The client
The Netherlands Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda
The challenge
Communities around the parks of the southern Greater Virunga Landscape, bordering the DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda, share scarce water resources. This shared dependency generates tensions and conflicts between community members over access to water and other natural resources. The core question was: how can improved access to water and better watershed management reduce conflict and strengthen security, health, and productivity at the household level?
In a consortium led by MDF, with Wageningen University and Research, Witteveen+Bos, and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, MDF Central Africa implemented a seven-year, €15.6 million Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) project across three countries of the Greater Virunga Landscape: the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. In the DRC, implementation took place in the Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories. The project reached 245,000 people across the three countries and was structured around three components:
Drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation
The project constructed water supply facilities and rainwater storage infrastructure in the chiefdoms of Bwisha and Nyiragongo (Kibumba). Community involvement formed a central part of this component, with programs on hygiene, sanitation practices, and the use of latrines reinforcing the infrastructure investments.
Conflict management, watershed protection, and agricultural development
At the community level, the project applied the Peace Management Process (PMP) approach to reduce and manage conflicts over shared natural resources. Watershed protection was addressed through agro-ecological methods for soil protection. Agricultural production was organised through the Participatory Integrated Plan (PIP) approach, supported by reforestation and land restoration activities. Multi-stakeholder partnerships guided farmers across international borders on integrated farm planning.
Farmer economic empowerment
The PIP approach served as an innovative mechanism to organise farmers, strengthen their agricultural production, and position them as economic operators within their local environment. By expanding farmers' economic capacity, the project improved household purchasing power and broadened access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
Results
The project improved relations and reduced conflicts between stakeholders over access to water and natural resources. Security, health, and agricultural productivity at the household level were strengthened across 245,000 beneficiaries in the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda.
