About Ituri:

The region of Ituri in the democratic republic of the Congo, since last year an official province, is a very special area. The Iturian part of the African rainforest has one of the highest rates of different species per square kilometre in the world. It's also the home of the Mbuti pygmies and on top of that the earth is very rich in gold, diamonds, oil and coltan.

All the above is a unique combination , but also a very dangerous one.

From 1997 to 2003 Ituri was the scene of rebellions, inter ethnic aggressions and wars without mercy. Hatred and division between the ethnic groups was stirred up by great powers of biased groups from neighbouring countries and Congolese politicians. This led to massacres, massive destruction, war crimes, gross violations of human rights and crimes against humanity. The aggravators, in many cases influenced and supported by parties from outside Ituri, used the instability in the area to plunder the mineral resources and forests of Ituri.

In recent years the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Ituri province have made significant progress towards peace. Now that safety in improved Ituri can be (and needs to be) reconstructed. PIRD is setting up programs to help the communities rebuild through sustainable, social, economic and environmental development.

About Boga:

Boga is a small community with approximately 7500 inhabitants , situated in Ituri near the border with Uganda. The border is formed by the river Semiliki , a tributary of lake Edward and the Nile.

20 to 25 years ago, the community of Boga was very known because of their coffee growing. Traders came from many areas to buy coffee in Boga. In fact coffee is a part of Boga's tradition; when a boy is 6 years old, he will start drinking coffee with his father.

Due to the recent civil war the inhabitants of Boga are poor and vulnerable people and the local economy has come to a total halt. People barely survive by growing small amounts of food crops. They have no means to start more substantial agriculture.

This situation is causing a high level of rural-urban migration, especially among young people. It is not a healthy situation for many reasons. More can be read in the strategic plan for Boga, which can be viewed here .

Boga is the birthplace of the president of our organisation , Esperance Kugonza , we have decided to start our recovery and development activities for Ituri in Boga and expand carefully from there on.