Quarterly Activity Report from April to June 2019

Awareness program on environmental education and reforestation, in the vicinity of Virunga National Park

With the support of

Presentation of the association

It is created on June 8, 2018 in the city of Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, a non-profit and non-governmental association in accordance with Law No. 004/2001 of July 20, 2001 on general provisions applicable to non-profit associations and the public utility in the DRC, under the name of The Forum of Friends of Development and Environmental Protection FADPE asbl in acronym.

The healthy environment is a concern of all and global warming has become a global plague, not to mention the violations made to animals; this is what led us to set up the Forum of Friends of Development and Environmental Protection FADPE asbl. 

Global warming leaves behind a number of consequences, including desertification, climate change and as many diseases as the planet has never experienced. To put the stone in this building, FADPE asbl has set up an awareness program on environmental education that affects the entire community living in the urban areas of Virunga National Park in particular and that of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa in general when the means will be available to facilitate this work.

The reforestation and support of living communities in rural areas will combat the phenomenon of global warming with force. Apart from reforestation, humanity is undergoing a food crisis that is pushing the community to look for different means of survival.

Thus FADPE asbl plans to support the community living in the cities of the Virunga National Park in the agricultural sector in order to mobilize it to live from agriculture while discouraging poaching of any form. These are some of the paths we want to pursue and this which has led us to continue the efforts that have already been made to publicize and protect the environment.

General objectives

FADPE asbl pursues a series of objectives including:

1. Participate in the protection of the environment including the management of natural resources;
2. Contribute to the fight against global warming and the protection of biodiversity natural;
3. Promote the agro-forestry system;
4. Participate in increasing agricultural production;
5. Assist vulnerable people (victims of war and internally displaced persons, armed conflict);
6. Participate in the promotion of education and supervision of young people in art and crafts;
7. Contribute to peace and conflict resolution;
8. Participate in the rehabilitation of agricultural roads;
9. Support local development initiatives;
10. Mobilize organizations working in the environmental field;
11. Participate in the fight against HIV / AIDS and STDs in the community
12. Participate in the socio-economic reintegration and support to income-generating activities for the disadvantaged by the ticket of an international language and vocational training center (CALIM)

Specific objectives

FADPE asbl pursues a variety of objectives:

1. To sensitize communities on the protection of the environment;
2. Contribute to the fight against the consequences of global warming through the reforestation bill;
3. Participate in making known and protect natural biodiversity;
4. Apply agriculture

Generality

The territory of Nyiragongo is one of the territories that constitute the Virunga National Park located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This park undergoes huge environmental difficulties where the population of its agglomeration uses wood in all sectors of life.

Acute deforestation due to the production of firewood, timber and other purposes is the reason for this human activity which is an environmental problem and blocks efforts to combat the consequences of global warming.

Apart from deforestation, poaching directed towards animal ecosystems is commonplace in the Virunga National Park and exerted by some people from the community living in the urban areas of the Virunga National Park; which affects the largest to the smallest animals and this may cause the disappearance of certain animals.

It is for this reason that the forum of the friends of development and the environmental protection FADPE asbl continues its program of sensitization on the environmental education in the schools and villages being in the agglomerations of the national park of Virunga, in the objective to change the mentality of this layer of the community and to live in harmony

1. At Mutaho Primary School

 The locality of mutaho is in the kibati cluster in Nyiragongo territory, North Kivu province, at the southern end of Nyiragongo volcano. This group suffers from a problem of lack of drinking water because the whole territory of Nyiragongo does not even have a single river.

The awareness program on environmental education has affected students, teachers and some curious. The accelerated degradation of the environment, poaching, the problematic of climate change were developed. The community of Mutaho locality knows different animal species living in the Virunga National Park because most of their activities are in these protected areas, among other the country activities, the manufacture of embers made of wood, and some people who do the poaching.

We had discouraged this community to stop their actions to harm the environment and reminded the community of the negative impact that their human activities had on the animals that in the past two decades the animals were observed almost everywhere but since the threats were accentuated and the population explosion affecting the locality in particular and the population centers of the park in general, animals are becoming scarce, but also the poaching perpetrated by the sons of these entities have caused all that.

After the participants have understood, have promised to contribute to the protection of the environment and raise awareness of theirs to abandon their anti civically actions.

Deforestation is another problem that the community faces when the tree plays an important role in everyday life. Most of the houses are built in boards the community uses charcoal in wood, and for other physiological needs, all following the tree.

The seasonal change that handicaps growers and beneficiaries of agricultural products are facing a problem of lack of means of food subsidy, as a result of climate change the entire planet is affected. As the tree is an essential element in the ecological balance, we must all involve ourselves and succeed in involving reforestation to help reduce the effects of climate change and facilitate the survival of animals, especially the great apes and birds live in the trees.

We had launched our reforestation project that accompanies this program to motivate it to keep pace. Within this school, we had planted 96 seedlings and we plan to strengthen it when we have the appropriate funding.

