Our Story
Godi Godar’s birthplace, Ikoko Boginda, on Lake Tumba, Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Go Conscious Earth emerged from the desire of the people of Lake Tumba to protect their community and environment.
Godi Godar Moteke Molanga of the Bantu Ntomba community grew up in the village of Ikoko Bonginda, at the edge of Lake Tumba in the DRC. As a grandson of the chief, he was next in line to lead, but a vivid boyhood vision foretold him leaving his home, traveling to an unknown land, and one day returning to support and protect his people.
When Godi was sixteen,Habitat for Humanity volunteer, Dean DeBoer, began a three year stay in Godi’s village. There he and Godi learned each others’ language and culture. Dean invited Godi to travel to the US with him. Thus began the fulfillment of Godi's childhood dream. He has lived in Durham, NC since his arrival in 1988.
23 years later Godi’s mother, Nsaba Koko, pleaded with her son to find a way to protect the land, waters, and forests surrounding their village. Logging companies were destroying the livelihood of his people, endangering wildlife, and polluting the air. Koko asked him, “How can we protect our homelands?” With that question, Godi's purpose in leaving his tribe became clear.
Godi Godar and his mother, Nsaba Koko
In response to his mother’s pleas, Godi started Go Conscious Earth in 2012 (Koko died later that year). With strong ties to the local community and the provincial government, he helped secure a temporary agreement to protect a one million acre tract of land surrounding his birthplace and neighboring villages. As of 2018, much of that land has now been converted to Community Forest Concessions, which provides the local people with legal rights to their land in perpetuity. From the beginning, it was clear that addressing the basic needs of the local people was an integral part of long-term forest conservation. Sustainable development initiatives such as clean water, non-timber forest product cultivation, and clean energy have always been at the heart of GCE’s approach.
For many years, Godi and volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect land rights, wildlife, clean water, and carbon rich rainforests. Their success has not only protected the health of people, animals, and ecosystems, but also proven the success of community-based anti-poverty initiatives to the DRC government.
