First Sister City for Bonobo Peace Forest Community!

"Through friendship and cooperation between the citizens of Falls Church and Kokolopori, we can help build a more peaceful and just world and help preserve our planet's rainforests and wildlife,"says Ingrid Schulze, who initiated this inspiring partnership.

In many ways, Kokolopori and Falls Church could not be more different. Kokolopori is a remote hamlet of 25 traditional villages without electricity or automobiles, located in the worldís second largest contiguous rainforest, sometimes called "the second lung of the earth." It is also the site of the 1200 square mile community-managed Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve.

We hope that the Kokolopori-Falls Church partnership can provide a model for other American towns to adopt Bonobo Peace Forest communities as "sister cities." The partnership is an expression of hope about the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country whose people suffered through the worldís most devastating conflict since World War II, but recently held its first democratic elections in 45 years.

Community projects underway are already making a difference! [more]

On April 19, about 300 people gathered for a festive and fun benefit reception at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, for Kokolopori, Falls Church City’s “sister city” in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The purpose of the fundraiser was to establish a micro-credit fund to provide loans to Kokolopori entrepreneurs, mainly women, to start small businesses. Organizers say they raised more than $12,400 for the micro-credit fund through the event. Speakers included the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S., Dr. Faida Mitifu; who confirmed her commitment to the Sister City Partnership and to BCI whose work she praised for especially caring about the interests of the Congolese people