heartfelt gratitude toward PHC for the real, tangible impact of the Empow’Her program. What they have gained goes far beyond technical skills: renewed confidence, a transformed sense of purpose, and most importantly, the power to take charge of their future and that of their families.
For these women, Empow’Her is not just another development program. It is living proof that commitment and hard work can genuinely transform lives, in lasting and meaningful ways.
Through this initiative, PHC affirms a bold and inclusive vision: to build a model of rural development rooted in local realities, one that unleashes the transformative power of women at the heart of sustainable progress.
