Our mission

SNV is dedicated to a society in which all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. Our advisors contribute to this by:

• Strengthening the capacity of local organizations and institutions in their struggle to fight against poverty and to improve governance;
• Supporting the existence in DR Congo of a critical number of efficient local organisations that are able to deliver capacity building services (local capacity builders).

Our work

Our motto is “Connecting people’s capacities”: our work is about strategically linking organisations and institutions both locally and nationally. Our advisers are on the ground to listen, connect, advise, facilitate and exchange expertise in order to support local organisations that have the potential to make a significant contribution to the development of DR Congo.

Our motto reflects our focus on empowering people: SNV's core business is the provision of advisory services. We do not directly finance our client’s projects. However, we do strengthen their capacity to mobilize the funds that they need to pursue their objectives. We aim to eliminate poverty by making it possible for all people to improve the quality of their own lives; strengthening people's capacities to provide their own needs and to make informed choices to lead the life they value.

Good governance, gender equity, transparent public sector leadership and social inclusion of poor and marginalized people are the core values underpening the sustainable development we promote. We believe that these principles are essential to building stronger societies.

Our role in many projects is to bring together parties that would not automatically connect otherwise. We enable them to find solutions and opportunities together, thus creating longer-term links.

We work with a wide range of organisations:

• Decentralised state services and institutions;
• Decentralied local communities;
• Civil society organisations;
• Private sector organisations.

What kind of services do we provide?

1. Diagnose and learn: in order to develop a better understanding of the poverty mechanisms and of the socio-economic stakes of development.
2. Develop organisational capacities: in order to define and strengthen the organisations’ capacities to make their actions more efficient, legitimate and visible.
3. Build partnerships: SNV promotes stakeholders’ interactions, collaboration consultations and local partnerships between actors and partners. SNV engages in knowledge development, brokering and networking.
4. Contribute to institutional change: in order to support the public institution’s initiatives to facilitate the strengthening of local organisations.
5. Advisor services, knowledge brokering, network developing services for national and sub-national organizations (public, private, civil society) working in different sectors, facilitation of multi stakeholder processes at various levels, catalyzing joint action and monitoring and evaluation.