Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Are They Subject to Any Local Building Codes or Restrictions?

Recently, I sent an email to my fellow Congolese Education group members.  I stated that we (Congo Helping Hands) were recruiting engineering assistance to develop a new prototype classroom for rural Congolese schools.  The classrooms will be built from vinyl and lumber.  The vinyl would come from donated billboard signs.  And the lumber would be milled locally.  We envision this project will help renovate and replace many of the rural schools which are in absolute poor condition.

In response, I got a number of questions.  Here's one of the questions.  Would they be subject to any local building codes or restrictions? 

Here was my answer.  There are no local building codes or restrictions to my knowledge.  Or there are, they are not heeded in rural Congo.  Please see the pictures of the classrooms that we will be replacing. 

In simple terms, these classrooms will replace existing building built with sticks and mud walls, and thatched roofs.  The semi-permanent classrooms may closely resemble a rectangle vinyl tent.

fewer Planes, fewer Trains, and a few Automobiles

 

In Congo, there are very few planes, trains, or automobiles.  Plane and train schedules are post by their frequency per week instead of frequency per day.  Outside of the capital city of Congo, automobiles are few in number, too.

If you are poor and or live in a rural, transportation of people and things are non-existent.  People walk to most places.  People carry most everything.

The lack of transportation makes it difficult to serve the poor.  You have to plan for transportation on any project.  Congo Helping Hands delivered the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) to the rural bush hospital in Bulape.  The BUV is a simple vehicle to operate.  It is cost effective.  It is appropriate technology for Congo. 

The Not-so Fit Have A Better Chance of Survival

 
It is said that only the fittest survive.

Congo is a place where the fittest children suffer to survival.  Diseases and sickness take their toll.  But supposed you were born with a disability, what are your chances at survival?

A number of children are frequently born with disabilities such as hearing impairments.  Immediately, these children are at a greater risk of not making it to their teens.  In fact, many of them are neglected by their parents and others to the point of death.

In a country of poverty, they have less of a chance of making it in adult life, too.  Unless, they were rescued and brought to the Mpandilu Center, a school for handicapped children, located in Kananga.  The center is the latest project site of Congo Helping Hands.

At the Mpandilu Center, they receive educational opportunities and skills to survive in very difficult country.

That Look of Seriousness

Congolese children grow up fast.  Their eyes have that look of seriousness.  Their life is not fun and games.  Some experiences make you serious.

Typically, Congolese children have experienced more deaths, sicknesses, and sufferings than most of us.  They have experienced the deaths of playmates.  They have experienced the sickness of poverty-deadly diseases like malaria and diarrhea.  They have experienced the cries of hungry and hopelessness.

The Future of Congo's Children

Children need the opportunity to be their best.  The opportunity needed in Congo is the bare essentials.  They need access to health care, access to education, and the chance for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

 Children are the future.  Congo have some issues to resolve.  Preparing the children for the future should be given priority.

 But what's their future?  Will the future be different from the past? 

Time waits for no one.  The future will come.  Therefore, there should be a sense of urgency.

Preparing For The Future

 
Most preschool children are busy getting ready for big school.  They may be going to a formal preschool program.  Or they may be learning valuable lessons at home.  Everything is about preparing for the future.

Young Congolese girls, as early as 5 and 6 years old, start learning their adult work.  The little ones learn to carry smaller water containers from the water source.  They learn to carry smaller logs from the bush.   They learn how to take care of younger siblings.  They learn to work hard, too.

Learning starts early in life.  We start preparing for the future early.  Therefore, breaking the poverty cycle requires early intervention.

Electricity For Short Periods of Time

Some people would say there is not much you can do without electricity in a hospital.  You can do a lot.  You just have to ask someone or visit a Congolese hospital.

But actually, a Congolese hospital needs to have electricity.  Today, electricity makes things better or easier.

Bush hospitals in Congo like the Bulape Hospital does not have access to normal electricity as we know.  Some hospitals have access to electricity stored in 12-volt DC (auto type) batteries.  The battery is charged by a solar powered panel system.  The DC current is converted to AC (120-volt or 240-volt) current. 

Critical and needed medical equipment can be operated for short periods of time.