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Project visit Burundi November 2022

AKI Managing director Falk Kullen and Project manager, Teklezghi Teklebrhan flew to Burundi for one week (13.11. – 20.11.2022) to steer and coordinate the ongoing and upcoming activities with the project partners. 

On the first day in Gitega, Falk Kullen and Teklezghi Teklebrhan visited the project area together with Father Walter Stärk and the project committee members. It was impressive to see how the project partners are motivated to exercise sustainable agriculture and to work on value addition of the products. AKI Managing director expresses his impressions on the progress of the project:

After having followed the project activities from far for a long time, in contrast to our responsible AKI project managers and the project partners on site in Burundi, it was very impressive for me to finally see with my own eyes how well the project area is being managed. But also, the personal encounters with our colleagues on site were a special concern for me after the longtime of digital exchange and I am very grateful for the warm welcome and the interesting exchange we had”.

In the following days, a series of meetings took place with the project committee, Camelius brothers and father Walter Stärk to evaluate the achieved and ongoing activities and to jointly plan the activities to be done until the end of the year. The topics value addition especially bread baking, financial administration, involving more farmers to the trainings about sustainable agriculture, water management and protection of erosion, animal keeping, organic manure and roles and responsibilities of the project committee were discussed very intensively.

As the result of the exchange and discussion, a road map on how and when to implement the activities to achieve the objectives of the project was developed.

To understand how the neighboring farmers are benefiting from the trainings offered in the training center, Falk Kullen, Teklezghi Teklebrhan and the coordinators of the project on site visited a farmer near the project area. The farm of Mr. Evariste Kabora is situated about 6 Km away from the AKI project area. Mr. Kabora participated in the trainings last year and he highlights the relevance of the project, and the trainings offered as follows:

The trainings organized by AKI are so relevant that the farmers can learn about water management, protection of erosion, conservation of the nature by exercising the principles of permaculture, compost making, effects of climate change and strategies of climate resilience”.

Mr. Kabora plans to play his role in developing his community by giving trainings on sustainable farming techniques himself. To do so, he plans to participate in more of the AKI trainings that are yet to come to extend his knowledge.

Currently, a training on sustainable agriculture is taking place in the project area, on which AKI will soon publish a report.

 

Teklezghi Teklebrhan

Project Management
 

Julia Fendel

Project Management