Brief introduction

Environmental Community Based Initiatives (ECOBI) is a project of FSDS organization, funded by UNHCR, Stakeholders-partners and beneficiaries. In a participatory approach, this project aims to empower both Burundian and Congolese’ refugees in Rwanda by creating “Environmental Community Based Initiatives – ECOBI in acronym” as an innovative strategy to contributing to the environmental education and climate change mitigation with action-learning for a sustainable environment management in the camps.

At the end of the project, selected camps sites will be operational “ECOBI Entities” for a permanent upgrading of the refugees’ environmental knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) for better livelihoods.

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Objectives

The project seeks to empower refugees’ communities to address climate change and environment challenges in and around the selected camps.

More specifically the project will ensure that :

 Community mobilization on ECOBI is strengthened and expanded in the camps ;
 Natural resources such as forests are protected and negative environmental impacts such as soil erosion and pollution are mitigated
 ECOBI- Community self-management supported and capacity development supported

Intended Impact

Thus, the key intended impacts are follows :

 Capacity building both for the project staff as well as refugees’ mobilization about environmental protection are strengthened and expanded and contribute to the project goal and objective achievement ;
 The project has updated the refugees’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on environment protection and climate change mitigation
 Natural resources and environment are better protected