Improve Animal Health through information Tech

In May 2021, we reported the launch of a digital community capacity building campaign against Wildlife smuggling and/or illegal trade of animals in Kwilu and Kwango provinces, western Democratic Republic of Congo.

The initiative was then extended to North and South Ubangi and Mongala provinces, north-western DRC where we operate since 2019 and where illegal trade of animals is also part of everyday life. The USSD and SMS gateway Systems have been used to share information about the related risks and consequences, monitor and denounce criminal networks.

 After six months of sustained awareness raising work, part of the impact is that wildlife smuggling is recognized by most of local community members as a threat and illegal trade of animals a crime. Most of young people often used by criminal networks have become conscious and reluctant.

However, without a real commitment from local as well as provincial and national authorities this phenomenon will not end up as criminal networks corrupt local officers and use their financial power to convince local young people.

Our next strategy will be involving the public Medias and more wildlife defenders from the national level to as for animal trade accountability while protecting the data and identities of local actors involved in the campaign.

Wildlife smuggling is a great challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Worth millions of dollars a year, the illicit trade is driving animals such as rhinos, elephants, pangolins, abalone, and sharks toward extinction.

With criminal networks getting more sophisticated than ever, AgroMwinda has developped new info and high-tech approaches (USSD and SMS gateway Systems, etc.) to monitor, identify, denounce, and bring perpetrators to justice. 

To this end, between March and May 2021, 230 community leaders from Kwilu and Kwango provinces (Ouestern DRC) where trained on the use of the AgroMwinda plateform as well as of the USSD and SMS gateway Systems to monitor and denounce criminal networks. 

This dynamic is being extended to the 300.000 local small farmes and micro businesses from 16 provinces connected to AgroMwinda plateform. However the challenge remain the resources to reach this public and make huge impact. We thank our donors and supporters to this initiative. 

 Followinf the training of150 rural farmers association leaders from Gemena, Gbadolite and Lisala cities (South and North Ubangi and Mongala Provinces) on the use of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and SMS gateway system to access the information and protect animals (Setember 26-28, 2020), AgroMwinda collaborated with the Vodacom Foundation to duplicate the training in Kikwit (Kwilu Province) and Kenge (Kwango Province) for 102 other leaders ( November 2-4 and December 5-7,2020). 

To date, the 4 training sessions have allowed the 252 trained rural farmers association leaders to sensitize, mobilze, train  and connect  9.821 new farmers to our plateforme. The new actors have been able to use their moblie phone and USSD system to access to information on how to use the USSD system, get into the information and save their animals.

This process has interestingly created a new dynamics with more and more farmers reaching us out and asking to be connected to AgroMwinda. most of the famers report that the information they are accessing is really interesting, useful and helps them save their animals. The project benefiaries asked us to pass their deepest sense of gratitude to GlobalGiving and all the donors. 

 September 26 - 28, 2020, three 3 day parallel workshops of 50 trainees each on the use of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and SMS gateway system were organized in Gemena, Gbadolite and Lisala cities, South and North Ubangi and Mongala Provinces, in the nord-ouest part of the Democratic Republic Democratic of Congo for 150 rural farmers associations' leaders.

Organized in partnership with the Vodacom Fondation and  PARRSA-FA (a World Bank's sustainable agriculture funded project), the workshops built up the capacity of rural farms association leaders on how the USSD works and how it can effeiciently be used to share strategic information needed in their respective communities and associations to improve food production and traide as well as raise awarness on agricultural risks and save the animals from various diseases.

At the end of the trainings, each trainee received atablet and/or mobile phone. They were very happy to learn learn new skills and descover the power of new technology in improving food production and animal health. They commited to mobilize their communities and associations on this tools and information. They asked us to thank the GlobalGiving Team and all donors for their generous donations to this project as it is making great impacts on the ground!