Johnny Mundu and Gilbert Makelele first made a foray into DR Congo’s tourism industry about a decade ago. Back then that was a bold step as their country was war-torn. Poaching was rampant. And most tourists preferred to stay away. The industry was not lucrative, so they had to do something to revive it.
In 2011, the two tour operators finally mooted the idea of rehabilitating young boys who were being recruited by militia groups and those who were involved in poaching. And that is how CPNCK, a coffee and cocoa co-operative which today comprises former militiamen and poachers, was born.
CPNCK has since been at the forefront of conservation efforts and deterring young boys from joining militia groups in eastern DRC. Pamela Amia recently caught up with Mundu and Makelele…
When did you start the co-operative?
We started the CPNCK co-operative six years ago and the results are already impressive. The major aim of forming the co-operative was to find a solution to the rising levels of poverty and the proliferation of militia groups in eastern DRC. We wanted young boys who were being lured into militia groups and poaching to find another way of earning a living. Now we give them coffee seeds free of charge and also buy their harvest. Once in a while we also organise trade fairs where farmers also sell their produce and get more money. We are always happy to help our people to overcome poverty through such projects and am proud to say that it has been a big success.
How many members do you have so far?
Currently CPNCK has 6,435 coffee farmers as members, of whom 2,135 already sell their coffee to the CPNCK. After purchasing it we sell it to different countries.
What challenges did the coffee farmers have in the beginning and how has the co-operative helped them?
Lack of enough funding was their biggest challenge. Then there was the challenge of qualitative and quantitative improvement of the coffee, and lack of better marketing strategies. Our vision is to ensure a more just future reflected in the culture of the co-op’s deep values: transparency and culture of reporting, love of work well done, autonomy of the coffee growers, respect for human dignity, and protection of the environment.
How many of your members are former poachers and militiamen?
They are currently 1,501 former militiamen and poachers. They were determined to change their way of life since they were struggling to survive.
How much do they earn from the coffee? What makes their coffee stand out from the coffee produced in other neighbouring countries?
Currently the price of coffee is favouring farmers so they are earning a good profit. And the reason why our coffee stands out is because of its beautiful name with a strong story behind it: “Peace and Conservation Coffee”. Some people just buy the coffee because it has an inspiring name.
Where does the co-operative get funding from?
We get some funding from international organisations that support farmers, such as VECO DRC, AGRITERRA, OXFAM, the Guardian Project Canada and Virunga National Park. We also get help from the Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development and other well-wishers.
How has this co-operative helped reduce conflict and poaching in eastern DR Congo?
We decided to start with the red zone, areas of Kitchanga, Mweso, Kalembe, Pinga, Kitchanga, Mweso, Kalembe, Muhanga, Ihula, Kikuku, Bwito and Kanyabayonga. Through hardwork and creating awareness, ex-militiamen and their leaders and poachers have been convinced that there are other more honourable, useful and accepted ways for them to earn a decent living.
But CPNCK has not walked this path alone. There have been many partners who have helped us in this endeavor. In particular, the ICRC/AGRO department, which in 2012 financed us to produce 300,000 coffee seedlings (Bourbon variety). The Provincial Government of North Kivu, through the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture and the National Coffee Board, supported us to produce 100,000 coffee seedlings and promote our initiatives of peace and conservation.
We supported ourselves to produce 1,600,000 Arabica coffee seedlings in 2013 and the Virunga National Park funded us with 120,000 seedlings in 2015. In total we have so far distributed 2,120, 000 seedlings of Arabica coffee. We believe that we can be able to create wealth in this area by exporting a minimum of 50 containers of Arabica coffee per year.
What other initiatives do you have that aim to mitigate war and poaching in eastern DR Congo?
Apart from the coffee initiatives, we have already distributed 1,103 goats and 15 tons of Green Pigeon bean seeds to farmer members (former combatants and ex-poachers) for breeding and food production. This is another way of promoting conservation and reviving people’s livestock that was decimated during the war.
