Page 72 - BUREKA PHOTOBOOK

Success Story

Improving living conditions through agriculture

“ When you don’t know where you are going, look where you come from.” said Mrs. MAYILO AISHA, benefi-

ciary of the BUREKA project.

Mrs. MAYILO AISHA, 37, is from the looting of our homes. come to my garden to buy fresh pro-

Kanzala health zone in the TSHIBEM- The crisis remained dormant, par- duce. My great joy is, the demand

BA health area. THIBUBUA, a ticularly at the level of land, un- has recently increased significantly

15-year-old son; MOUSTAPHA, a dermining relations between Kasai following the dry season (ELANGA),

12-year-old son; OMAR, an 8-year- communities. We were having dif- and I am able to extend the size of

old son; DELOU, a 6-year-old son; ficulty eating our food, which con- my field, I hired workers.

ABDOUL, a 5-year-old daughter; and sisted solely of FOUFOU + PONDU Each day, I can make anywhere from

TSHANDA, a one-year-old daugh- (cassava leaves). 5,000 to 20,000 Congolese francs just

ter; is a beneficiary of the BUREKA All of the food crops that had been selling amaranth or cabbage.

Project in the Agriculture sector be- grown prior to the crisis had rotted In contrast to the previous situa-

cause she returned from Angola to in our abandoned fields. tion, I frequently feed my children a

TSHIBEMBA / BENAKATANGA. Our Our children’s health had deterio- variety of vegetables, and the mon-

community was experiencing a po- rated, and we were having difficulty ey from the sale of my extra output

litico-ethnic humanitarian crisis, caring for them and sending them helps to pay for our socio-econom-

which fueled violence and massive to school due to our low household ic necessities, particularly the chil-

displacement of populations both income. During this time, our main dren’s education and medical care.

within and outside the country, in- concern was retaking the field, but I also paid for additional garlic and

cluding neighboring Angola. In ad- we were limited in our access to chili seeds, which I hope to harvest

dition to the loss of human lives seed and tillage tools; after the dis- soon.

caused by this crisis, we also expe- tribution of seeds and agricultural

rienced demographic pressure in tools from ADRA. To be honest, ADRA made a posi-

our community because of the re- I developed a greater interest in tive impact on my life because, al-

foulement of undocumented Con- market gardening to address the though it wasn’t easy, I struggled to

golese from Angola. home food insecurity issue. pay for my kids’ medical care and

As returnees, we faced a general In order to put all the methods, we send them to school.

lack of means of subsistence, as well learnt in our Farmer Field School Because before, I thought of ADRA

as undernourishment and low ag- into practice, I have chosen to set up as an organization that gives food

ricultural production due to a lack my market garden here in BENAKA- rather than skills. But many became

of agricultural inputs. In this pre- TANGA. frustrated when ADRA stopped

carious situation, ADRA DRC came Today, I’d like to thank ADRA for providing food and began focusing

to our aid with food and agricultur- sending agronomists to train us. As on development or self-help, but I

al inputs; when we returned from a result of their close technical as- persisted and listened to the agron-

Angola after the KAMUINA NSAPU sistance, I have become a reference omists at “ADRA,” and today I am

crisis, we were deprived of every- in market gardening here in my vil- glad.

thing due to strangers’ systematic lage, and every day, my neighbors

Building Recovery For Kasai (BUREKA) - 72