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Trócaire staff members planting new trees as part of reforestation activities in Ituri Provence, DRC, on Arbor Day. Photo: Trócaire DRC
Amidst one of the world most complex and neglected crises, Trócaire, with support from the Swedish Embassy in DRC, is deepening a commitment to social cohesion in Ituri Provence.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is Africa’s second largest country. Covering an area about the size of Western Europe, it is also home to the world’s second largest rainforest, known as ‘the lungs of Africa.’
Despite its immense natural beauty, the DRC has suffered immensely. It was the site of some of the worst ravages of colonialism for many years under Belgian rule, and has been wracked by conflict for decades since independence, driven by power struggles, ethnic tension and fighting for control of resources. Despite its vast resources, DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over 73% of the population living on less than $2.14 a day, according to the World Bank.
Conflict in the East
The eastern provinces are where the majority of conflict in DRC is taking place, as the national army battles a number of non-state armed groups and numerous actors fight for control. While there is greater awareness of the conflict in the Kivu provinces, neighbouring Ituri province has been experiencing one of the worst conflicts in Congo since 2017. Over 1.5 million people have been displaced by fighting and although the area is incredibly fertile, repeated displacement has cut people off from their land, creating deep pockets of hunger.
Trócaire in Ituri
Trócaire has supported a number of NGOs in the DRC since the 1990s, but moved its office from Kinshasa to Ituri province in 2015 to be closer to communities affected by this often unseen conflict, as well as the rising challenges of climate change.
A key part of this is to work with local partner organisations to deliver integrated support to communities- humanitarian assistance, but also longer term resilience support. That’s why Trócaire has worked very well with SIDA- the Swedish International Development Agency, because their vision in DRC is to deliver support across the ‘Triple Nexus’- humanitarian support combined with longer term development and peace-building assistance.
A meeting in the village of Munchanga, Mambasa territory in the Ituri region, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Before the current project, from 2018 to 2022, more than 27 communities in the Mambasa and Djugu territories were supported by Trócaire and partners with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to create a more peaceful and gender equitable community. Photo: Trócaire.
Building on many years of collaboration between Trócaire, SIDA and local communities, “Together for Peace and Development” is a 3.5 year project funded by the Swedish Embassy in DRC to strengthen the resilience and social cohesion of communities in the Mambasa and Irumu territories of Ituri Province.
The project has four outcome areas:
Arbor day- an opportunity to plant for a brighter future.
Trócaire staff celebrate the work of the ‘Together for Peace and Development’ project on Arbor Day, on 6th December 2024. Photo: Trócaire DRC
The security and humanitarian outlook for 2025 in Eastern Congo remains very volatile. While the continual disengagement of the UN Security force, MONUSCO is raising security concerns for many people in Ituri, it is clear that even greater engagement and support is needed for resilience and peace-building efforts in the region.
Since a key part of the ‘Together for Peace and Development’ programme involves training people in agroecology and sustainable vegetable production techniques to support resilience, the team decided to celebrate that on on World Tree Planting Day by planting trees alongside their partner HDC.
Despite the enormous challenges, the team and communities involved in ‘Together for Peace and Development’ are working towards a more stable and sustainable future in Ituri.
Trócaire and its partner HDC joined the rest of the world to celebrate international tree plantation in Walendu Bindi chiefdom of Ituri province through reforestation activities, with the aim of maintaining green environment.
DRC Conflict Fast Facts
