Jambo-Lab

May 4, 2023, more than 430 people died, buried in mud after flooding following heavy rain in Kalehe, a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where I live. More than 500 other people were declared missing in the same disaster. Several have been displaced and others have become refugees in Burundi, a neighboring country. Agricultural fields were decimated, not to mention the destroyed homes. This is unfortunately not the first climate disaster in the DRC. In January 2024, the Congolese government declared a state of ecological disaster following the multiplicity of cases of flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly with the rising waters of the Congo River having affected around 300,000 households in Kinshasa. But here, in the eastern part of the country where more than a hundred armed groups operate, these effects of climate change represent an additional misfortune. Residents, mainly farmers, are particularly distraught in the face of long seasons of drought and surprising floods, which also leads to a significant drop in their agricultural production. And as if that were not enough, these farmers are also forced to move massively following ongoing armed conflicts in the region. 

Peasant agriculture occupies 70% of the active population in my country the DRC but we are dying of hunger, according to the WFP a third of the population is faced with hunger in particular due to the decline in agricultural production etc. As if that were not enough, the country still has the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, around 7.1 million displaced people and women represent 51% according to the UNHCR. This displaced population lives mainly in makeshift camps erected in places sometimes at risk of disasters. Rural communities, particularly small agricultural producers and indigenous Pygmies who depend mainly on environmental services, also seem to be left behind, unfortunately.These are all problems that our project is trying to find a solution to in this context of generalized crisis.

Believing in the incredible potential of technology to solve real-life challenges, we initiated this project since 2022 to reduce the vulnerability of local communities to climate disasters by strengthening their knowledge, their adaptation capacities as well as their sustainable environmental practices, particularly in the eastern part of the country. No need for a smartphone or the internet, thanks to a mobile phone, farmers (particularly rural women), indigenous peoples and displaced populations, are interconnected and interact free of charge and in the local language with the “Jambo-Lab” platform bearing the short code 440440. They are made aware of environmental and climate issues and also receive continuing training on sustainable agricultural practices, natural resource management and adaptation measures to climate change, in addition to weather forecasts with an early warning system for imminent threats linked to climate disasters in the region.

Indeed, my big idea contributes to saving the planet by strengthening the resilience of rural communities in the DRC in the face of climate change, by promoting sustainable practices but above all by allowing better management of natural resources in this context of generalized crisis. Which automatically places human at the center of nature, as an key element of the ecosystem that he's suppose to preserve. Thus, a link of life balance is created between human and nature, because this nature depends on the actions of human and the survival of this human depends on services offers by the nature!

Indeed, our solution is currently used by more than 2,000 people in the DRC and they are mainly members of rural communities (notably rural women), indigenous Pygmy peoples as well as war displaced populations who:

-Are made aware of environmental and climate issues, with emphasis on the specific risks they face.

-Receive ongoing education on sustainable agricultural practices, natural resource management and climate change adaptation measures.

-Receive training on disaster management, first aid, soil and water conservation, and other practical skills related to climate resilience.

-Are encouraged to actively participate in the planning and implementation of adaptation and disaster preparedness measures.

-Are encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly agricultural practices, such as agroforestry, crop rotation and efficient water use.

-Are encouraged to promote sustainable management of natural resources, including the protection of local ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity.

-Have weather forecasts as well as an early warning system to inform them of imminent threats related to climate disasters in the region.

-Receive practical advice on how to manage stress in the face of climate anxiety, but even more, they receive practical information and advice on how to protect their basic human rights to land, water and resources etc.

-Have the possibility of asking a question (free by SMS) to the platform to obtain an appropriate answer automatically, this to counter disinformation as well as misinformation regarding environmental and climate issues.

-Share experiences and/or traditional knowledge resilient to the effects of climate change in the region. 

We are a team of young girls and boys changemakers, members of local communities and mastering the context of the region. We each have a specialty ranging from technology to community organizing to social and environmental activism without forgetting feminism. Our team leader is also a young activist who is part of several associative movements and sustainable projects in the region. In 2023, he was crowned “Activist of the Year 2023” by Africans Rising because of his commitment to social and environmental justice in the DRC and Africa in general.

At least 2,391 members of rural communities are using the Jambo-Lab solution today, including small-scale agricultural producers, displaced populations and indigenous Pygmy people in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. And 69% of the 2,391 people subscribed to the digital platform (mainly small agricultural producers) say they have increased their income by 29% thanks to the information and advice on sustainable agricultural practices that they receive from Jambo-Lab. 1,058 users of the solution admit to being already aware of the specific risks they personally face in the region, in particular thanks to their interaction with Jambo-Lab on current environmental and climate issues. In addition, all users of the Jambo-Lab solution not only have information on real-time weather forecasts in their respective entities, but they also receive early warnings of disaster risks accompanied by practical advice on driving to be held in this particular context. . Thanks to an SMS alert and advice from Jambo-Lab concerning the risk of an extension of the dry season at the beginning of 2024, a farmer from Rutshuru saved his bean grains that he had just planted in the ground, by covering them with straw for them. keep. soil moisture, etc. 

