The following information was provided by the executive director of Christian Women for Democracy and Development (Femmes chrétiennes pour la démocratie et le développement, FCDD) in Kinshasa during a 10 August 2005 telephone interview.

FCDD was founded in Kinshasa in 1991. Its objectives include promoting civic education for women, increasing women's awareness of their rights, fighting violence against women, and developing women's abilities to be financially independent.

FCDD's activities include organizing information sessions, publishing brochures and providing women with legal and other advice. All FCDD activities take place in Kinshasa. However, representatives sometimes travel to other regions, including Bandundu and Lower-Congo, to provide services to women there.

FCDD receives some financial support from foreign organizations, such as the International Human Rights Internship Program (IHRIP), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Canadian Cooperation.

FCDD is managed by an executive committee composed of six members and headed by an executive director. For health reasons, Anne Mujinga Kolonji, FCDD's founding president, has lived in the United States since 2000. The organization also has an administrative council, headed by Marie Louise Ndala, and 10 facilitators. Volunteer interns are sometimes recruited for periods of one month to a year.

As for relations between FCDD and the government authorities, the executive director indicated that she was unaware of any case in which a member of the FCDD executive committee or administrative council or an FCDD facilitator had been subjected to discriminatory treatment by the government, police or military authorities because of his or her activities in the organization.

Similarly, both the president of the Women's Centre for Development (Centre de développement pour la femme, CDF) and the national coordinator of the National Committee for Women in Development (Comité national Femmes et Développement, CONAFED), two Kinshasa-based non-governmental organizations for women, stated in 9 August 2005 telephone interviews that they had never heard of any case in which a person working for FCDD had encountered problems with the government authorities in the course of their work.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Centre de développement pour la femme (CDF). 9 August 2005. Telephone interview with the president.

Comité national Femme et Développement (CONAFED). 9 August 2005. Telephone interview with the national coordinator.

Femmes chrétiennes pour le développement et la démocratie (FCDD). 10 August 2005. Telephone interview with the executive director.

Publications: Africa Confidential, Africa Research Bulletin, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, Amnesty International, Association africaine de défense des droits de l'homme (ASADHO), Digitalcongo.net, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI.net), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), International Crisis Group (ICG), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), MISNA, ReliefWeb, United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC).