about us - congress progress/ usfida

Who we are

Congo Progress was initially known as the United States Fizi-Itombwe Development Association, incorporated on April 28, 2007 by the immigrants and refugees from the  Fizi-Itombwe Territory’s living in the United States. The organization has grown to include other refugees and immigrants from all over Congo and hence the name was proposed to be changed to Congo Progress in April of 2014.

The following is the original purpose document adopted at the initiation of this organization.

Considering the integral and integrated poverty faced by the population in the Fizi District, located in the South-Kivu Province, that is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), 

Seeing the increasing number of Fizi-Itombwe Descents living in the USA as Refugees, Immigrants and/or Permanent Residents with so many needs (advice, assistance, representation, counseling, money, debts, welfare benefits, health, housing, social security, education, training, employment, …), 

Realizing that this poverty in the Fizi Territory is caused by several disasters such as: unceasing wars, inter-ethnic conflicts, aggression, epidemics, environmental degradation, pandemonium, xenophobia, not reliable local and national leadership in the Congo, ... on one hand; and that all the needs of those groups of people living in the USA are provoked by poverty, sickness, distress, low level of education, death in the family, lack of employment, low housing, … on the other hand,

Convinced that this situation hastily needs some relief and support according to time and space, either collective or individual, in order to prevent victims from being drowned into total misery,

Being willing to contribute to the improvement of social and economic conditions of the needy Fizi-Itombwe Descents present in the USA, and of those Fizi-Itombwe inhabitants (overseas) – because victims of these catastrophes – by creating a way towards sustainable development,

The Fizi-Itombwe Territory’s Descents living in the USA, gathered themselves together in a forum for debating these problems, decided to create this Non-profit Organization.