Shared Struggles, Shared Strengths: Parallels and Prospects for Cooperation Between the Ukraine Development Trust and the Community Support Center of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Amidst the world’s fractured geopolitics, where the headlines are dominated by war, displacement, and economic collapse, some of the most constructive and hopeful work is being done quietly — by organisations embedded in conflict-affected communities, working not for the short-term satisfaction of media attention, but for the long-term dignity of human life. Two such organisations, operating thousands of kilometres apart but with strikingly similar philosophies, are the Ukraine Development Trust (UDT) and the Community Support Center of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CSC-DRC).

Though born of different contexts — Ukraine’s defence against a full-scale foreign invasion, and the DRC’s protracted struggle with internal instability, mineral exploitation, and localised armed conflict — both institutions share a core mission: to deliver community-rooted, locally accountable support for populations torn apart by violence and systemic neglect. Both reject top-down, donor-driven approaches in favour of flexible, field-based humanitarianism. And both understand that the path to dignity runs through access to services, meaningful economic participation, and a reaffirmation of local agency in the face of trauma.

This article explores the philosophical affinities, operational parallels, and promising opportunities for strategic cooperation between the UDT and CSC-DRC.

Community-Centred Support in War-Torn Regions

At its core, the Ukraine Development Trust operates as a decentralised foundation focused on rebuilding livelihoods, services, and governance structures in liberated or heavily impacted areas of Ukraine. With localised operations across the Donbas, southern Ukraine, and border regions, it acts as a flexible intermediary between international donors and Ukrainian communities in need. Its priority is to fund projects that would otherwise be neglected by large institutional mechanisms: schools without roofs, hospitals without generators, local councils without accounting software.

The Community Support Center of the Democratic Republic of Congo, by contrast, was born in a context of chronic underdevelopment and recurring humanitarian crises. Operating in eastern DRC — one of the most volatile and mineral-rich regions in the world — the CSC-DRC focuses on grassroots peacebuilding, education, support for survivors of gender-based violence, and local development initiatives ranging from sustainable agriculture to microenterprise. The organisation prides itself on its ability to deliver tangible results in places inaccessible to larger agencies.

Both institutions share a central belief: real change cannot be imposed from outside. It must be supported, catalysed, and implemented by those who live the reality of conflict every day. That requires trust, humility, and a deep knowledge of the local political and social landscape — qualities that top-down, blueprint-driven development actors often lack.

Operating in High-Risk, Low-Infrastructure Environments

Neither Ukraine nor the DRC is an easy place for civil society to function. In both countries, working conditions are dangerous, unpredictable and often deliberately obstructed. In Ukraine, front-line communities are under daily bombardment, while civil infrastructure is regularly targeted by drone and missile strikes. In the DRC, insecurity is more decentralised: dozens of armed groups control remote territories, and government services are absent in many regions. In both settings, corruption, fragmentation and resource scarcity make conventional aid delivery slow or impossible.

Yet both the UDT and CSC-DRC operate precisely where larger actors hesitate. They use networks of local volunteers, regional partnerships, and trust-based relationships to gain access to populations in need. Their ability to operate “under the radar” and adapt quickly to changing ground realities is not a side benefit — it is the core of their value.

This similarity in operational model makes them ideal collaborators in exploring how best to deliver aid in volatile and decentralised environments. Shared knowledge on rapid needs assessment, community-led recovery, and non-traditional delivery channels could prove mutually beneficial — and potentially instructive to the broader humanitarian sector.

Women, War, and Local Resilience

One area where both organisations have demonstrated exceptional leadership is in addressing the gendered impacts of conflict. In Ukraine, the UDT has supported grassroots projects focused on women’s health, psychological support for survivors of violence, wartime childcare, and economic reintegration of displaced women. In the DRC, the CSC-DRC has been at the forefront of combatting sexual violence, supporting trauma recovery for survivors, and advancing women’s participation in local governance.

Both institutions understand that war disproportionately affects women, not just as victims but as burden-bearers for fractured families and communities. They also recognise that rebuilding efforts cannot succeed without the meaningful inclusion of women as agents of recovery.

The UDT and CSC-DRC could profitably exchange practices on survivor support, women’s economic empowerment in post-conflict regions, and the integration of gender-sensitive policy into local development planning. Workshops, staff exchanges, or joint funding bids focused on gendered responses to conflict would reflect a strong shared ethos.

Mutual Lessons in Peacebuilding and Post-War Reintegration

While Ukraine’s war is recent, acute, and conventional, the DRC’s conflict is older, more fragmented, and shaped by post-colonial dynamics, resource extraction, and inter-communal tensions. The CSC-DRC has over two decades of experience navigating the grey zones of ceasefires, reintegration of ex-combatants, and community reconciliation in places where justice systems barely function.

For the UDT, whose work increasingly involves rebuilding liberated areas where collaborators and victims live side-by-side, the lessons of eastern Congo are timely. How can communities rebuild trust after widespread violence? What mechanisms (formal or informal) support social cohesion after betrayal and loss? How does one help young men find futures outside of militarisation?

Conversely, the UDT’s experience with post-liberation infrastructure reconstruction, digitised administrative tools, and decentralised local governance offers the CSC-DRC an opportunity to imagine what state-like functionality could look like even in the absence of state capacity.

Opportunities for Strategic Cooperation

The philosophical and operational affinities between the UDT and CSC-DRC provide fertile ground for collaboration. Potential areas of partnership include:

• Joint advocacy at global development forums, offering a dual perspective from active war and protracted conflict zones.

  
  

• Collaborative research and publications on effective community-based interventions in conflict-affected regions.

  
  

• Staff exchange programmes to foster mutual understanding, solidarity, and technical learning across continents.

  
  

• Shared funding applications to donors interested in comparative post-conflict recovery, particularly foundations focused on Global South–Global East cooperation.

  
  

• South–East Dialogue Forums, where Ukrainian and Congolese local actors can speak directly about shared experiences in dignity-driven development.

Solidarity Across Front Lines

Though separated by language, history, and geography, the Ukraine Development Trust and the Community Support Center of the Democratic Republic of Congo are kindred institutions. They are united not only by what they oppose — war, neglect, exploitation — but by what they affirm: the capacity of people to rebuild, the power of communities to resist despair, and the duty of humanitarian actors to serve with humility and courage.

In a global climate where large institutions often falter and donors seek localised, trustworthy partners, organisations like the UDT and CSC-DRC stand out as models of resilient, principled, and responsive development. Their cooperation would not only enrich their own work — it would offer a new paradigm for post-conflict support: one that flows horizontally, from East to South and back again, in mutual recognition of shared struggle and shared hope.

---

www.development-foundation.org (Ukraine Development Trust, Lviv, Ukraine)

www.csc-drg.org (Community Support Center of the Democratic Republic of Congro, Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo)