Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

How can someone die from diarrhea?

How can someone die from diarrhea?

This week (January 29), I gave a talk at Lawrence North High School.  As part of my talk, I covered the impact of the International Rescue Committee's new mortality study for Congo.  That study estimated that 5.4 million people had died in the last 10 years.  I explained that almost all (99 percent) of the deaths were from nonviolent causes such as malnutrition, malaria, and diarrhea.  One of the students stopped me and asked, "How can someone die from diarrhea?".  I answered by questioning the students as to what does their mothers do when they have diarrhea.  Drink water, eat soups, drink medicated fluids or Gatorade, etc.  I explained in the Congo, mothers did not have those things and could not go the store to obtain them.  Also, they may not have a medical facility (like Community North Hospital or Medchek clinic).  Finally, the water was probably the source of the contamination and would make matters worst.  Therefore, they would die of dehydration.  So, diarrhea is a preventable and treatable disease that can cause death.  Actually, cholera is the disease and diarrhea is a symptom.  Picky-Picky!

Today, I read that southeastern Congo in the Province of Katanga.  Home of RICHEST mining district in Congo.  Lubumbashi, the capital is the second largest city in Congo.

Doctors without Borders (MSF) reported the following via Reuters. "Since the beginning of January, MSF has recorded more than 1,700 people with cholera in the cities of Lubumbashi, Bukama and Likasi. All these people came from the poorer areas where bad hygiene conditions, combined with high population density, contribute to the flaring up of this extremely contagious disease.  An alarming situation for a contagious disease that kills up to 50 percent of patients, if left untreated." http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/MSFIntl/120160597272.htm

Another news report put the death toll about 60 deaths and over 2000 "reported" cases.  http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_mZVe7yblgr94tqsiTYDhhnw7Dw

Your Minute for Congo, February 3, 2008

This week, I am asking you to pray for the Congolese children who take care of their younger sisters and brothers. As a result, many of these children probably have witnessed the death of their younger brothers and sisters.

Attached is a bulletin insert for use.  Download 02-03-2008.pdf

Blessings to you, Woody

A Vision of Bulape and other Congolese Villages

Social Entrepreneurship in a War Torn Country, by Social Edge, January 8, 2008. (Hosted by Dr. Antonia Neubauer (January 2008))  http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/responsibility/war

"Despite 13 years of warfare in Nepal that has claimed more than 12,000 lives, READ Global has flourished, funding library, community centers and small businesses in 45 communities across the country. "

Rural Education and Development (READ) provides a CONFIRMATION and REAFFIRMATION of our vision for Bulape, DRC.

The Sound of Dying Children

Half of the Deaths in Congo Were Children under 5 Years Old.
--What does over 2.5 million dying children sound like?

The International Rescue Committee estimated that 5.4 Million people died in Congo since 1998.  Most (99 percent) of the deaths were preventable and treatable like malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, or starvation.  Even more shocking, half of the deaths were children under five years old.  http://www.theirc.org/news/irc-study-shows-congos0122.html

I can remember my kids crying when they were hungry, sick, or just plain-old tired.  It was gut wrenching cry.  We did anything and everything to stop their agony and crying.  I was lucky to have the resources to stop the crying whether it was food, warmth, or medicine.  A Congolese mother, father, or a older brother or sister is not so lucky.

Unfortunately, I have seen dying children in Congolese bush hospitals.  They were not crying because most of them did not have the strength to cry.  They would just lay there with "that stare".  In a sense, they were the lucky who made it to the hospital.  Even then, some made but lots of them did not recover.

Woody M. Collins

Your Minute for Congo - January 27, 2008

This week, the International Rescue Committee issued their new mortality study on the Congo. They estimated that 5.4 million people, mostly children less than 5 years old, have died in the last ten years in the Congo. (That's the population of any of the following states: Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, or Minnesota.) But the two-week Peace Conference held in Goma yielded a signed cease-fire agreement. Now, that's the light at end of the tunnel.

Download 01-27-2008.pdf

Please pray for the young children in Congo.

Blessings to you, Woody

Breaking News: Shocking report from the Congo

Dear Friend:

A major mortality study released Tuesday by the International Rescue Committee revealed shocking information about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Congo. The study, which is being reported by major media outlets around the world, found that conflict and humanitarian crisis in Congo have claimed the lives of 5.4 million people since 1998 and continue to leave as many as 45,000 dead each month - making it the world's deadliest crisis since World War II. An article about the study in the New York Times this week highlights comments by Dr. Richard Brennan, health director for the IRC: "The Congo is still enduring a crisis of huge proportions... the international engagement has to be sustained and committed for years to come... Is it possible that as few as five million people died? It's much more likely that 5.4 million died. But the exact number isn't as critical. This data can help us understand the scale of the problem and target our solutions to save lives."

For complete text of the New York Times article, click here: http://ga3.org/ct/g1NJIC71I42H/NYTimes

MSNBC offers a multimedia report on the IRC's Congo mortality study: http://ga3.org/ct/tpNJIC71I42T/MSNBC

Also, we encourage you to take a look at this BBC News photo essay by the IRC's Peter Biro: http://ga3.org/ct/t7NJIC71I42Y/BBC

To access the IRC's full report, Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo - An Ongoing Crisis, click here: http://ga3.org/ct/gdNJIC71I42G/CongoCrisis

Thank you, The International Rescue Committee

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If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for International Rescue Committee at: http://ga3.org/irc/join.html?r=C1NJIC7qhX9pE

IRC Study Shows Congo’s Neglected Crisis Leaves 5.4 Million Dead

5.4 Million, that's the entire state of Colorado dead over the last decade!

"Children bear the brunt of the DRC's health crisis. They constitute half of the deaths, even though they make up only 19 percent of the DRC's population." That's the story! Visit the IRC website to view a powerful photography presentation and Dr. Brennan's video interview.

Congo, the forgotten and neglected crisis.

IRC Study Shows Congo's Neglected Crisis Leaves 5.4 Million Dead, January 22, 2008.  http://www.theirc.org/news/irc-study-shows-congos0122.html

"Triage: The Dilemma of Dr. James Orbinski"

Although they did filming in Goma, DRC (eastern Congo), the rape victim interviews will not appear in the film.  Film TRIAGE!

Sundance 2008 Interview: Patrick Reed.  http://www.ioncinema.com/news.php?nid=2608

The rapists roam the streets

Rapists roam the streets for the price of a goat!  Rapists are from the military, civilians (the old and the young), and police. 

"The rapists roam the streets” , IRIN News, January 21, 2008. 

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=76338

That’s my dream

A young girl comes home from the library. She carries a picture of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. She tells her mama about his struggles and accomplishments. She translates the key points of his famous speech into their native tongue for her illiterate mama. That’s my dream.  Download a copy this article. Download a_young_girl_comes_home_from_the_library.pdf