A Thank you to our Donors

As the Holiday season winds down, we at CLI find ourselves deeply aware of the extraordinary generosity of our donor community. To us, our work in the DRC has become a deeply impactful representation of the transformative power of generosity and a manifestation of what can happen when different people find common ground.

As a thank you to all who have donated this holiday season (it’s not too late to do so!), we thought it would be appropriate to lay out the fundamental “equation” of our organization - the one that shows how powerful our hundreds of supporters truly are! CLI’s work is a recognition of the fundamental, inherent entrepreneurialism that lives within talented individuals in every part of the world. In our case, that means youth in the DRC.

That’s part one. Part two is what, exactly, a dollar donated accomplishes.

It is in fusing the human creativity - the inherent entrepreneurialism mentioned above - with (1) targeted, relevant, contextually-specific training and (2) a small amount of capital to get started that magic is created. In our case, over 400 businesses and social projects dreamed up by our young leaders and executed using the training provided by CLI and the financing provided by, well… you!

As we begin 2020 (our 10th year!), CLI wants to tip our hat to the third leg of this powerful triumvirate: Our donors around the world. There is no shortage of youth in the Congo who arrive with creative notions of how to change their community and the world. We know that our training is effective. It is the third piece that you provide.

The next time you donate to CLI, consider this equation. It’s not just a dollar you are giving, but the key to unlocking a magical alchemy that is already changing a place many thought could never be changed.