Community Development

Community engagement and development is central to the long-term sustainability of Garamba National Park, with a key focus on education, healthcare and alternative livelihoods for the approximately 100,000 people living around the park. With the development of socio-economic initiatives in and around Garamba, making alternative sources of income available to local people, alongside effective conservation law enforcement, the benefits of stability are being realised for both wildlife and people.

Community Engagement

Several dedicated community personnel have been recruited and trained to work directly with local communities on a variety of community development projects and environmental awareness programmes.Over 2023, 350 environmental awareness sessions were conducted for 13,116 community members. In further awareness raising, broadcasts on community radio stations were aired on topics such as slash-and-burn practices and agroecology alternatives, reforestation and rhino reintroduction.

Education and Environmental Awareness

Environmental education in local community schools has been successful, with thousands of schoolchildren and their teachers learning about conservation through guided park visits, school lessons, brochures and films. Camp Dungu, established to enhance environmental awareness, has hosted over 800 people each year. African Parks-supported primary schools are helping to provide education to over a thousand children for the region.

Sustainable Enterprise Development

Working with local communities to identify alternative sources of income and to encourage less dependency on the park's limited resources is priority to provide local people with a sustainable future.

A number of initiatives have been very successful. So far, almost a thousand farmers have taken part in the Farmer Field School (FFS) programme, which trains farmers in sustainable agriculture, market gardening and food crops. A third have established their own farmer networks disseminating the agroecological practices they learned. In addition, students from 29 primary schools are undergoing training through Junior FFS programmes.

Cacao and papaya fields have been developed outside the park under an MoU with the private company ENVIRIUM. Since 2021, 77 fishponds have been initiated and brought into operation, producing 1.45 tonnes of tilapia, increasing the availability of protein for the community.

Community Infrastructure Development

Infrastructure projects in and around Garamba are improving community access to essential services, such as the African Parks-supported Nagero Hospital and Gangala health post just outside the park, which provide medical healthcare to over 10,000 people a year. Alongside this initiative, the procurement of medical supplies and equipment has meant hospital staff can perform surgeries and laboratory tests on-site, and educational sessions are organised for patients on a variety of topics including health and sexually transmitted diseases.

The mobile clinic team has increased the number of remote villages it visits year on year, with 31 villages and over 8,000 community members having access to medical help within the Garamba Complex in the past year.

Solar power is being provided through two solar mini-grids in Faradje and Tadu respectively to almost 400 customers of which 45% are small and medium enterprises. A third mini-grid in Dungu town is being constructed. Once completed, this solar mini-grid will bring electricity to 772 users.