2. At Bulengo Primary School

The Bulengo Primary School is located in Nzulo, a group of kamuronza, Masisi territory. This locality is south of the Virunga National Park and south of Lake Kivu, so landlocked by the park and Lake Kivu. The causes of the disappearance of animals in the locality of nzulo, the importance of trees and the causes and consequences of global warming and possible solutions to fight against global warming were developed during this activity.

This locality has been a theatre of environmental degradation for two decades since the arrival of refugees from Rwanda after the Genocide. This massive arrival did not leave behind even a tree following a demographic explosion caused by this inter-ethnic war and this is the cause of the disappearance of the long-observed animals which attracted the curiosity of the local community and visitors.

The few trees that are there are threatened by the fact that the population and this community do not have the idea of reforestation, that is why our program which aims to mobilize all the layers of the community to have a positive view of environmental protection and achieve a change in mentality and behaviour.

Deforestation without the idea of reforesting is commonplace in the community of Nzulo.

We carried out this awareness campaign on environmental education with students and teachers to show them the urgency to stop activities contrary to the protection of the environment and they are educated, can educate their friends and acquaintances so that they too are involved in sustainable development.

We also transplanted the seedlings with students and teachers to make them aware of the application of reforestation in their daily lives and never forget to transplant other trees when they want to deforest because trees play important role in the water cycle, climate balance as well as photosynthesis, the consequences of global warming are enormous, we must fight them with force and energy. A person who dies of the effects of global warming would be too much, let’s act before the worst happens. Let’s get rid of bush fire, non-biodegradable waste, and reforestation, so we will be contributing to efforts around the world and hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.

In terms of community awareness to abandon poaching of all kinds, this community promises not to engage in these kinds of activities and the disease caused by the Ebola virus that affects the northern part of North Kivu province, facilitates the understanding of the community to stay away from animals because different diseases are due to the consumption of bushmeat and the latter says live drink from Lake Kivu.

3. In the locality of Kabale-Katambi 

The locality of Kabale-katambi is in the Rusayo grouping in Nyiragongo territory. We were with the community of men and women. We had debated on the fight against poaching and the solution to be envisaged with regard to the climatic change by which this locality is not spared.

The community lives in rural activities and finds itself confronted with many climatic and seasonal difficulties. The cropping season changes from time to time and sometimes causes famine due to lack of supplies of basic necessities. The community understood from this campaign that all of this is due to human activities that the community is constantly inflicting on the environment and deforestation for many purposes.

We had shown the importance of the tree while insisting on reforestation. To do this, we gave each of the participants two trees they planted in their respective plots.

These participants having understood the causes and suffering the consequences of global warming and climate change, have promised to keep pace and will raise

awareness of other people who were prevented from following other activities and this community present reassures us to come en masse during the event. other environmental activity that will take place in their entity.

As part of the fight against poaching, this community recognizes this illegal activity in the hands of their sons but promises to stop them from doing so.

This community, as the only one in the locality of Kanzana, is asking for the establishment of community fields as well as the setting up of a water reservoir that could be used for drinking water supply because the whole territory of Nyiragongo has not even a single tap of water, nor stream of water.

4. In the city of Mudja

This city is located in the grouping of Mudja, in territory of Nyiragongo.

It is located in the urban areas of Virunga National Park. We were with the community consisting of parents, men and women, young boys and girls as of Tuesday, June 18, 2019.

We had dealt with the issue of global warming, accelerated soil degradation, poaching that affects almost all animals from the largest to the smallest, and the launch of reforestation to encourage the local community to get involved in activities of the protection of the environment.

The consequences of global warming are observable in the group of Mudja in general and in the city of this group in particular because the community observes the drought of their culture which, of times is painful and stressful.

Climate change is disrupting crop times and causing this community to spend a season or two without producing and this causes a food crisis that makes the community malnourished.

Increased anthropogenic activity and accelerated environmental degradation have adverse effects on the community living in these entities.

During this activity, this community was called upon to abandon all activities that are harmful to the environment and that hinder the efforts of all humanity to fight against global warming and climate change. Bush fire, the chemical inputs that eliminate the soil-dwelling ecosystems that play a role in the survival of other ecosystems.

The community promises to stop bushfire and deforestation because of the disastrous consequences it causes. Poaching is commonplace in the urban areas of the Virunga National Park, so we sensitized this community to dissociate themselves from the people practicing this uncivilized profession while denouncing them.

Since some of these communities are sponsors of poaching, these parents also promise, like those of the other entities to which we are campaigning, to mobilize their children to abandon the kind of activity and implement activities related to sustainable development.

This community is asking for the establishment of community fields as well as the community nursery which will enable them to apply reforestation and contribute to the efforts deployed to fight against climate change, and the community field in order to get supplies of basic necessities. and manage to fight the malnutrition that affects this community.

We transplanted the seedlings with the community and distributed the seedlings to the participants so that everyone transplanted them into their respective person and gave them the mentality to apply reforestation in their daily lives.

This community is facing a landslide problem because most of their activities are on this mountain and the mountain is asking for reforestation to be applied to the latter to combat some natural disasters. To remedy this, the community took the initiative to put a stone belt or concrete wall to fight against landslide but not at all sustainable.

