Approximately 80 percent of the people
living around Kahuzi Biega Park are illiterate. In response,
the Pole Pole Foundation has opened two schools with
a strong environmental emphasis, highlighting the importance
of conservation and of the long-term detrimental effect
of resource scavenging and poaching in the park Started
in 1999 with the aid of foreign partner organizations,
the Anga primary school in Miti village provides grades
one to six with a staff of nine. Encouraged by the success
of the primary school, the Pole Pole Foundation opened
a secondary school in 2004, adding a forestry program
to the secondary school curriculum the following year.
The goal is to train future park guards and conservationists
capable of implementing sustainable practices within the
park. They also run programs to inform the local populace
of the importance of conservation.
Reforestation
The natural resources of Kahuzi Biega National Park
are being rapidly depleted as trees are used for firewood
by communities bordering the park. The Pole Pole Foundation
has encouraged tree-growing around the park, and has
participated in the creation of tree nurseries to provide
saplings for planting out as a future source of fruit,
timber and firewood. Since 1998, they have distributed
more than 500,000 nursery trees to the local populace.
The natural resources of Kahuzi Biega National Park
are being rapidly depleted as trees are used for firewood
by communities bordering the park. The Pole Pole Foundation
has encouraged tree-growing around the park, and has
participated in the creation of tree nurseries to provide
saplings for planting out as a future source of fruit,
timber and firewood. Since 1998, they have distributed
more than 500,000 nursery trees to the local populace.