OUR ASSESSMENT
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION
Renovation of the Bombo Lumene School and Provision of School Supplies
The foundation’s first project was the renovation of the Bombo Lumene elementary school, which was completed in February 2021. The three-classroom school had been destroyed during a major storm in 2017 and had remained abandoned for years. As a result, many students had left the area, while the small number of remaining students had to attend classes under makeshift shelters. Access to learning materials was extremely limited, as the entire school shared a single textbook that it rented from a neighboring town. In partnership with the Bombo Lumene school administration and with the help of local builders and carpenters, the school was completely renovated and is now better than ever. In addition, with the help of our partner Complast, we equipped the school with all the necessary learning materials, ranging from books, paper, and writing supplies to globes, calculators, and recorders. Visit our gallery for more before-and-after photos!
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After
Flour Mill
Thanks to our generous partner Unicompex, we were able to get a great deal on a brand-new cassava/corn mill. This will enable the local village to increase its flour production, eliminate the cost of transporting raw materials to and from the nearest town 30 km away, and generate more income for each family.
Infrastructure
Access to Drinking Water
La Fondation Bombo Lumene a récemment installé une puissante pompe à eau qui amène l’eau au village et au camp principal depuis une source fraîche dans la vallée. La pompe fonctionne entièrement à l’énergie solaire et fournit de l’eau propre toute l’année. Cela signifie que le personnel de Bombo Lumene, les gardes forestiers et leurs familles n’ont plus à faire le dur voyage aller-retour dans la vallée, plusieurs fois par jour, en portant de lourdes charges.
Construction of New Office Space
In February 2021, a new office building with three office spaces was completed. The small building is located across from the school and will be used by its staff. The central office space in the building is a conference room where meetings will be held. We are also helping to renovate the main building at the reserve, which will soon become the hub from which all daily operations are conducted.
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ECOTOURISM
Construction of a safari-style tent camp
The Bombo Lumene Foundation is working with Bombo Lumene management to build a brand-new safari-style tented camp at Bombo Lumene. Construction began in January with the creation of five large wooden platforms covered with thatched roofs, on which the first five tents will be placed. The platforms not only protect the tents from potential damage caused by the elements, but they also allow the tents to be placed in beautiful sloping areas with incredible views. Five additional large dome-shaped tents will be set up in the central camping area under traditional thatched roofs. The tents will be fully equipped and will include small solar panels to power the lights and allow guests to charge their electronic devices. The camp will be able to accommodate up to 30 visitors at a time, with proceeds from the camp going directly to the operations of the Bombo Lumene Reserve. This will enable the reserve to address a variety of urgent issues and increase its patrols and anti-poaching capabilities.
RESEARCH AND FOLLOW-UP
Camera traps
Since 2019, we have been working with the staff at Bombo Lumene to conduct camera trap research in the reserve. Our primary goal is to compile an inventory of the mammal species inhabiting Bombo Lumene and to collect as much data as possible on its biodiversity in order to implement the best conservation strategies. To date, we have recorded more than 32 mammal species, ranging from pangolins to forest buffalo, and new species are regularly discovered. Our camera trap efforts have also allowed us to monitor mammal populations and habitat preferences, as well as identify poaching hotspots. This valuable information can then be used to identify key areas on which to focus conservation efforts. In addition, camera trapping and time spent in the field have allowed us to record various other species, including many new bird species that had not previously been recorded in the region (bringing the total number to 245 as of April 2021). In late 2020, we also managed to capture one of the first (and very rare) videos of the rare and endemic white-headed robin (Cossypha heinrichi). Visit our gallery and/or social media pages to see more of our camera trap images!
