Meet Djolu Technical College
Djolu Technical College (DTC) is a remote college deep in the heart of the Congo Basin rainforest. This unique college provides people in the Tshuapa region with the knowledge, tools and strategies they need to develop sustainable livelihoods and preserve their rainforest for future generations.
Djolu Technical College is the only accredited technical college in an area the size of England with a population of almost 2 million people. DTC students combine classroom learning, professional internships, and local research with their first-hand knowledge of the region and its rainforest.
Djolu Technical College has three degree tracks:
Forests & Water Environment & Sustainable Development Nursing & Public Health
Djolu Technical College is the only accredited technical college in an area the size of England with a population of almost 2 million people. DTC students combine classroom learning, professional internships, and local research with their first-hand knowledge of the region and its rainforest.
Djolu Technical College has three degree tracks:
Forests & Water Environment & Sustainable Development Nursing & Public Health
Focus on EnvironmentWith degrees from Djolu Technical College, graduates are equipped to work with local and international conservation organizations, to train local farmers in sustainable agriculture and forest conservation, and to bring healthcare solutions to remote areas where healthcare is almost nonexistent - all working together to reduce poverty in local communities and pressure on the rainforest and wildlife.
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"Djolu Technical College is situated in the heart of the equatorial forest. Here we face the realities of climate change and problems of development.
It is important to train professionals who understand the local environment, so they can preserve our endangered forest. In order to protect it, people must learn the proper methods for protecting the forest and its wildlife. Djolu and the Tshuapa Province have a deficit of educated workers and experts, but the college's graduates are responsible and capable of initiating the sustainable development of this environment. The difference between Djolu Technical College and other institutions is that the latter are located outside of our environmental situation." Didier Agronomist & Professor
at Djolu Technical College |
Djolu Technical College: On a Mission
The mission of Djolu Technical College is to educate qualified local youth in the science and practice of sustainable rural development: sustainable agriculture, forest and biodiversity conservation, nursing and public health, and more.
In 2001, a group of local leaders and elders in Djolu Territory envisioned establishing a rural development college to serve the region. In 2003, Djolu Technical College (known in French as the Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural-Djolu, or ISDR-Djolu) was founded as part of an agreement to establish the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve nearby. Today, the college is still the only accredited technical college in a region where the average annual income is $150 and most people, especially women, don’t have access to secondary school, much less higher education.
Dedicated FacultyCourses at Djolu Technical College are taught mainly by permanent Djolu-based college faculty. The college also recruits external collaborators, like medical staff from Djolu Hospital, professors from colleges in Boende, the capital of the province, and visiting professors from universities in Kisangani, who have to travel 300 miles by motorcycle and boat to get to Djolu.
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