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Last weekend, an official hand-over took place of the new health center built by Virunga National Park with funding provided by the EU. Key EU delegates attended the small ceremony at the health center, one of several community projects for the population of people living around Virunga National Park. The park has built a total of nine schools, a health center, and water supply project is currently underway at Rumangabo. These projects have all been possible with funding from the European Union, plus 30% of tourism revenues that goes directly to communities surrounding the park.

The Kabaya health center will benefit the area of Gisigari, estimated at 22,500 people. The health center includes capacity for 25 beds, a large waiting area in the interior corridor, furniture, restrooms, and a rainwater storage tank. The local population was severely affected by armed conflict. Many people were in internally displaced camps and returned in 2009. Many social infrastructures were damaged during the war and the health center had no place to operate from. This new facility will be a great help to the people of this region.

EU delegates with community chief Theophile and FARDC colonel Wabo.

Following the speeches, a man from the crowd came out and did a short dance.

Theophile shows the EU delecgates the interior of the health center.

Emmanuel de Merode speaks with community leader Theophile with Virunga National Park’s community liaison Jean Bosco (far right).

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and the rangers’ wives and female staff who live at the park headquarters celebrated it with enthusiasm. Although it’s a small group, they make up for their size with loud and exuberant singing and dancing.

The procession began at a monument on the main road and carried on about a mile to the park rangers’ office. The women then circled and spent the next hour dancing and drumming on a yellow plastic container.

From the women of Virunga National Park to the women of the world, we wish you a wonderful and fulfilling year!

The women march about a mile to the park rangers’ office.

A mother’s work is never done. Many of the women carried babies on their backs.

Anjelique, who works at Mikeno Lodge, beat on the yellow plastic drum while the women danced around her.

Many of the songs were specific to the park, and some were sung directly to the three expat women (Sarah, Laure, and me) welcoming us to the group.

When the dancing ended, the group of 10 female park staff walked back to our jobs, singing and dancing the whole way. Such great fun!

The female park staff, including the expat women, had dresses made in a Congolese style. Everyone loved that we joined in by dressing alike.

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Due to the mountainous terrain and volcanic soil there are not many rivers that run through the area, so the local population resorts to collecting rainwater. Unfortunately, volcanologists advise against the use of this water as it can contain physical and chemical impurities. These are as a result of the active Nyiragongo and more recently Nyamulagira volcanoes expelling material and toxic gasses into the atmosphere making rainwater dangerous to drink.

Each day more than 10,000 people are forced to walk long distances to retrieve water. For the women and children who are the primary water collectors, it is a strenuous and sometime dangerous job. Many walk 5km carrying 20 liters of water on their back. For the women there is the added risk of being sexually assaulted along the routes particularly when night is falling.

The main water source for Rumangabo village is a spring on a hilltop.

The principal source of water is Nyabugezi, which has a capacity of 150,000 liters per day. Not surprisingly this source is in much demand.

ICCN has initiated a project to bring this water source closer to the villagers of Rumangabo, by building a gravity fed system that will transport water 4km from the source. The project involves capturing water from the source and constructing a reservoir that will feed a network of water fountains, which will distribute water throughout the village. At least 10 fountains will supply the villagers with water at a distance of no more than 500m away.

Ranger Jean Bosco explains the new water project to some women.

Any excess water not consumed by the local population (i.e. the water running through the source at night) will be used at Virunga National Park’s Headquarters based at Rumangabo. This will provide more than 200 staff members and their families, the park offices, the village health clinic and Mikeno Lodge all with running water.

This scheme is financed with funds from the Great Virunga Transboundary Collaboration and the Community Fund. For every park permit sold, be it to see the gorillas, climb the Nyiragongo volcano or the Ruwenzori mountains, 30% of the revenue is donated into the Community Fund. So here is a great example where you can see your support in action!

