Urban Garden Project in the DR Congo Proves Successful

Since 2000, the Ministry of Rural Development has implemented an urban horticulture program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The plan cost $10.4 million and was financed by Belgium. The program has assisted urban growers in 5 cities, and has seen great results.

Successes include, the cities more than doubling their vegetable output, turning profits, increasing nutrition, and employing thousands of people. Some of those employed made four or five times what they made previously. The five cities now produce 330,000 tons of vegetables annually, up from 148,000 in 2005-2006. More than 250,000 tons of vegetables are sold in markets and supermarkets, creating a surplus value of about $400 million.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said this program was a model to help other cities grow crops and see improvement in health and income. Cities are becoming more populated than rural areas, and the fastest growing cities are in the developing world. Because of this, urban areas are important to focus on when addressing nutrition and food security.

This program shows that success is possible. The next step is to scale-up production and expand the program.

-Sami Ressler

SOURCE: UN NEWS

Child Rights Framework Created in Republic of Congo

During Day of the African Child celebrations on June 16th, the Republic of the Congo President, Denis Sassou Nguesso, announced that the Congo will be adopting a new child protection framework. This makes the Congo the fifth French-speaking African nation to pass such measures. The framework is comprised of a collection of texts covering all aspects of child protection, including issues concerning children in conflict with the law. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed and supported these new measures. "It is a major breakthrough that opens new perspectives in the protection and realization of children's rights in Congo," says Marianne Flach, a UNICEF Representative in the Congo.

The Congo was also a signatory in 1989 at the UN's Convention on the Rights of a Child and the Optional Protocols to the Convention. The convention deemed that all children have the right to survival, to develop to the fullest, to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation, and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The new measures will help to ensure these agreed upon rights and will better monitor violations of children's rights abuses.

- Clara Hill

SOURCE: "New UN-backed plan aims to enhance child rights in Republic of Congo" - UN News, UNICEF