Drinking clean water, receiving treatment in a modern health centre or seeing your children study in bright classrooms is no longer a dream in Kasaï province, in the centre of the DRC. Today, it’s real life.

In the past, life in Kasaï was subject to painful compromises: "We used to drink water that was full of germs, which caused a lot of suffering for all of us," recalls Papa Mutombo Tambwe, who proudly now talks of the new water supply installed in Tshilenge, eastern Kasaï.

Back then, health centres little more than simple huts that were far from reassuring, but nevertheless vital. "Our health centre in Tshibumba was just a small building made of earth and straw," says Mulanga Ntambwe. Despite the discomfort, villagers went there because they had no better facilities available. Bad roads in Tshikapa made safe, fast transport impossible.

Change began more than 10 years ago, when the Project for the Reinforcement of Socioeconomic Infrastructure (PRISE) launched a major transformation. Starting in 2013, the first phase of the project, financed by the African Development Fund (http://apo-opa.co/4mo0k98) with $161.46 million, built 60 schools, 60 health centres, 504 latrines, and 60 drinking water supply systems in the urban areas of Tshikapa and Mbuji-Mayi, as well as in the rural areas of five provinces in the DRC. For the first time, thousands of families were able to drink safer water, send their children to school in dignified conditions, and receive medical care in appropriate facilities. "Today, the Tshibumba health centre is new, clean and welcoming. We come here with confidence because it now gives us the chance to live healthier lives," confirms Ms Mulanga Ntambwe. She adds: "The first public transport vehicles only arrived with the launch of the project."

Encouraged by these, the Congolese government and the African Development Bank Group expanded the initiative to other provinces, aiming ultimately for national coverage.

That ambition is now taking shape in the three Kasaï provinces, home to over eight million people – around 12% of the DRC’s population. The second phase (PRISE II), with a budget of $69.74 million, 95% financed by the African Development Fund, is pushing the momentum further. And the results are already visible: 22 new water supply systems, 41 schools, 40 health centres and 88 latrines are under construction or nearly done. Almost 75% of the work is complete and already changing lives. Now, water flows from taps in village homes. “Tap water is very different from water from the forest. It is nearby, clean, and we are relieved,” says Ntshila Muswamba, a mother in Mikalayi, Central Kasaï, as she lifts a bucket of clear water.

Beyond infrastructure: a promise for the future

The project hasn’t just modernised infrastructure. It has also created opportunities. More than 2,200 permanent jobs have been generated, two thirds of them held by women. Young people are training as plumbers, communities are organising to manage water, and families are adopting new hygiene habits. In a context of climate change, this resilience matters just as much as bricks and pipes.

That’s why this project, backed by the African Development Bank Group, is more than just numbers. It shows development that truly transforms lives. It’s not only about water, schools or healthcare – it’s a vision of a Congo where every family can live with dignity and hope. In the Kasaï provinces, every tap, classroom and health centre is proof of a collective movement towards a fairer, more sustainable future.