Some of you may remember Samantha who used to work with us here in Virunga. Well she has been collaborating with a Goma-based project called Kila Siku. This is a group of 40+ Congolese women who embroider fine Belgian linen and make a whole range of products, from table cloths to cushion covers, and wash bags to tea towels. To show our support we plan to purchase some items for Mikeno Lodge. See what Samantha has to say about Kila Siku, a self-sustaining initiative that was started back in 2002 after the devastating eruption of the Nyiragongo Volcano.

From Samantha:
Kila Siku – which means “Every Day” in Swahili - is an embroidery project based in eastern DRC and Rwanda. In a nutshell, it aims to empower African women by providing them with a critical income to support them and their families.

What makes it unusual – and why I decided to get involved – is that it has been going for a decade, and is entirely self-sustaining. Anyone who works in this part of the world will tell you how hard that is to achieve.

Here are some of the ladies who embroider. Starting from top left (clockwise) you have: Jeanette, Clementine, Monique & Esther. They were all left destitute after the volcanic eruption of 2002 that wiped out large parts of Goma. And it was their combined initiative (along with others) that got this project off the ground.

So today over 70 ladies embroider tailor-made Belgian linens, working in family-friendly, spacious workshops in the cities of Goma (DRC) and Kigali (Rwanda). The linen products include bed linen, towels, make-up bags and aprons, but new designs are coming out all the time.

We launched a new website last month – www.kilasiku.com – if you would like to take a look.

There are different collections: Safari, Timeless & Evasion. These photos give you an idea of what to expect.

Safari Collection

Evasion Collection

Timeless Collection

Finally – in 2010 sales reached circa $150K, of which $50K was profit. This gets reinvested into the project and the women in its entirety. For example, 14 embroiderers have received 10-year interest-free $3,000 loans for their homes. As you know there is no way to get credit in Congo, especially if you are poor. So this is one way Kila Siku could help its own. Please go to our site to read more and let me know what you think. Thanks! Samantha

Virunga National Park supports Kila Siku by purchasing our custom-deigned Mikeno Lodge staff uniforms.

A simple electric fence acts as a conflict-resolution tool between the park and surrounding population.

by Norbert Mushenzi
Norbert is the warden of the northern sector of the park that includes part of Lake Edward, the Semliki River, and the Ruwenzori Mountains. This is his report on one of the issues he deals with in the north and how it can be solved.

Crop depredation by wild animals is a major problem that most protected areas in Africa must deal with. Virunga, as with most parks, is contiguous with the cultivated fields of people living around the park, and without any real buffer zone, there isn’t much to stop elephants, buffalo, and gorillas from destroying the hard labor and food supply of the local people.

The line between the park and the farms can be clearly seen.

In the northern sector, elephants have caused considerable damage to crops. During the late summer, for several weeks they crossed from the park land into private land to feast on the vegetables planted there.

In the past, the main options when elephants came out of the park were:
1.    Repression by using the sound of bells and banging of pans
2.    Repression by shooting in the air
3.    The practice of planting peppers in areas frequented by the wild animals.

These solutions are all short-term, and don’t really solve the problem. The best long-term solution has been the electric fence, which we built in 2010 along a 19 km section of the park beginning near Mutsora, the park headquarters, heading south. It has worked well in that section.

How the Electric Fence Project Worked

Step 1: We first brought together farmers and their traditional leaders to create an atmosphere of community interest, explaining the project and how it would significantly reduce the conflicts between the park and the population, and that it should include volunteerism.

Step 2: We inventoried the damage caused by elephants that year, and used this to select the workforce among the residents to build the fence.

Electric fence and the cabin for the solar powered electricity.

Step 3: Building the fence was an easy task in many ways. It involved 3 parts:
•    Building of a cabin for solar electrical power using two solar panels, two batteries, two transformers, and two charge controllers.
•    Building the fence, which was made with poles and electrical wire in a 10 meter wide by 19 kilometer long section of cleared space.
•    Forming an association made up of local residents for maintenance of the fence. The association of 150 farmers not only makes sure the electric fence is working properly, but also reports all suspected poaching incidents within their area.

These two small solar panels power 19 km of electric fence.

