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Reclaiming Their Community: Introducing Boga
Bob Ewinghttp://34cents.wordpress.com/
Background:
Boga, population 7560, is located in the Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some 25 years ago, the community of Boga was known for its coffee growing. Traders would come from many areas to buy coffee in Boga and a large part of the culture in Boga revolved around coffee; at six years old a boy would start drinking coffee with his fatheri.
The war in the DRC destroyed this traditional lifestyle. Today, as the people work to reclaim their livelihood, they are cultivating fast-growing and sustainable crops. Maize and manioc are two of the crops the farmers are beginning to grow. Some seeds have been collected and more are sought. The farmers wish to practice a sustainable, no-till agriculture and are undergoing training to enable them to do so. Programmes Ituriens pour la Réhabilitation et le Développement durable (PIRD), which translates to Iturian Programs for Rehabilitation and sustainable Development has set up a project-plan to support the farmers of Boga in reclaiming their land and lives.
According to The International Rescue Committee between August 1998 and April 2004 (when the bulk of the fighting occurred) 3.8 million people died in the DRC. Starvation and disease, created by the war, account for most of these deaths. Millions more have become internally displaced or have sought asylum in neighboring countries.
As well many people have suffered horrific abuse, which includes rape and sexual slavery at the hands of armed groups and, this has contributed to the advance of HIV/Aids.
Response:
PIRD is a Non Government Organization focusing on rehabilitation and sustainable development in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. PIRD is working on solutions that will encourage durable development on an environmental, economic and social level.
The realities of minimal access to food, medical treatment, education, vocational training and employment opportunities has affirmed in PIRD the belief that reinforcing peace and international safety and diminishing tension on a national and international level are priorities.
PIRD works with the people who live in the area that is undergoing rehabilitation. The villagers are directly involved in the decision-making process. PIRD is setting up programs to help the communities rebuild, through encouraging sustainable socio-economic and environmental development. PIRD is operational in Ituri, one of the four districts of the Eastern Province of DRC. It is located in the North-East of the DRC and borders Uganda in the East, Sudan in North, the District of Haut-Uélé in the North-West, Tshopo in the West and the North-Kivu Province in the South. Today, with the new constitution, Ituri has gained the official status of a province and is thus one of the twenty-five provinces of D.R. Congo, not counting the town of Kinshasa, the capital. PIRD needs our support so that it can continue the work of restoration and renewal. Visit their website and find out what you can do to assist them to achieve their goals.
march, 19 2007 
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