About the Foundation

Rooted in
purpose.

CAF Foundation exists to stand beside Congolese communities — in the DRC and across the diaspora — with dignity, creativity, and long-term commitment. This is the story of how we got here.

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CAF Foundation field work, Eastern DRC Eastern DRC, 2024
Dedicated to the protection of the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, these rangers are the frontline of conservation in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Armed with knowledge and essential tools — including the machetes used to carve paths through primary rainforest — they ensure the safety of the gorillas and the survival of their habitat. Eastern DRC, 2024.
Our Mission

Why the CAF
Foundation?

Many Congolese communities face barriers in literacy, health, and civic participation. Globalisation and conflict have threatened cultural transmission. Climate variability reshapes lives. Congolese and Fabulous Foundation exists to meet these challenges with dignity, creativity, and community-led leadership.

We are not here to replace the brilliant organisations already doing this work. We are here to stand beside them — to resource, amplify, and connect.

The Why · Congolese and Fabulous Foundation

Why does this
Foundation exist?

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most resource-rich, culturally extraordinary, and systematically underserved countries on earth. Home to over 100 million people, 200+ languages, the world's second-largest rainforest, and civilisations that shaped the globe — it has been defined for too long by crisis, not by its extraordinary power.

The Congolese diaspora carries deep knowledge, remarkable talent, and profound love for a homeland — but lacks the institutional structures to direct that energy at scale. Grassroots organisations already doing transformational work inside the DRC are chronically underfunded and underconnected.

CAF Foundation exists to close these gaps: to bridge the diaspora and the homeland, to resource what deserves to be resourced, to preserve what deserves to be preserved, and to amplify what has for too long been overlooked.

"Congolese and Fabulous Foundation exists to meet these challenges with dignity, creativity, and community-led leadership."

The Founders · Our Journey Born in Congo · Built in London
Born in Congo · Raised in London · Rooted in both

We grew up between
two worlds.

We are two sisters — Congolese, Londoners, and co-founders of CAF Foundation. We came to the UK young, and growing up here gave us something we never took for granted: access to good healthcare, quality education, and the freedom to dream beyond our circumstances. Those experiences shaped everything.

But they also sharpened a question that never left us: why should where you are born determine what you can become?

That question became our compass. And CAF Foundation is our answer.

Growing up in Yaoundé Growing up · Yaoundé
Colour Run London Colour Run · London
Our Journey
2011
2011 — Congolese & Fabulous is born

We created Young, Congolese and Fabulous — a digital platform to reclaim the narrative. A space to tell our stories, celebrate our identity, and show the Congo through a lens of beauty and dignity.

2016
2016 — Social media as cultural archive

We turned Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter into living archives of Congolese experience. We reached a global audience — the diaspora and those who had never heard of Kinshasa. We were not just sharing content. We were rewriting the narrative.

2023
2023 — Rumble in the Jungle Rematch

Madeleine and Christelle serve as cultural consultants on the award-winning immersive theatre production Rumble in the Jungle Rematch — winner of the OffWestEnd Award for Best Production. Congolese culture on the London stage.

2024
2024 — Back to Bukavu

We returned to Bukavu, where our parents are from. Through work with Asili, we witnessed resilience under impossible conditions. We came home changed: advocating from a distance was no longer enough.

2025
2025 — Crisis & solidarity

Conflict in Eastern Congo became deeply personal. Our family was directly affected. We mobilised across the diaspora, engaged APPGs, and worked with Save the Children and Oxfam. Awareness alone was not enough.

2026
2026 — CAF Foundation established

Out of years of advocacy, community building, and diaspora engagement, the Congolese & Fabulous Foundation was born — to restore dignity, expand opportunity, and strengthen Congolese-led solutions across Human Flourishing, Culture & Heritage, and Environment & Climate.

Madeleine & Christelle at Parliament, London
Christelle & Madeleine · Parliament · London
Madeleine Laini
Co-Founder · Trustee · Creative Director

Madeleine Laini

Madeleine Laini is a London-based cultural strategist and social impact leader advising organisations across Europe and Africa on cultural intelligence, soft-power strategy, and community-centred development. Through CAF Advisory, she supports corporates, C-Suite leaders, boards, and philanthropic institutions in navigating cultural complexity, de-risking initiatives, and building equitable, future-ready strategies grounded in community insight.

She co-leads The Congolese & Fabulous Foundation, advancing humanitarian relief, refugee support, women and youth empowerment, and conservation efforts in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. As Founder of Kiyana Wraps, Madeleine merges heritage, wellbeing, and creative entrepreneurship to promote African identity globally. Her work reflects a commitment to ethical leadership and community transformation, strengthening cultural and economic bridges between the UK and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cultural Strategy Creative Direction History LDN ASCEND
Christelle Tulia
Co-Founder · Trustee · Chair

Christelle Tulia

Christelle Tulia is a political strategist and community leader working at the intersection of Europe–Africa diplomacy, cultural systems, and social impact. As Co-Founder of Congolese & Fabulous and Trustee of its Foundation, she designs initiatives that expand opportunity and representation across the African diaspora.

Her leadership is grounded in action. As Co-Director of Kiyana Wraps, she supports pioneering work using African headwrap practices to strengthen identity, dignity, and wellbeing for people living with dementia, in collaboration with academic and health partners. From developing youth pathways in football to leading digital programmes during COVID-19, Christelle builds systems that respond to real needs. She continues to champion Congolese excellence as a force for global cultural, social, and economic transformation.

Africa-UK Relations International Relations Diaspora Advocacy LDN ASCEND
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"The Congo gave us our roots. London gave us our wings. CAF Foundation is how we give both back — to every Congolese community and young person whose story deserves to be told."
— The Founders, Congolese & Fabulous Foundation