In Kahungu village, Josephine Chakupewa and Nociata M'cibuga are members of a coffee cooperative supported by CRS' KBYK project in Eastern DRC.

Working together, Josephine and Nociata have harvested more than 200 kilos of coffee cherries. The income they have earned from their harvests have helped them make critical investments in their family and livelihoods.

"We are grateful to the project. Thanks to the project, we've learned how to grow coffee, maintain our fields, and increase production," says Josephine.

"Kahawa Bora Ya Kivu", or KBYK, is a Global Development Alliance public-private partnership with communities in the South Kivu Province of the DRC. It is led by Catholic Relief Services, in partnership with the Eastern Congo Initiative, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and other local partners.

The project aims to expand high-value market opportunities and reduce vulnerability to hunger and environmental degradation for 6,000 smallholder coffee farmers. The project brings together key stakeholders along the coffee value chain, including farmer cooperatives, processors, exporters, buyers/roasters, research institutes and government entities.

Photo by Michael Stulman/Catholic Relief Services