Ecosystem Restoration Congo, Democratic Republic of the Project #58319

Refugee Charcoal Project in Goma - North Kivu, DRC

by Collective of Youth Organizations for Solidarity in DRCongo (COJESKI/DRC, Coordination of North Kivu

Project Report | May 24, 2023
Our charcoal also can reduce sexual violence

By Jean Pascal Mugaruka | Provincial Coordibnator

Through this charcoal Project we can reduce rape of IDPs women to 75% in Camps around Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo

Both Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiere) and Medecins du Monde have decried high number of cases of rape in the Internally Displaced Camps around Goma which are more than 600 cases of women raped every month. Rape happens in the bushes or the forest where these women have gone to collect fire woods which they use to cook food, 80% of the rape cases are connected to fire woods, and then 20% connected to access to water.

So as per now this charcoal project is not limited to reduce the cut of trees in Virunga National Parc, to reduce home expense connected to charcoal but also it is more a life- saving project. We already have the permission to start this project in four camps around Goma ( Kanyaruchina, Don Bosco, Bulengo and Rusayu), local leaders have also given us the space and are now only waiting to see us coming.

We have the solution to this problem and in actual sense it should not happen in this way if we had all the necessary founding to supply the camps with charcoal. During our interactions with this person from the International Red Cross she said “truly speaking we are giving food to IDPs but it is not yet the solution, they are suffering a lot to get fire woods and at a certain point I’m wondering if we are really helping, if we solving problems or we are creating more”.

Materials

We received a donation from Noga Shanee this month in order to buy some materials which are now being used to continue making the charcoal. This project is will continue for long and the fund raised are being used for it.

Charcoal production

Currently we are able to make 300 pieces of charcoal every day and we can only work once a week because we do not have machines to dry them quickly, we do not have a big space, we do not have the necessary materials and equipment, and we do not have allowances for the volunteers among. Our intention is to produce 1,000 pieces of charcoal in five different places around Goma per week.

Challenges

This project was also affected by the break in at night in April by unknown people who forced the doors where we keep our things and stole some materials which could be used in the next two months, equipment and three (3) sacs of charcoal already made which were supposed to be sold. This has appealed to us to improve the security of the place, but also to hire a place which is more secure, that will be possible when we shall have the necessary funds.

The other challenge is more on the vulnerability of so many people especially women who are not even in position to buy the charcoal and yet they need it, the number of women whom we are giving the charcoal freely is increasing every day, and our center is becoming crowed some times. Yet this project intended to be an income generating refugee initiative,

And lastly we are not yet in position to produce the charcoal for local consumption by the local communities because the quantity of what we are producing is still too small.

Achievements

Forms: As per now, we now have 11 forms which are used to make the charcoal, out of 20 forms which we need,

We also bought other equipment, as per now we have at least 40% of the necessary equipment we want for this project,

Human resource: We have currently 10 volunteers out of 25 volunteers we would like to get,

Space: We do not have yet our own space where we can make the charcoal from and that is still one among the problems, we are still using someone’s space,

Tents: We urgently need at least five (5) Tents which will be used to dry the charcoal and shelter it from the rain,

Store: We need a store where we shall keep our charcoal from and which can also serve a shop where we can easily sell it from,

Thanks

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Jan 25, 2023
Funds will produce 250 pieces of charcoal

By Jean Pascal Mugaruka | Provincial Coordibnator

Report of the fundraising with GlobalGiving: Starting the very first step towards the protection of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are proud of you dear donors. The money raised will be invested in Charcoal Project.

Introduction

By deciding to venture into the issues of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we very well knew it is an ugly situation and extremely challenging, just because it is not known and the little information about refugees in DRC is completely negative and impartial. No body speaks about refugees in DRC, you cannot hear about it either in International Media, in the Conferences, in Summits, not even from any campaign, you will not get from social media, in brief nowhere you will hear about refugees in DRCongo and nobody will tell you about it apart what you can read from us now.

And that alone was also one among our motives to join GlobalGiving so that the news about refugees in DRC may reach to people around the world.

Achievements

Two months already on GlobalGiving we are pleased for the above achievements.

