GRACE Center was built on land donated by the local community and it works hand-in-hand with them on all aspects of its work. In order for this project to succeed it needs to be embraced by local communities and ultimately championed by the Congolese. A major focus of our work since beginning in 2009 has been capacity building to help our talented Congolese team make this project their own. In 2016, it appointed our first Congolese Director and our DRC operations are now entirely run by Congolese nationals. It continues to build conservation leadership and skills with a focus on youth and women in local communities.

GRACE Center is located in a remote area next to the Tayna Nature Reserve, a priority habitat for Grauer’s gorilla conservation since around 300 gorillas live there (8% of remaining wild population) along with other endangered wildlife including chimpanzees and okapi. GRACE is the only conservation NGO located in this region and therefore plays an important role in protecting this stronghold for gorillas.