CRS - Multisectoral Assistance in the Kasais - CRS passthrough for INGO forum CRS- Sektorsövergripande stöd i Kasaï The population of Lupatatapa in the province of Kasai Oriental is very poor and suffers from malnutrition despite the area's rich natural resources, fertile land and great potential for self-sufficient agriculture. 
The province is rich in minerals, mainly diamonds, however this is not benefiting the local population who suffers from chronic poverty. There is also lack of knowledge of agriculture, livestock and fishing to sustain themselves. The province is characterized by poor infrastructure with non-existent roads, and an inefficient transport system which makes it difficult for small-scale farmers to transport their commodities. 
Catholics Relief Resources (CRS) asked Sida for a grant of SEK 55 696 948 for the current project during the period 2021-2024.
The intervention is a multi-sectoral aid project that primarily aims to reintroduce sustainable agriculture to improve the income of communities in 99 villages in the territory of Lupatapata. The crops covered are maize, soya, sweet potato, moringa and poultry farming.
CRS will not limit the project to agriculture but intends to adopt a holistic approach to favour positive development, social inclusion and governance with emphasis on the inclusion of women in governance and in all development activities. Sustainable agricultural production and livelihoods will lead to increased food security in the 99 villages targeted by the project.
CRS will work with local non-governmental organisations to increase technical knowledge in the area, develop village cooperation in governance and connect the different groups of producers. 
The expected results are:
- Communities will be equipped to maintain social cohesion.
- Community-level governance structures will be strengthened, active and linked to government services.
- Households will adopt improved nutritional practices. Communities will produce more food for consumption and sale.
- Communities will mobilise resources to access nutritious food.
- The 99 villages concerned will prioritise gender inclusion at community and household level.
The Swedish Embassy will contribute with up to 57 716 948 SEK for the implementation of the the Tudikolela project during the period 2021-2024. Befolkningen som lever i Lupatatapa i provinsen Kasai Oriental lider av fattigdom och undernäring trots områdets rika naturtillgångar, bördiga mark och stora potential till självförsörjande jordbruk. 
Provinsen är rik på mineraler, främst diamanter, men paradoxalt nog lider befolkningen av kronisk fattigdom och det finns bristande kunskaper om jordbruk, boskap och fiske för att livnära sig. Provinsen kännetecknas även av dålig infrastruktur med obefintliga vägar, och ett ineffektivt transportsystem vilket gör det svårt för småskaliga jordbrukare att transportera sina råvaror. 
Catholics Relief Resources (CRS) bad Sida om ett bidrag på 55 696 948 SEK för aktuellt projekt under perioden 2021–2024.
Interventionen är ett multisektoriellt biståndsprojekt som främst syftar till att återinföra hållbart jordbruk för att förbättra inkomsterna för samhällen i 99 byar på Lupatapatas territorium. Grödorna som omfattas är majs, soja, sötpotatis, moringa samt fjäderfäuppfödning.
CRS kommer inte begränsa projektet till jordbruk, utan avser anta ett holistiskt tillvägagångssätt för att gynna till positiv utveckling, social integration och samhällsstyrning med betoning på att kvinnor inkluderas i styrelseformer samt i alla utvecklingsaktiviteter. En hållbar jordbruksproduktion och försörjning avser leda till ökad livsmedelssäkerhet i de 99 byar som projektet riktar sig till.
CRS kommer att samarbeta med lokala icke-statliga organisationer för att öka de tekniska kunskaperna i området, och utveckla byarnas samarbete vad gäller styrning samt koppla samman de olika grupperna av producenter. 
De förväntade resultaten är:
- Gemenskaperna ska bli utrustade för att upprätthålla social sammanhållning.
- Styrelsestrukturer på gemenskapsnivå ska stärkas, bli aktiva och kopplade till statliga tjänster.
- Hushållen ska använda förbättrade näringsmetoder. Samhällen ska producera mer mat för konsumtion och försäljning.
- Gemenskaper ska mobilisera resurser för att få tillgång till näringsrik mat.
- De berörda 99 byarna ska prioritera genderfrågor på samhälls- och hushållsnivå.
Den totala budgeten för insatsen uppgår till maximalt 57 716 948 SEK för genomförandet av Tudikolela-projektet under perioden 2021–2024. The intervention is multi-sectorial and aim to reach 99 villages with integrated development package. The packages largely aim at reducing food insecurity from an agricultural perspective but also addresses livelihoods, nutritional needs, gender issues and social cohesion aspects.
The global objective is the revival of sustainable agriculture, essential to reduce poverty, to ensure food and nutritional security for the populations of 99 villages of Lupatapata (in the Mukumbi health zone) and to generate sustainable jobs and income. More specifically, three major priority areas have been identified:
Communities are equipped to maintain social cohesion. (ii) Communities adopt improved nutritional practices and produce more food for consumption and sale. (iii) 99 villages prioritize gender inclusion at community and household level.
The activities (i) will help the communities to establish or reactivate their Community Animation Cell, to develop a set of key village development plans and to connect the communities to the main government services and structures. These activities will provide the foundations for villages and their members to describe and implement a shared vision for their village and establish renewed and strengthened relationships with key local government stakeholders.
Households adopt improved agricultural practices to increase production. The project will support smallholder farmers in each village to organize themselves into PO (producer organisation) using training on the CRS SMART Skills curriculum.  SMART Skills teach farmers a range of skills to improve their livelihoods, including how to organize into groups, use natural resources sustainably, market produce profitably, manage finances, and save money and organize credit, all while identifying, testing and adopting innovations. SMART Skills enables farmers to make the most of their resources and to prepare for recurrent shocks and chronic stresses. The SMART curriculum is skills-based and organizes these topics under five key skills: (Group management/organization, Natural Resource Management, Finance, Marketing, Innovation).
Communities promote gender inclusion in governance activities:  CRS will seek greater female participation across SO1 activities by including the training of “Gender Champions” to act as community-level advocates for increased awareness of issues relating to gender equality. The 198 Gender Champions - a man and woman nominated by each of the 99 target villages’ CAC in consultation with the village chief - will participate in a three-day training in Mbuji Mayi on topics including SGBV prevention, the importance of joint decision making among couples, changing norms around child and forced marriage, among other topics identified during the gender analysis included in the baseline assessement.