Future:
The electric fence has been hugely successful but there’s still need for it to be extended into other areas where the elephants have come out regularly. In the big picture, it’s not an expensive project. We are currently looking for donors interested in funding several more fences in the park, and the construction of an electric fence in the gorilla sector in the south will hopefully begin soon.

The solar panels power two batteries. Everything for the electricity is in this small cabin.

Javier Kakule holds onto baby Shamavu who loves his milk and drank the entire bottle without pausing once.

Gorillas:

• We received a great deal of press this past week on the rescue of the baby gorilla and the problem that poaching seems to be on the rise. MSNBC, National Geographic, The Times London, and many more wrote stories and linked to or site. We are always grateful for the publicity and it’s our hope that more and more people around the world will become aware of the hard work and commitment of the rangers and staff here.
• The baby gorilla, Shamavu is doing well, and has already bonded with his caretakers, Foster and Javier Kakule, who seem to truly care for him as well. I’ve watched this baby wrap his arms around Foster’s neck and kiss him, just like a human child. It brings home the fact of how special these animals are, how like humans, and why we connect with them. If you would like to help support the care of this baby, you can do so to the right of this blog post using the barometer donate button. We do need your support.

Dirk-Jan Vermeij (far right), envoy for the Dutch Embassy Kinshasa, watches the Tongo chimps in the trees.

Tourism

• Dirk-Jan Vermeij, envoy for the Dutch Embassy in Kinshasa, visited Rumangabo to see some of the work they support which includes Tongo and the chimpanzee habituation project run by Frankfurt Zoological Society. Several of our staff joined Dirk-Jan Vermeij to see the chimps for the first time. I went on a chimp trek recently in Tongo and thoroughly enjoyed it. The village of Tongo itself sits on a hillside overlooking a valley of lava flow, the hills where the chimps live, and the Virunga Massif in the background (when it’s clear). It’s beautiful.

View of the Tongo hills sitting on top of an old lava flow where the chimpanzees live. The L-shaped building in the foreground is a school built by the park for the community.

Security

• As we reported last week in a blog post, elephant and hippo continue to come out of the forest and river to raid the cultivated fields in the northern sector near Masambo and the Ugandan border. Significant cassava, maize and banana crops were destroyed, and the owners have filed complaints with the park. Park rangers are working hard to stop the raids.
• The operation in Muramba to clear the area of Mai Mai militia was very successful.  There were armed contacts with militias, but several camps were destroyed, and quite a lot of ammunition was seized from their camps.

Rangers

• The officer training is completed in Mutsora. In all, 26 of our officers were trained to command a platoon, that’s up to about 40 men.  This completes a very important phase in our training.  There is one training session left this year which is for high level officers (a company command, that’s up to about 120 men).

Jean Bosco works with the community to set up dialogue committees.

Community

• Our community liaison, Jean Bosco, held an important meeting in Kiwanja on Friday (a community north of Rumangabo park headquarters) to create some dialogue committees in villages surrounding the park. The goal is to give people a place to discuss problems related to the park, and give the park an opportunity to address issues as well as identify the community’s greatest need. We are committed to establishing better relationships with the local community and believe this is a good place to start.

Misc.

• I was invited to give a presentation at a TEDx gathering in Geneva organised by WWF.  I’m incredibly glad I went, as it was an opportunity to meet some very good people, and an amazingly talented bunch of speakers, all deeply committed to the environment. There was a venture capitalist / physicist committed to resolving the energy crisis, a key member of the London Symphony Orchestra using music to inspire people about the value of nature, and a Sherpa who had twice climbed Everest and a good dozen other Himalayan peaks and was campaigning on global warming.  Puts things in proportion, in our little world.

And…one last photo of baby gorilla Shamavu…

The recently poached female baby gorilla, Ihirwe, gets a physical examination by MGVP vets.

