Pig breeding by the widows of the brave park rangers

The park rangers working for the Kahuzi-Biega National Park are the natives in the communities around this protected area.The majority of them are married and have large families to feed, to educate, etc. The rangers work hard day and night for their families and for the protection of the National Park.

They sign to live or die for noble causes of protecting the park. The Kahuzi-Biega National Park employs about 150 rangers. They do surveillance everyday and attempt to control an area of 6,000 sq km. They face armed groups or armed poachers and fight against them. Some rangers die from the fighting, others die from illness caused by their tough tasks. When they die they have to leave these beloved families without anything. They die for the noble causes defending the wealth of the entire humanity.

In Kahuzi-Biega 16 rangers died in the turbulent period of 1996-2009. And 16 widows and many orphans were left by these fathers. We don’t want to see the family of these brave people who died for the noble causes live in a situation where it’s hard to get foods and school education for children.

Thanks to the fund from The Thin Green Line Foundation, the widows of the brave park rangers have started the pig breeding.

POPOF received funds from The Thin Green Line Foundation, an Australian based NGO, and launched a pig breeding project where each widow’s family is provided with some pigs to breed. Why pigs? Because pig is very beneficial to the communities. They can produce more than five babies twice a year. Some babies will be sold in order for the family to get school fees, clothes and foods. One baby pig will be given to another family in the neighborhood as a ‘seed’ to produce next generation. 12 widows have received a pair of pigs, male and female, each.

Unfortunately some pigs died but others are alive and are now reproducing. Pupils who study at the Anga-POPOF agroforestry secondary schools do go through villages and advice widows how to feed their pigs.

We hope that one day the the communities who said “Empty stomach got no ears”(meaning “Hungry people can’t hear those environment conservation talks”) will have enough foods in the near future!!