Kumi Foundation signs partnership to support children in the DRC
SUMMARY: Kumi Foundation has announced a new cross‑sector partnership launched at the Japan–DRC Business Forum aiming to improve education and child safeguarding in mining regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The initiative focuses on digital learning, school support, and child protection in Lubumbashi and Kolwezi, addressing persistent poverty and child vulnerability in cobalt‑producing areas.
Kumi Foundation is delighted to announce a new partnership signed during the Japan- DRC Business Forum organised by the Embassy of Japan in Kinshasa. Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Congo Children Trust (CCT), and Kumi Foundation will work together to strengthen education and child safeguarding initiatives in the mining regions of Lubumbashi and Kolwezi.
This collaboration reflects Kumi Foundation’s core mission: to connect responsible businesses with community‑driven organisations, ensuring that the people who sustain global supply chains also share in the value they create.
Why this work matters
Global supply chains generate immense value, yet the communities closest to production often remain excluded from it. According to the Cobalt Institute, the DRC is the source of 76% of the world’s cobalt, and yet poverty and child vulnerability remain widespread.
Local organisations like CCT’s Kimbilio programme work tirelessly to support children and families, but face significant underfunding and overwhelming need.
Kumi Foundation exists to help shift this imbalance. Our vision is clear: the future of global supply chains must be built on responsible business practices, not exploitation.
Supporting digital learning and child protection
Under the MoU, Yokogawa will provide educational materials and digital learning tools to enhance learning at Kimbilio’s schools and training centres. This investment will help expand access to quality education for vulnerable women and children.
The three organisations will also explore additional opportunities to strengthen child safeguarding initiatives across the DRC Copperbelt to address risks faced by children growing up in and around mining communities.
A platform for responsible, community‑led development.
Kumi Foundation was established to bridge the gap between corporate commitments and community realities. By working with trusted local partners such as the Congo Children Trust which has supported thousands of children since 2009, we help responsible businesses invest in initiatives that deliver meaningful, sustainable impact for communities.
“Kumi Foundation works to ensure that communities in the DRC – who sit at the heart of global supply chains – see real, tangible benefits from the value they help create. By connecting high‑impact local organizations with responsible businesses and investors, we are helping translate responsible sourcing commitments into meaningful outcomes on the ground.”
— Karen Britton, Managing Director, Kumi Foundation
Looking ahead
This partnership represents a shared commitment to more ethical, inclusive, and community‑centred development across regions affected by supply chain vulnerability. Kumi Foundation will continue to build collaborations that strengthen livelihoods, safeguard children, and create pathways to long‑term opportunity for communities in the DRC Copperbelt and beyond.
For more information about Kumi Foundation, visit their website https://www.kumifoundation.org/
