Fondation Rachel Forrest
The purpose of the Rachel Forrest Foundation (FRF) is to develop and coordinate humanist projects for the benefit of local populations, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
From 2007 to 2018, despite the global economic crisis, the Rachel Forrest Foundation gave more than USD 16 million to the projects it supports.
Based in Lubumbashi, the Rachel Forrest Foundation was created by Forrest Group International (GFI S.A.) and is currently chaired by Mrs Lydia Forrest, the wife of George Arthur Forrest, the Forrest Group Chairman.
The sectors supported by the Rachel Forrest Foundation
In the educational sphere, the Rachel Forrest Foundation supports projects in partnership with the competent Congolese authorities. The Foundation also provides frequent ad hoc funding for the construction of libraries, classrooms, the distribution of books, etc.
From time to time, the Foundation supports hospitals, clinics and other institutions active in the health field. Its contributions are varied, ranging from the construction of medical infrastructure to donations of high-quality pharmaceutical products.
Infrastructure, in the general sense of the term, is also one of the priorities of the Rachel Forrest Foundation. From the supply of drinking water to the construction of buildings, from the fire prevention service to the erection of road signs, the Foundation promotes various projects, provided they are relevant and their contribution is constructive for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its citizens.
Finally, culture and the environment are not forgotten.
In the artistic field, the Rachel Forrest Foundation is, for example, one of the main patrons of Dialogues, a non-profit association that promotes contemporary African art.
In the environmental field, the Foundation participates in many projects in collaboration with the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences of the University of Lubumbashi (UNILU). The Foundation also funds environmental research, for example planting fruit trees on mine tailings or studies seeking to mitigate the negative effects of mining on the environment.
Social Growth and Economic Development
Forrest Group’s dynamism which is demonstrated at the social level, and which is an intrinsic part of the group’s history, is based on the belief that the economic development of a company is only fully successful if it goes hand-in-hand with the socio-economic and human development of the surrounding local populations, in this case Congolese citizens. The primary purpose of the Foundation is to perpetuate this tradition maintained by Forrest Group since its foundation in 1922.