Community Based Initiative Update

This year, CoBI has started to implement a new development plan that encompasses humanitarian Aid, in villages of Ikoma, Mumosho, and Kalungwe-Uvira, as well as the economic development project at Katonga that involves corn (maize) and pig farming.

CoBI is growing corn on five hectares at Katogota. Some villagers were hired to weed the farm for the second and last time.  This second weeding is now complete and CoBI is waiting now for the harvest in July of this year.

CoBI has also hired some villagers at Katogota to make the fence and the pig housing structures. 

Within the humanitarian aid framework, CoBi has distributed goats to a good number of people living in extreme poverty in the villages of Ikoma and Kalungwe-Uvira.  CoBI staff and beneficiaries in the villages decided on what to do with this balance of the funds that was allocated for this particular project. 

For example, at Kalungwe-Uvira, the villagers requested CoBI to allocate the balance to the purchase of more vet drugs for their goats. The management committee (formed of 3 people from the group of beneficiaries) was requested to keep and use that money when need be.  But at Ikoma, the remaining money was used to purchase goats that were also distributed to other poor families. CoBI did exactly what the beneficiaries wanted to do with that balance. So CoBI distributed more goats than planned

In addition to goat distribution, CoBI has also installed a community grinding mill at Ikoma.