Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Actually, It's Nothing You Can Imagine

 
I have often mentioned that mass transportation of things and people is BIG problem in Congo.  Actually, it is more like non-existent.

There is a train that operates north out of Kananga toward Ilebo.  Actually, there are railroad tracks that travel north out of Kananga.

It is questionable if the train makes the full round-trip to Ilebo and back on a monthly basis.  Actually, it could take weeks to make it to the end of the line.  Also, there is only one train.

There is no passenger bus or train system.  Actually, you can ride in or on top of a railroad box car.

I wish AMTRAK and Greyhound operated in the Congo.  Actually, anything is better than nothing. 

Actually, most Congolese walk.  Actually, most stuff is carried on bicycles.  Actually is what happens on a regular basis. 

Waiting In A Long Line For Safe Clean Water

 
How long would you stand in line for water?  I hate lines.  I hate waiting.  But I would wait in line to get some safe clean water in Congo.

You get safe clean drinking water from a protected water source.  So if there is a fence around the protected water source, would be it be a double-protected water source?

The water source was protected by a fence to control these Congolese girls.  There are always lines of girls waiting on water.  Sometimes as many as 50 girls were standing around waiting to get their container of safe clean water.

After getting the water, the girls walk back uphill to their village.  The journey takes about an hour.  And, the containers weigh close to 50 pounds. 

Can Being "Green" Build A Better School in Rural Congo?

You may have seen the one room school of the old days.  I just can't image how they conducted school under does conditions.  I just had the thought of modern day home schools.  Are these school setting typical of one room schools of the past?

In rural Congo, they use a one building per class design.  Each class has its own building or hut.  This design works great under the circumstances.  First, classes are large and most over-crowded.  Second, the building are constructed of sticks and mud with thatched roofs.  Therefore, they do not last too long before they must be rebuilt every two to four years.

There must be some ways to improve school construction for the rural poor.  Last night, I was inspired by a story of "green".  Can used vinyl billboard signs be used to construct better and longer lasting schools for the poor in rural Congo? 

Where Is The Water?

When you want to water your lawn or your garden, where do you get the water?  You walk connect your hose to the near water faucet.  Probably your water faucet is within 50 feet of the area that needs watering.

In the Congo, there is no water faucet nearby.  So where do you find the water for your garden?  In rural areas, your water source could be 3-5 miles away.  It would take over an hour to walk to the water and more than an hour to walk back.

 The lack of water forces farmers to grow crops only during the two rainy seasons.  And, since crops are not stored, food shortages routinely occur during the two dry seasons.

Preparing A Demonstration Garden

 
Demonstration projects are better than trying to explanation a new technique.  It is especially useful when you are trying to explain the new technique without the benefit of pictures and models.  Also, it is helpful when you believe the procedures are getting lost in translation.

The student body came out to watch the preparing of the demonstration garden.  The garden was to demonstrate how to grow vegetables during the dry season.  In Congo, there are two dry seasons and two rainy seasons.  During the dry seasons, farming activities come to a halt.  No food such as vegetable is grown.  Therefore, there is less food to eat.

We prepared the garden demonstration.  The soil beds were prepared.  The drip irrigation system was installed.  The seeds were planted.  The project was complete and ready for mother nature to do its magic.

Don't Forget To Bring Home Some Wood

 
Many of us hate to go shopping even for grocery.  Also, we hate to carry the food from our car into the house.  But I bet now of us have to carry the fuel to cook the food to our house, too.

In Congo, there is no utilities for cooking such as gas or electricity delivered to your house.  Congolese women have to go and get the wood or coal for cooking, too.  Coal is a luxury cooking fuel.  The poor walk miles to the bush to get wood.  

Fresh Produce On Its Way To The Market

Fresh produce is a good source of nutrients.  Congolese, especially the poor, do not eat a lot of fresh produce.  Why?

Fresh produce spoil quite fast due to lack of refrigeration.  In a country without reliable transportation, it is impossible to move large quantities of fresh produce from the farms to the village or city centers.  Congolese women must take the fresh produce to the market by foot and on their heads on a daily basis.

As a result, farmers grow less fresh produce.  They grow more sturdy items such as rice, corn, beans, and cassava.  Accordingly, the price of fresh produce demands a higher price.  So the poor people eat less fresh produce.