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YILNAC Network launches its project to support the strengthening and promotion of gender and the participation of young people and indigenous women and local communities in the restoration, protection and sustainable management of the riparian forest ecosystem of the Itombwe Nature Reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo

This project aims to contribute to strengthening the participation of young people and indigenous women and to gender mainstreaming in the promotion of sustainable management of forest resources bordering the Itombwe Nature Reserve, based on conservation integrating rights, traditional forest restoration practices and the development of indigenous and local communities in Mwenga territory.

To achieve this, YILNAC Network intends to support young people and indigenous women in the planting of 300,000 rapidly maturing wild trees for the restoration of 600 hectares of community forest blocks and to facilitate and promote gender mainstreaming and the use of participatory approaches in the identification of the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples, securing the boundaries and delimitation of the zones of the protected area.

In response to the climate, food and socio-economic crisis that these communities are currently experiencing, indigenous women and young beneficiaries will be supported in the implementation of Income Generating Activities (IGA) focused on traditional and resilient alternative agricultural activities, climate change, particularly indigenous market gardening to cope with the immediate effects of the economic crisis, food insecurity and limit the resurgence of deforestation in Mwenga territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Polydor Musafiri

YILNAC Executive Secretary