"The growth of a tree under the shade of another is stifled — to reach your full growth you must grow under your own sun."

In the Basankusu district of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the first cock crow each Saturday morning, women from Lolungu, Boyela and Wala villages wake up to prepare for a 15-kilometre walk to the CCP (Compagnie de Commerce et de Plantation) centre to sell their cassava. The cassava they sell has been harvested and dunked into water for around a week to remove the cyanide before it is ready for human consumption.

This cassava emits a detestable smell as it continuously leaks while being carried in a colander basket. For a long time, it has been the only source of income for these women. Hence, they must carry this foul-smelling substance for those fifteen kilometres, while it drips down their backs, thighs, and feet.

"I remember walking with my own mother to sell cassava, and I now realise how humiliating it was."

— Rene Lingofe

When the women arrive at CCP, they are met by a frenzy of other women buying cassava. Once they have sold their load, it is time for another 15-kilometre walk back to their villages. Each woman's sale earns her less than 10 dollars. With no other source of income, this tradition has been going on since CCP started more than a century ago.

Women deserve dignified work

In 2021, the Lingofe Project started with a vision to change the lives of people around these villages. As a matter of principle, we dedicated sixty percent of our workers' capacity in our palm nurseries to women, and we pay each person a salary of eighty dollars a month — in Congo, more than half the salary of a qualified teacher.

The palm nursery needs to be watered morning and evening. This left many women with time to work in their farms or forage in the forest, then return home after completing their nursery work. As one woman described it, this was a dignified liberation from the fifteen-kilometre walk carrying stinking cassava.

With more cash in their hands, many women are now able to sponsor their children's education and send them to school far away from the villages, knowing the children will be well supported financially. One woman saved enough to buy a bicycle — which she uses to cycle once a month to take food supplies to her children studying ninety kilometres away.

A problem solved — another arises

As our project starts bearing visible social benefits, we have realised that expanding our activities will benefit more people. Palm nursery work is temporary — as the trees are planted, this work ceases. We are working on a plan to introduce a pig and chicken farm run by women, adding a permanent source of income and reducing dangerous bush meat consumption.

Training is all she needs

We believe that with small, consistent changes like these, many women and villagers will be liberated from humiliating chores and lasting hardship — while gaining a reliable source of income to support the next generation.

"Walk slowly but never backward."

Three years on, we have established ourselves as an alternative source of employment for the people of Basankusu. Our positive social impact is publicly seen in the change to the people of Boyela's way of life — working to alleviate poverty through education, funded by local resources.

Our team

Jean Paul Bambokela joined us to manage the project — a confident, experienced individual and a master of village life. With hard work and determination, he formed a resilient team capable of excelling at any task. He spends eight months each year in the village and four months in Kinshasa.

Health

We were fortunate to be joined by Emanuel Emamela, a qualified nurse with years of experience in primary health care in the region. Our employees receive free basic medical treatment and are referred to the general hospital when needed. This has brought confidence to people, and their support for the Lingofe Project is unshakeable. We are also supporting one student from the village to become a medical doctor, currently in his first year of medical studies in Kinshasa.

Planting maize alongside palms

Jean Paul Bambokela realised we could plant maize at the same time as palm trees, then harvest the maize while leaving the land undisturbed for the palms to grow. Last year we produced 10 metric tonnes of maize, sold in Kinshasa — bringing in money that financed planting fifteen hectares of nursery trees into the field.

Palm oil processing

For 2022, we produced 15 tonnes of palm oil and signed a contract with one of Congo's biggest palm oil buyers. Our buyer agreed to pay full price for two years while we upgrade our processing mechanism. The key to our future lies in mechanising our production — we will report on our progress soon.

Employment is a key ingredient to social mobility. While it is a necessity in the change process, it cannot occur without people being able to produce products they sell at a profitable price. Implement this as a system and a business is born — a business whose profit can be recycled back to local society, generating investment in education, health, and people's wellbeing.

Brief economic history

As King Leopold II's venture into Congo started paying dividends, many European businesses jumped in to make profit. With free labour on offer, returns were assured at more than 100 percent of initial investment.

"Historically Basankusu acquired its boundaries as we know it today from the work of ABIR society — an Anglo-Belgian business with Concessions under King Leopold the Second to exploit rubber in the then upper Congo."

— Missionary archives

Every inhabitant of this land was a property of ABIR and was forced to work for free in rubber extraction. Severe punishment followed those who resisted. Protestant missionaries denounced forced labour and campaigned in the United Kingdom to stop it. As pressure grew, King Leopold enlisted the Catholic missionaries as ABIR protectors — keeping people under oppression through the Bible. This had an extremely negative psychological impact on people's relationship with work and remuneration.

Economic impact

The concept of work as a fair exchange of service was non-existent in Basankusu for almost a century. Forced labour was eventually replaced by a "Ration" system — fish, salt, palm oil and clothes in exchange for hard work. A little progress, but these endemic practices still linger today, reflected in workers going months or even a year without being paid.

Motivation for change

The psychological trauma introduced by forced labour is what we want to change. Growing up on the fringes of colonial palm oil plantations, we have come to the realisation that these practices yield zero economic prospect for locals and no social mobility — and they must be stopped. We strive to be an alternative source of employment: fair, part of the people, and for the people.

What we offer

Since we started our plantation project in 2020, we have become the main employer for the people of Lolungu, Boyela, Wala and the surrounding villages. We treat our employees fairly and ensure they earn enough to send their children to school while improving their chance at social mobility. Transport remains our main challenge, and we aim to resolve it as soon as possible.