“Change for me is no longer a dream,” says Kavugho Mulenze, a confident, 52 year-old mother of 7 living in Mangodomu, a small village in the town of Mangina, located 30 Km west of Beni. Kavugho narrates energetically how she grew from a simple farmer, constantly worried about the survival of her family, into an entrepreneur, thanks to the Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC) and its Agribusiness program.
“We have lost time, money, energy,” said Kavugho, expressing both regret and joy. “But thank you, God, for agribusiness,” she adds. Kavugho insists that she had never learned about sustainable agricultural techniques—techniques that have changed her ways and the daily life of her family.
The Agribusiness program taught local women farmers sustainable agricultural techniques and provided technical and logistical support to their agricultural associations. Kavugho explained how the women in the association faced many difficulties. “Birds and other wandering animals were ravaging our farms. We did not know when and what to plant. We did not know farming techniques to improve our harvests. Usually after a harvest we had no idea about the right price or market to sell our products. In short, we were completely lost.”
For Kavugho, the knowledge gained will be practiced on her other plots. She believes the new experience will allow her to produce larger quantities and better quality. This will allow her to sell a large part of the harvest to support herself and her family, send children to school, and obtain health care.
“Anything is possible if you believe, work hard and never give up,” says Kavugho. “I am happy, I am confident and I have already seen change!”
Learn more about UCBC’s Agribusiness Program.
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