Our project links have reached to more than 6,000 people who we believe managed to get information about refugees in DRCongo, this great news to us, and highly motivating.

We have raised 320$ from three different donors who chose to share their money with refugees in DRC “this is historic it has never happened and good enough it has happen during our lifetime and through our collective efforts”, despite the above described situation. We are so surprised by that choice but also with the huge competition of great projects on GlobalGiving you our donors chose our cause, thank you so much. The mode which you managed to get our links also is a surprise, all of you indicated Google traffic. Now with you we know that we have three more other people who are behind us in this venture to protect refugees in DRC, three more other people who are now added to the 7 other volunteers here in Goma who also sacrifice everyday their own little money in order to work on refugee issues, so for us you are also part of us and this makes the number of our volunteers to 10 people in this venture. Of course you are not around in the field but your contribution makes things move.

Here is what one beneficiary had to say, we will not mention her name as the security situation between DRC and Rwanda is extremely volatile now and it is the reason why also we will not share with you her picture.

“ I ran away from Rwanda in 1994 during the genocide, I still remember that time I was six years old, we were seven children in my family and was the fifth child, we moved on foot, since then I do not know what happened to my siblings and my father because I have never seen them anymore, we got lost from each other from Rwanda I don’t know which direction they took, me I moved with my mother, she then later died in a refugee camp in South Kivu DRC in the same year 1994, so I remained alone. In 1996 Rwandan Army attacked us and destroyed all our camps in the whole eastern DRC, we moved again in different directions, I’m also surprised how I survived and I’m still alive now because so many people were killed by the Rwandan Army, I just don’t know how I’m still among those refugees who survived massacres by Rwandan Army.

However I did not go to school and I cannot even write my name, I have now five children all I got them from rape and sexual abuses, I do not know their fathers, and none among them is studding because I do not have money. Since 1996 up to now we never received humanitarian relief aid and here in order to survive you must access the land, we are refugees we do not own the land.

This Charcoal Project is my only hope as per now, it is my Alpha and Omega, I strongly believe in this project and we are working hard to ensure it moves forward. The good thing of this project it is generating money, so if we have the starting money in terms of capital then money generated will make it continue for a long period of time. From the money we are going to generate from this when we sell our charcoal I’m now planning to buy a small plot of land where I will call my home and settle there with my children, I’m seeing that now possible and will come to be a reality one day.

It is for me a great joy when I was informed by COJESKI/DRC Coordination of North Kivu today that the project has gotten some money from GlobalGiving, my God, I just do not understand how did it happen, how did those people choose us, who told them about us? But I’m still not sure, I will be fully convinced when I see the money with my eyes”.

Generally I wish the money to be used on the following things that is what one refugee indicated:

To buy things which we use to produce the charcoal, to buy a Tent where to keep the Charcoal and to hire a space where to sell out charcoal from, if those three things can be done, then we shall start from there.

Usage of the money raised

The available funds will be invested in the Refugee Charcoal Project based here in Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the following:

Producing more charcoal: As per now they make charcoal once a week, and produce around 100 pieces per day where they work only for 3 hours in maximum. We shall add 100$ in the production to buy materials they use in order to produce at least 250 pieces in six hours that is generally working half a day, still they will work one day per week,

Taking care of the charcoal: We shall put aside 60$ aside for someone who will be around to ensure that the charcoal is safe and protected from the rain, this money will be used for two months,

Buying also equipment: The best idea was to buy a Plastic Tent but the money will not be enough, so we shall put aside another 100$ to but plastics which we need so much to ensure the charcoal is safe and can easily dry up,

Then 40$ will help us to get water to drink when we are working but also buy water which we shall be using to make the charcoal,

We think the 20$ will be used in all different transactions for the money to reach us.

Expected income

If we produce 250 pieces of charcoal once in a week and they all dry up, that will generate 25,000 CF which is 12$ once the charcoal is sold, so far we can start in that way,

Our intention is to reach to the point where we shall work at least three full days per week in order to produce at least 1000 pieces of charcoal per day, this will give us 100,000 CF which is 50$ once sold.

Thank you so much and may God bless

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