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BENGO

BENGO

MEFP - Maison de l'Enfant
et de la Femme Pygmées.

MEFP

Based in the Central African Republic, MEFP was created in 2000 as an NGO to improve the cultural, social, economic and legal situation of the BaAka indigenous population, especially women and children. MEFP works towards the material, moral, spiritual and cultural development of the Indigenous BaAka Peoples and the implementation of these values themselves. MEFP operates in the following areas:

  1. The promotion of human rights and the specific rights of Indigenous Peoples
  2. Forest Governance
  3. Land Governance
  4. Development action in favour of the BaAka

Past initiatives and projects of MEFP include:

  1. Training of BaAka communities in human rights and specific rights of IPs (2010- 2021)
  2. Access to Justice and Rights (2015-2021)
  3. Training on forest governance and REDD+ process
  4. Translation of legal instruments in Sangö and Yaka
  5. Participatory mapping (2011-2017)
  6. Food Security (2013)
  7. Ambulatory health care (2015)
  8. Prevention of zoonoses (Bengo 2018-2021)
  9. Prevention against COVID (2020)

The association has already carried out various projects in the field of environmental protection, sustainable use of resources, education, health and human rights in the southwest of CAR. The founding members of the association speak Aka and have lived for several years in a BaAka group.

In 2015, together with various partners (including WWF) and funded by the German Development Cooperation (BMZ/Fit), a Human Rights Center (HRC) was created to overcome discrimination and the marginalization of indigenous populations in Dzanga- Sangha. The HRC is managed by MEFP who provides legal advice to the indigenous population, contributes to the resolution of local conflicts and conducts awareness campaigns on the rights of indigenous communities.