Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Clothes and Shoes Matter, If ...

Most of you may know what is a BOGO deal.  You have seen them at the shoe and clothing stores.  It's the Buy One and Get One offer.  Sometimes that's not a good enough deal to get us to buy a pair of shoes or buy another shirt.

Most of our shoes and clothes are fashion statements.  They define who we are or who we want to be.

Shoes and clothes matter when you have the basic necessities of life.  If you DON'T have food, shelter, security, education, health: do you really worry about clothes and shoes.

In poor countries like the Congo, the basic necessities of life is a struggle for too many families.  Therefore, shoes and clothes DON'T MATTER.

The After - Without Seeing or Experiencing the Before

You missed the pain and agony!  It's like seeing the final score.  It's like sitting down to a meal at the table.  It's like putting on a finished dress.

Every time, without seeing or experiencing the before, it seems a lot easier.  You do not see the big deal.   And most often, you show no compassion or have no empathy.

That's why, extreme poverty still exist!

You need to see the before.

The Before - From Scratch

 
In the Congo, the BEFORE could mean so many things.  You see people actually living in the past, the before life.  They live without electricity, running water, or other utilities.

You see them making things.  Today, most of us do not make things like our clothes.  Even cooking a meal is different.  They use raw ingredients like grinding the corn to make flour or meal.  If we have the time and know-how, we may make something from scratch with flour.

After lots of hard manual work and some hours, you may see the after, the finished dress or a cooked meal.

What You Carry On Your Head

I remember studying hard for a test.  Then I would put the book under my pillow while I slept.  Supposedly, sleeping on your book at night would increase knowledge of the subject as you slept.

Now suppose what you carried on your head sipped into your head (brain), then Congolese girls and women would know everything.  I have seen them carry almost everything imaginable on their heads.

However, most of the stuff was meaningless.  What could you learn from 5 gallons of water?  What could you learn from a tree log?  Or your shoes, your purse, a suitcase, or a 55-gallon drum?

But I saw these Congolese girls carrying schoolbooks on their head.  Now, I hope the textbooks could make them smarter. 

Your Congolese Rain-Gear

What do you when it rains?  Most of us grab our rain-gear.  Your gear may be a raincoat, a poncho, or an umbrella.

But if you are in Congo, the rain-gear is something different.  You would grab your plastic buckets, large pans, or yellow water jug.

Raining is time-saver.  Because with the appropriate rain-gear, you save yourself some time.  You may not have to make a trip to a distance water source to fetch water.  You could save over 1 to 2 hours!

Equal Opportunity Starts in School

An all-girls school does not sound too uncommon in the developed world.  BUT in developing world countries like Congo, it is very uncommon.  It is rare to find my girls in school, period.

Schooling and education equal opportunity for jobs and careers.  If Congolese girls do not attend school, they are doomed to second-tier citizens.

A Life of Sacrifices

 

Congolese girls take care of their younger brothers.  They make sacrifices for them.  The sacrifices do not stop.

Congolese girls grow up into Congolese young women.  They marry and start families.  They make sacrifices for their children and their husband.

The sacrifices never end.