Indeed, rural communities in the DRC do not need to have a smartphone or internet or even an SMS plan to benefit from the Jambo-Lab solution. It is free and primarily uses the local language to connect members of rural communities in the DRC to information and practical advice on climate-resilient agriculture, the promotion and sustainable management of natural resources, weather forecasts and an early warning system for the risk of climate-related disasters, etc. Even more, they receive information and practical advice on how to protect their basic human rights to land, water and other resources in addition to practical advice on how to manage their stresses in the face of climate anxiety etc. These members of rural communities, often ignored and or left behind, also have the possibility of asking a question by SMS and obtaining an appropriate answer immediately to obtain information, thanks to the artificial intelligence associated with the digital platform. However, users of the solution can also request specific support by telephone call or in person if possible!

As a technology-based project, we apply to be in the Solve community and benefit from the services and opportunities offered by this program. Because we still need several technical, educational and financial resources to maintain the balance of the project and or expand it to another level, etc.

We use inclusive digital technology to connect members of rural communities to essential information and advice on current environmental and climate issues, sustainable agricultural practices and disaster risks, using mobile SMS messaging and or call grace on their cell phones and without internet. We also use artificial intelligence which makes it possible to monitor weather data in real time to trigger an accurate alarm in the event of a risk of climate-related disaster. We also use the local language "Swahili", it's an innovation for solution!

Our solution is used today by more than 2000 people today, and 1130 of them are rural women. Given that our platform sends messages to all its subscribers regularly but they also interact, it is on this basis that we have established the following results to date:

1. Improving disaster response: advanced weather monitoring with our artificial intelligence providing SMS to subscribers (rural communities) and local language communication system “Swahili” allows for a more effective response to natural and climate disasters.
2. Access to information: small agricultural producers, displaced populations as well as indigenous peoples who seem to be left behind, benefit from immediate access to crucial information on weather conditions and emergency measures, which reduces the loss of human life and material property.
3. Rapid adaptation: information and practical advice on climate-smart agriculture and stress management, sent in SMS format, enable rapid adaptation to climate change, particularly in the field of agriculture and climate anxiety. 

These are impacts we wish to create through our solution:

1. Improving disaster response: advanced weather monitoring with our artificial intelligence providing SMS to subscribers (rural communities) and local language communication system “Swahili” allows for a more effective response to natural
and climate disasters.
2. Access to information: small agricultural producers, displaced populations as well as indigenous peoples who seem to be left behind in RDC, benefit from immediate access to crucial information on weather conditions and emergency measures, which reduces the loss of human life and material property.
3. Rapid adaptation: information and practical advice on climate-smart agriculture and stress management, sent in SMS format, enable rapid adaptation to climate change, particularly in the field of agriculture and climate anxiety

We have developed a web-based platform with SMS and artificial intelligence, which we use as a solution to solve the challenges here.

There are 7 people working on the project, including 3 permanent staff.

We have been working on this project since 2022.

We have an internal policy of inclusion and non-discrimination, which is why we focus on this, being 7 in number, we have 4 girls in the team and who mainly occupy high positions.

Rural communities, particularly small agricultural producers, indigenous peoples and displaced populations are those who benefit from our solution to date in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And in the near future, we intend to include on this list, artisanal miners as well as young men and women in urban areas because we believe that climate change and its effects also affect them in some way and this requires significant adaptations on their part to maintain their productivity while preserving their lives and their means of subsistence. However, we must say that until now, we are focusing first on our first target according to the technical, educational and financial means and resources at our disposal.

 Using our solution, we anticipate achieve these impact-related goals:

1. Increased resilience: rural communities benefiting from this project will develop greater resilience to extreme weather
events, which reduces long-term vulnerability.
2. Reduction of economic losses: by improving the capacity of small agricultural producers and livestock breeders to
anticipate, respond to and recover from climatic events, this project will reduce economic losses linked to climate
change.
3. Awareness raising and ongoing education: Our web-based platform supports ongoing awareness raising and
education of rural communities on sustainable practices, thereby contributing to long-term adaptation to climate change.

So far, we have financed this project thanks to contributions from members of our organization as well as donations from members of local communities. But we also intend to raise other funds gradually through grants and financing in the near future, in the meantime.