Women play an essential role in biodiversity conservation around the world. In GRACE’s region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), women tend to be in charge of their children’s education and their family’s natural resource use. Empowering women through conservation education training is essential for encouraging sustainable behaviors that protect gorillas, reduce forest loss, and benefit people.
In DR Congo, women are traditionally the primary caregivers for their family. They are often the first educators for children. In a region where people depend on the forest to meet basic needs, women directly influence their family’s commitment to conservation.
GRACE knows that protecting gorillas and forests means engaging with and empowering people. Through our conservation education and sustainable livelihood programs, GRACE partners with local women’s associations to build a brighter future for people and wildlife living within 15 km of GRACE.
Here are just 5 ways GRACE is empowering women through conservation education programs.
1. Reducing food insecurity for women and families
In Congolese culture, it is primarily women who are responsible for providing food for the family. GRACE leads training on guinea pig husbandry, teaching women to elevate the care and welfare provided to domestic animals like guinea pigs.
The rationale is that if a domestic source of protein is readily available, people may be less likely to go into the forest for food. The program benefits people and wildlife because it helps reduce:
- Small-scale hunting and forest encroachment, which threatens gorilla habitat;
- Food insecurity for families by providing a reliable source of protein.
As an added bonus, guinea pig husbandry helps empower women in household decision-making. Women taking part in the program report that with larger livestock, such as goats, they cannot make decisions about selling them without consulting their husbands. But with guinea pigs, women can trade or sell them at their discretion.
The program is set up on a “Pay-It-Forward” system. Women who complete the training course sign a participation pledge, agreeing to care for the guinea pigs as detailed in the workshop and manual. Then, GRACE Educators help those women become trainers of other women in the community.
2. Improving health and well-being through fuel-efficient cookstoves
In our region of eastern DR Congo, wood is the primary source of fuel for cooking. As the human population expands, there is more intrusion into gorilla habitat to collect firewood. GRACE collaborates with women’s groups to build and install fuel-efficient stoves. These stoves use locally available materials and reduce the amount of wood needed per household.
Cooking more efficiently helps families too. Collecting firewood is challenging work and takes time and effort. Women and children are primarily responsible for firewood collection. Fuel-efficient stoves result in more time for other activities and cleaner air in their kitchens.
3. Sharing agricultural best practices and sustainable fuelwood
The GRACE Farm grows gorilla food to ensure proper nutrition for the 14 rescued gorillas at the sanctuary. We invite local community members to the farm to learn about beneficial planting techniques, irrigation, soil science, and crops that can be added to the farms or gardens in their home compounds.
At the farm and in local communities, we have also created woodlots with fast-growing trees. Community members receive seedlings they can grow in their own gardens. In a few years, the woodlots will provide a source of household fuelwood that will benefit women and protect the forest.
4. Promoting the importance of women in the community
International Women’s Day, celebrated every March 8th, is considered the most important day of the year at GRACE. In DR Congo, we partner with women’s groups in local villages to hold community celebrations.
Events span multiple villages and highlight the important roles that women play in their communities. Speeches, radio broadcasts, poems, processionals, and other celebrations throughout the day commemorate the importance of women and bring attention to the unmet needs for women and girls in an effort to close the gap on gender equality. Activities led by the women, such as tree planting, stove workshops, and community clean-ups, also promote gorilla and forest conservation in eastern DR Congo.
On International Women’s Day, women often wear identical dresses made from the same fabric as a sign of unity. These events help build pride and showcase the impact of empowering women through conservation.
5. Building capacity in leadership, gorilla care, and more
GRACE relies on women in leadership, gorilla care, farming, community outreach, research, and so much more. Our mission in DR Congo would not be possible without the women on staff and our advisors who devote their energy and expertise to protecting gorillas and uplifting communities.
At all levels of our organization, and in our work in local communities in DR Congo, women are essential to GRACE’s success.