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Congolese women are always working. Most times, they are doing two or three things at once. And it is multi-tasking of a physical nature.
One of functions of a Congolese woman is motherhood. Child-rearing is a popular part-time job. There is no such thing a full-time or stay-at-home mother.
Have you ever seen a person with polio? Unless you have been to Congo or another developing country, it will hard to find a person with polio. That person will be probably in their 60's or 70's.
In Congo, you can find polio victims in their teens. That's a 50 year difference. But today, Congo is polio-free. There are still four countries in the world that's not polio-free.
Today is Global Hands Washing Day. Wash your Hands! Washing your hands stop the spread of diseases and germs. With the threat of a H1N1 pandemic, we have been told to wash our hands frequently. We have taken hand washing for grant.
Everytime I wash my hands I think about my trip to Congo in 1998. I was told to wash my hands frequently because they have some bad germs and diseases over there. Yes, they have lots of bad stuff over there.
In those days, it is typical to do communal hand washing at meals. Communal hand washing is like communal baths I took as a child. To save water, you would use the bath water of a sibling. During communal hand washing, you save water when every uses the same water to wash your hands until it gets too ugly-looking. Then the process starts again.
Most of the Congolese DO NOT observe when in the presence of westerners and health officials. They know and understand the consequences probably better than we do.
And please use plenty of soap.
Most Congolese do not want an handout. Most of them will offer to sell you an artifact. However, here's the problem. Most artifacts are not produced in enough quantity to break the cycle of poverty. So, the artist needs to sell it a higher price. Eventually, he prices himself or herself out of the market.
The poor rarely can produces enough art to break the cycle. The poor have to look to there own community to break the cycle of poverty. Good examples are mobile phones, clothes, basket, shoes, etc. Also, it can be food services and items, or even clean water. These items can be sold to the local community.
What's stopping them? Many times it is the capital needed to expand their market beyond the ones and twos. Microloans or microcredit provide the needed capital to these local artisans and business persons.
Where do you start? Obviously, these children need a lot. They need shoes. They need clothes. They need health care. They need schools. They need food. The list of needs are endless.
With any other those interventions, you will have to do it again and again. There is no end in sight. You have to do it forever, or until you get tired and quit.
Parents need jobs. Congo needs real development and not aid. But the development takes longer.
You were sick but now you feel a little better. A little soup or a lite meal could make you feel even better. Hospital food is so bad or is it?
In Congo, a patient's family is responsible for providing food. That's great or is it? Where do they get a meal? Your home may be miles away and would require your family to walk hours. Of course, it is cold when you get it.
Your family, probably a mother, a sister, or other women, will prepare your meal right outside the hospital or clinic.
Most people have to rebuild their homes because of weathering. They begin to fall apart. The mud on the walls and between the sticks just wash away. The thatch on the roof dries and blows away, too.
But occasionally, you hear about fires destroying a house. Today, I got an email from the village. The hospital driver's house was completely and totally destroyed by fire.
Fires typically start as a result of cooking inside during bad weather. Also, lightning starts house fires, too. That's another hazard of rural Congo living.
