Josephine Chakupewa owns almost 200 coffee trees in Kahungu village in Eastern DRC. As a cooperative member, Joesphine is receiving support from CRS' KBYK project, so her harvest improves each year.

"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