Security:

• A man has been arrested in Goma in connection with the baby mountain gorilla poaching that happened a few weeks ago. He’s still being interrogation, so we will provide more information as it comes. This could be a major breakthrough.
• We are currently working with the courts to ensure the prosecution of several businessmen who are inciting land invasions in the park in the Lubilia area.
• Three Mai Mai militia were reported in the park and pursued by rangers, but have since left the park property. Mai Mai in the north continues to be a problem, and rangers are keeping a close watch on all activity near or inside the park.

Rangers:

• Fifteen of our officers are training as ‘judicial police officers’ in Goma. These are court officer positions allowing them to work for the park while representing the courts. It is a very important step toward increasing our ability to enforce the rule of law, which is crucial for bringing back stability to the region.

A nearly-completed bungalow for Mikeno Lodge.

Tourism

• The construction schedule for Mikeno Lodge has been reviewed and updated, with a new completion date of approximately 20th of September. The final touches are extremely tedious, as anyone who works in construction will sympathize with.
• It looks like our tourist numbers for July will be the greatest since tourism was re-launched in 2009. This is excellent for the future of the park but puts us all under a lot of strain coordinating the logistics. However, I met a visitor yesterday who praised Vianney in our tourist office for his quick responses to her emails, and efficient organization of the trip to the volcano and gorillas, saying it was far superior to what she had experienced in other countries. We hope all our visitors feel the same.

Before and after damage to the hydroelectric frame from heavy rains.

Community

• The rains have begun in the northern sector of Mutsora and unfortunately, a major part of the wooden frame for the hydroelectric dam project was swept away by the serious flooding.
• We are in the process of setting up community dialogue committees around the park with the first two currently established in the northwest area of Lake Edward. Four leaders from Muramba came to discuss how to strengthen the relationship between the park and the population where many security problems exist. In addition to the primary aim of the dialogue committees of peacefully solving problems related to land invasions, poaching, security, etc., the secondary aim is to find and support projects in education and health that the community considers to be priority.

Ndakasi with Andre.

Gorillas and other animals

• The gorilla vets with MGVP came to check up on Ndakasi, our sick 4-year old orphan mountain gorilla. She appears to be improving but not fully recovered.
• Sadly, a poached elephant was found dead in the northern sector.

Jean Bosco is in charge of the community conservation for Virunga National Park, southern sector.

Today we delivered 168 school desks to Kibumba where we recently completed construction of a brand new school that will serve 843 students.

Kibumba is where a large market takes place every day with vegetables, food and honey among other local goods. We also have a project under implementation by International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) for the rehabilitation of a beekeeping house, which has helped remove the beekeeping business from the forests where mountain gorillas live.

All the desks were built at the workshop in Rumangabo, park headquarters.

The people were very happy that the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) is putting at their disposal these new buildings. The original Kibumba school was first opened in 1917, and is the oldest school in the Nyiragongo territory. The new school, which was partially funded through tourism’s gorilla and volcano permits, will be inaugurated in September. The Director Emmanuel de Merode will be there.

Through this development actions towards the communities we hope that the populations will appreciate the efforts that the park makes in their favour.

The new Kibumba school, opening in September.

We haven’t been keeping up with Photo Friday and/or Video Friday, so today you get both, and it’s all about football (or “soccer” for you Americans). This video is about the community “Virunga Cup” tournament that took place a few weeks ago. The photos are from the new vs. old ranger game from last weekend . Enjoy!

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Virunga Cup Video by Katya.  (If you can’t see this video, click here)

Ranger Game:

Warden Emmanuel De Merode, Southern Sector Warden, Innocent Mburanumwe, and friend Jean Pierre watch from the top of the hill.

Jacqueline, visiting Virunga with her husband Jean Pierre, is surrounded by children on the hill next to the football field.

The final match of the Virunga Cup took place among approximately 1,800 spectator fans who came to support their teams from nearby villages. Many walked as far as 23 kilometers on a cold and rainy day.

The 11 ‘Vegetables’ from Kibumba beat the ‘Gorillas’ of Rumangabo with a net score of two goals to zero. By no coincidence, it was the 30th of June and the match began with the national anthem, renewing celebrations of the independence achieved 51 years ago from colonial rule. Read the full story »