ASUCO ASBL

ASUCO ASBL (Association Ugeuzi / Congo Change) is a Congolese, community-based nonprofit established in 2016 and based in Goma, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. We work with schools, families, communities and local actors to strengthen people’s capacity to become solutions to their own challenges and to those of their communities. Our current programmatic focus is education as a foundation for protection, empowerment and community development. SCALE — School & Community Approach for Literacy and Empowerment SCALE is ASUCO’s main organizing approach for strengthening foundational learning, child protection and learner empowerment through schools, families and communities. Our starting point is simple: sustainable learning cannot be achieved by schools alone. Children and young people learn within a wider environment shaped by teachers, families, communities, protection systems, learning resources and opportunities for personal development. SCALE therefore places the learner at the center and connects these different elements around their learning and development. Rather than treating education, protection, community participation and empowerment as separate programmes, we seek to connect them where they contribute to better learning, participation, confidence and resilience. In practice, SCALE can include reading clubs, accelerated learning and reintegration, educational holiday programmes, functional literacy, community libraries, radio learning clubs, personal development and employability, teacher and community facilitator training, and support to improve classroom functionality and learning environments. These are flexible components that can be combined according to the needs of a particular school or community. In 2026, ASUCO opened its own school in Goma, which also serves as a practical SCALE learning hub. It provides a setting where we implement, document and refine approaches to learning, school-community engagement and learner empowerment. We see this as a space for learning and adaptation rather than as a completed proof of the model. ASUCO also connects education with practical community opportunities. Our experience includes women and girls’ empowerment, menstrual health initiatives, youth personal development and practical skills, and community-based livelihood initiatives. These are understood as complementary pathways that can strengthen participation, resilience and opportunities around learners and families. We seek partnerships based on learning, exchange, capacity strengthening and practical collaboration. We are particularly interested in connecting with organizations working in education, foundational learning, child protection, community engagement, youth and women’s empowerment, and locally led development. We believe in starting with a clear shared purpose, learning through practice, and building collaboration step by step. Education is the foundation. SCALE is the approach. The community is part of the solution.