Eastern Congo Initiative

founded by ben affleck, the eastern congo initiative (eci) is the first u.s. based advocacy and grant-making initiative wholly focused on working with and for the people of eastern congo. eci envisions an eastern congo vibrant with abundant opportunities for economic and social development, where a robust civil society can flourish. eci believes that these local, community-based approaches are the key to creating a successful society in eastern congo. we also believe that public and private partnerships, combined with advocacy that drives public policy change and increased attention, will create new opportunities for the people of eastern congo. to achieve this vision, eci advocates on behalf of the people of eastern congo to: • increase investments from private and public funding sources to strategically support established congolese-led programs that build safe and sustainable communities. • raise public awareness about the tremendous need in the region through targeted media and adv