Beekeeping project

As an income generating activity, KAFRED started the Beehive project. The organization constructed a wooden shed to house a number of beehives. This shed serves as a protected area for the bees to live in and produce honey. During workshops KAFRED demonstrates to locals how to safely farm honey, so that it may help the community to generate more income.

Community survey project

KAFRED has extra funds available due to the independency of Bigodi Secondary School which is now recognised by the government. Therefore, KAFRED is looking into creating or funding a new community project. The goal of the Community Survey is to make the decision-making process easier for a new viable community project. Furthermore, the survey also seeks to; Identify the number of people with a likelihood of benefiting the recommended project, identify families that have been affected by conservation of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, identify socio-economic status of the households in Busiriba sub County.

Out of a database of the neighboring communities, 260 households were randomly selected. Out of these 260 randomly ordered household the decision was made to interview the first 160 households listed. The 160 households are spread over the 20 following villages: Bigodi, Bujongobe, Bunoga, Busabura, Busimba, Busiriba, Bwakara, Kabujemere, Kairumba, Kipucu, Kitwe, Kiyoima, Kyabakwerere, Kyabalyatika, Kyakaguna, Mabono, Mahango, Nkingo, Nyabubale and Nyaburama. The amount of people interviewed per village corresponds with the size of those villages. Due to the randomness and the amount of the selected households KAFRED is positive that the conducted Community Survey is representative for the objectives. In addition, the opinions of different gender and ages have been taken into account. Over a period of one month, two Belgian volunteers in cooperation with the KAFRED staff visited all these villages to interview 160 community members and gather 160 responses.

Possible options of project to be funded are: gravity-flow water project, health and sanitation, primary school, food processing and packaging and other income generating activities. With the collected data a decision will be made in the near future.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY CONSERVATION OF MAGOMBE WETLAND

 

WE RECEIVED FUNDING FROM RUFFORD SMALL GRANTS FOR NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAM (HTTPS://WWW.RUFFORD.ORG/PROJECTS) TO SUPPORT US IN IMPLEMENTING “THE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY CONSERVATION OF MAGOMBE WETLAND PROJECT” We are working together with Magombe wetland neighbors, Bigodi Town Council local leaders, and officials from the District Natural Resources Department to implement the project. The project aims at improving KAFRED’s relationship with local communities surrounding the wetland through education and awareness, mitigating boundary the conflicts and improving livelihoods of wetland neighbors.

Mitigating Boundary Conflicts

We will work with Wetland neighbors, the District Natural Resources Department, local administration and police to agree on the wetland boundaries. Once we agree on the boundaries we will erect pillars to permanently mark the boundaries and plant indigenous trees between the pillars

Education and awareness

The project is incorporating education and awareness programs to enable locals appreciate the benefits of conserving this wetland. This has been through meetings with local community members and leaders in their respective villages and training at least 60 local leaders.

Improving livelihoods

The project is promoting sustainable use of wetland resources such as raw materials to use for local craft industry, water for domestic use, fish and medicine, through zoning. Zoning will also highlight areas for research, tourism and other activities such as beekeeping all aimed at improving livelihoods of the wetland neighbors.

80 households with land next to the wetland will identify livelihood activities such as animal rearing, sustainable agriculture, and small and mid-sized enterprises, which will be supported through the project to improve their livelihoods

KAFRED’S RIVERBANK REFORESTATION PROJECT

In 2020 KAFRED received a grant from the Rwenzori Development Foundation, UK https://www.rwenzori.org/ to support planting trees in degraded areas of one section of the wetland. The six month’s project will end in March 2021 with the tree planting exercise. Other activities included awareness/sensitisation meetings.