The non-governmental organization Mercy recently launched an innovative project called “Tujenge”, which means “Let’s Build” in French, with the aim of fighting global warming and protecting the environment in Beni, in the North province. Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This long-term project spanning 5 years aims to reduce the pressure exerted by local populations on the Virunga National Park and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Mambasa. One of the main actions consists of raising awareness among residents of protected areas to stop using embers, in order to limit the cutting of trees.
Mercy’s efforts will also include initiatives to combat deforestation by providing improved briquette-based cookstoves, as well as induction electric cookstoves powered by solar energy. The first areas targeted by the project are the town of Beni, the Ruwenzori sector, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Mambasa.
For some time, tensions between populations living near protected areas and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation have become commonplace due to the pressure exerted by these populations for their subsistence, particularly through the cutting down of trees for the production of charcoal.
The “Tujenge” project promises to be a promising and essential initiative in the fight against global warming and the preservation of biodiversity in the North Kivu region.
To learn more about this topic, see the following relevant articles:
1. [Judicial case within the Congolese Armed Forces: Issues of Discipline and Justice](https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/04/19/judicial-case-within-the-congolese-armed-forces-issues-of-discipline-and-justice/)
2. [Emergency in Kwilu: A Mysterious Plague Decimates Herds of Small Ruminants](https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/04/18/emergency-in-kwilu-a-mysterious-plague-decimates-herds-of-small-ruminants-the-survival-of-breeders-at-stake/)
3. [Deadly Ravage by ADF Rebels: Terror Falls on Walese-Vonkutu Region](https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/04/18/deadly-ravage-by-adf-rebels-terror-falls-on-the-walese-vonkutu-region/)
4. [The Local Development Program in the DRC: Progress and Challenges](https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/04/18/the-local-development-program-in-the-drc-progress-and-challenges/)
5. [Jean-Marie Kabengela Ilunga’s Plea for the Publication of the Judgment of the Constitutional Court in the DRC](https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/04/18/jean-marie-kabengela-ilungas-plea-for-the-publication-of-the-judgment-of-the-constitutional-court-in-the-drc/)