Global Orphan Foundation to launch insect farm in DRCongo

Indianapolis, IN – Global Orphan Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing orphan care and orphanage support around the globe, will be launching a micro insect farm next month, in the capital city of Democratic Republic of Congo. This farm will be one of the first of its kind in Kinshasa.

In partnership with Farms for Orphans (Loveland, CO), GOF will begin farming Palm Weevil Larva to supplement the diets of orphaned children they currently support in Kinshasa. Palm Weevil Larva, known locally as Mpose, are a staple in the Congolese diet, but are not widely farmed at this time. GOF and Farms for Orphans have planned for this farm for close to a year, working with experts from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and University of Kinshasa.

The Palm Weevil Larva will be farmed in an adapted shipping container on land owned by GOF in DRCongo. Later this year the farm will become a training center to help orphanages to start their own micro insect farms, allowing for greater autonomy and sustainability within the orphanages.

DR Congo is home to an estimated 4 million orphaned children. A quarter of all children in Congo are underweight, and 1 in 7 will die before the age of five, with malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies being the leading cause of death. Palm Weevil Larva are high in protein, iron, amino acids, and essential micronutrients – the United Nations purported that insect consumption could be the answer to world hunger in a 2013 report.

“We’re excited to take this next step in helping to care for some of the world’s most vulnerable children,” said GOF Executive Director, Nicole Brandt. “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to help orphanages in Congo to meet and exceed the basic needs of the children they care for, and we are confident that this program will be life-changing."