Projects

COOPAC-FIZI implements 2 progam-related investments (PRIs) and 5 community development projects in South Kivu’s territory of Fizi in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its PRIs include a nine self-contained bed room Motel and a 15-villa Compound. COOPAC-FIZI also implements 5 community development projects namely the Centre des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (CENTICOM), goat keeping prooject, cattle keeping project, pig rearing project and clean drinking water distribution project. 

Proceeds from PRIs are used to support the health and education sector and funding livelihood improvement projects. Currently, COOPAC-FIZI’s activities are concentrated in Fizi territory but expansion plans to other parts of South Kivu and DRC are being evaluated. Brief details about each of our projects is given below.

CENTICOM

CENTICOM’s goal is to address ICT needs of Fizi communities (overwhelmingly rural) by bringing ICT services closer to them. The Center offers two main services namely International Computer Driving Licence training (ICDL training) and cybercafé (which offers internet, photocopy, printing, plastification, binding and other services). CENTICOM is also equipped with a conference room and pump-well installations. Clean drinking water iss also served to surrounding communities. For ICDL training purposes, COOPAC-FIZI works in partnership with Swirtzerland-based ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence). Pictures of CNTICOM’s ICDL training room and clean water installations are shown below.

MOTEL Baraka

Motel Baraka’s goal is to increase COOPAC-FIZI’s financial capacity to interverne in the education and health sectors as well as develop and pilot community approaches towards poverty alleviation. The Motel offers such services as accomodation, conference venue, restaurant, catering and grocery. Pictures of Motel Baraka and its conference room are shown below.

Compound Mutuli

Compound Mutuli’s goal is to increase COOPAC-FIZI’s financial capacity to intervene in the education and health sectors as well as develop and pilot community approaches towards poverty alleviation. The compound consists of 15 villas comprising each 1 bed room, 1 dinning room, 1 kitchen, and toilet/bath facilities. It opened on February 1st, 2012 and was hired by Banro Corporation for six-months. A picture of compound villas is shown below.

15 villa compound

Compound Mutuli

Clean drinking water distribution project

COOPAC-FIZI is piloting a clean drinking water distribution model involving about 45 households in the town of Baraka. The project aims to increase access to clean drinking water to a never-, rapidly-increasing, water-borne stricken population of Baraka. COOPAC-FIZI distributes underground water which is pumped by and stored in its clean dreaking water installations at CENTICOM.

CENTICOM clean drinking water installations

CENTICOM clean drinking water installations

Livestock Keeping Projects

COOPAC-FIZI implements two livestock keeping projects namely goat rearing project and cattle keeping project in Kananda and Kasakwa villages respectively. These projects’ goal is to improve the livelihoods of Kananda and Kasakwa communities. The majority of people in these conflict-affected areas are returnees from both internal (within Congo) and external (neighboring countries) displacement.

To achieve the stated goal, (i) after being empowered with initial 65 goats, 25 COOPAC-FIZI’s Kananda members have been distributing a number of goats to new households in Kananda every three-six months and now have 96 beneficiary households with plans to reach as many households as possible in Kananda and surrounding villages; and (ii) after being empowered with 25 pigs, Kasakwa villagers have transformed pig rearing into cattle keeping, with plans to initiate other IGAs including an intra-village loan scheme and a maize mill.

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Project beneficiary with her two goats in Kananda village, Eastern DR Congo

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