Promoting Land Ownership Certification in Makamba and Nyanza Lac districts, Burundi

The project aims to establish and operationalize land certification services in the two districts, with a focus on increasing awareness of targeted populations on land rights and local land conflict resolution mechanisms. The project targets landowners in 58 villages of Makamba and Nyanza Lac districts, as well as the districts' leaders and agents of the District Land Service of Makamba. Additionally, 32 village recognition committees in Makamba District and 26 peace committees in Nyanza Lac are involved in resolving land disputes during the registration process. During the quarter of February 2018 to April 2018, the project implemented various activities, including sensitization of the population on land certification, land rights, and women's land rights. The project also organized public meetings, door-to-door sensitization, radio emissions, and performances of sketches to raise awareness on land rights. A total of 119,971 people, including 62,705 men and 57,266 women, were sensitized during this quarter. The project also trained chiefs of ten 'menage' on the role of local mechanisms for land conflict resolution, and informed a total of 122,366 people on the role of local mechanisms for conflict resolution. The project's sensitization strategy was reinforced by conducting public meetings close to places of importance, such as churches or market squares, which resulted in 57,742 people being sensitized. The project's approach to sensitization shows a high level of participation from women, particularly in the program "TUMENY'IVY'AMATONGO YACU," where women participate massively more than men. This program consists of organizing a meeting with the population on colline level, where the representative of the district administration, in collaboration with MIPAREC and ZOA, raises awareness on land certification, the interest of the certificate, and the protection of women's interests in land. The project's progress is in line with the project's objectives, and the project is expected to continue its activities in the coming quarters. The project's success will depend on the continued support of the project's stakeholders, including the Burundian government, donors, and local communities. The project's implementation is being carried out by ZOA Burundi, with the support of subcontractors MIPAREC and IDLO/KIT. The project's geographic coverage is limited to Makamba and Nyanza Lac districts in Makamba Province, Burundi. The project's reporting period is from February 1st, 2018 to April 30th, 2018. The project's results are being monitored and evaluated through various indicators, including the number of people sensitized on land rights, the number of local people living in communities trained on the mediation process, and the number of people informed on the role of local mechanisms for conflict resolution. The project's progress is being reported quarterly, with the current report covering the period from February 2018 to April 2018.