5. Wold Day of Great Apes

World Ape Day was celebrated on June 24, 2019 in the vicinity of Virunga National Park, Nyiragongo Territory, Mudja Grouping, Kiziba Locality 1.

The Great Apes suffer many atrocities on all levels, and make these arboreal trees be classified as animals sent to extinction. These species are hunted down by poachers made up of armed militias, loyalist forces, people from the local community who possess knives, but also deforestation that devastates their natural habitat. All this makes these animals suffer a lot of frustration.

Sometimes babies gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, gibbon, become more vulnerable because of the death of their kinsman killed to take these small animals and bring them in captivity or recover for other purposes. Often these animals are in the concessions of military and civilian authorities and use them as companies, all these illicit activities must be repressed and allow these arboreal trees to live in their natural habitat and in a peaceful way.

We had emphasized the fight against poaching and the involvement of all sections of the community in order to raise awareness among brothers and friends and acquaintances who are involved in this illegal activity.

Great Apes live in trees and trees are under significant threat, awareness of the fight against deforestation was on the agenda as the tree plays many roles in the lives of living beings.

Aside from the usefulness of the tree in everyday life, the tree plays an important role in the stabilization of the season and contributes to the reduction of the effects of change and global warming that affects the world in its entirety.

The bush fire threatens the soil and makes the soil no longer fertile because this fire causes the disappearance of species of soils brought nutrients to the ground, but also bush fire ravages all the trees and shrubs found at the place where the fire took place.

All these anthropogenic activities must be repressed in order to fight with force the harmful consequences of global warming but also to fight against the plague linked to the disappearance of great apes and other ecosystems.

We had reforested the main road of Kiziba 1 locality with local authorities and participants from this community. These planted trees will benefit this community in particular, passersby, as well as the world, but also, this activity will encourage the community to get involved in reforestation, be it Aboriginal or visitor.

With this project and program, we will contribute to the world’s efforts to combat the climate impacts that affect not just the community living in the Virunga National Park area, but also the world. The disappearance of ecosystems whether faunal or floristic must be repressed, save the animals sent to the disappearance of all forms without distinction.

Encountered difficulties

In carrying out our environmental education awareness program and the reforestation project, we faced many challenges, including:

1. The difficulties of having a large number of trees in view of the vast extent of our field of activity as well as the concessions of the schools in which we are launching our reforestation project;
2. The difficulty of having the motorcycles and vehicles that allow us to reach the place of activity in time and when we find them puts us under pressure to return quickly while the activity requires perfect attention;
3. Impassability of certain roads leading to the activity site;
4. Lack of camera and camera allowing us to take the images, but also the lack of the computer tool allowing us to seize our reports and other administrative documents and which will allow us to send our various reports in time;
5. Difficulties to access the internet connection and other administrative

Recommendations

In order to do a good job of contributing to environmental efforts and achieving our goals, we recommend:

1. Students and teachers: to continue to mobilize their friends and acquaintances to dissociate themselves from the actors of harmful actions affecting the environment, to denounce poachers from their respective communities and to protect the trees planted in their respective school
2. Community members: to convey the message received while raising awareness among their brothers and children to stop poaching and to consider doing other activities that will cover some of their vital needs, and involve reforestation in their respective communities while protecting the transplanted pilot trees in their
3. To the Congolese authorities: To apply the laws and the forest code while punishing those who may attempt to break the law.
4. To partners and collaborators: To continue to support us technically and financially in order to properly conduct our awareness program on environmental education and other humanitarian projects. But also the environmental actions being implanted in more groups and the sessions of follow-up and evaluation being necessary, ask the means of transport which seems to us difficult to find.

Conclusion

The consequences of global warming affect the entire planet and we are all called to get involved in order to hope for a better future. Students and teachers from two schools including Mutaho Primary School and Bulengo Primary School, as well as the community living in Kabale-Katambi locality and Ngangi 1 who followed this awareness program on environmental education and benefiting from our reforestation project have promised to keep up the pace and will become ambassadors in order to sensitize their friends and acquaintances to get involved in the environmental actions while abandoning the anthropic activities which have an adverse effect on the environment.

Deforestation is to be discouraged because the tree plays an important role in the water cycle as well as in the climatic and ecological balance, but rather, encourage the universal community to apply reforestation.

The density of the world’s population is steadily increasing, causing a lot of greenhouse gas emissions which, in addition to causing damage, are also destroying the ozone layer, which is supposed to protect us against the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

That the entire planet is going through global warming. Let’s work as a true tenant of this planet and ordered, but also by abandoning the activities to ruin our planet because we do not have another place for refuge. We wanted to reach our goals step by step. We thank Nigel G Goodman for his continued financial support for this work and Nigel Cox.

So we are asking people and organizations working in sustainable development to help us financially and technically in order to carry out our task which aims to contribute to the efforts made to reduce the effects of global warming but also to fight against the poaching of all forms.

Reforestation can help fight the mass disappearance of birds and animals expected for the decades to come. A living being who dies of the effects of global warming is too much, mobilize us before the worst happens.