Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Today's Prayer Concern - Add Roads to the List of Killers of Young children and the Poor, March 31, 2008

I thank God every time I think about the roads in Congo.  I have not been involved in an accident or have not witnessed (to my knowledge) a serious accident while in Congo.  It is a constant fear!  Even during the height of the civil war, I was more afraid of an accident that the armed groups at the various road blocks.

For obvious safety reasons, we had to walk across this bridge on the way to Bulape.

Link: Desmond Tutu: Millions are dying on the world's roads. It's time to act - Commentators, Opinion - The Independent.

Meeting today at the UN General Assembly in New York, the world's governments have an opportunity to start the fightback against one of the world's most destructive, yet least reported, health emergencies: the epidemic of death and injury being played out on the world's roads.

The scale of the crisis is not appreciated. In the 10 seconds it has taken you to read this far, another two people have been killed or injured by traffic. Each year, more than 1.2m lives are lost. Over 50m people are injured, many of them suffering long-term trauma and disability. And the numbers are going up.

Every road death is a human tragedy that leaves grief, shock and anger in its wake. To these costs can be added wider impacts. Lost productivity that comes with traffic injuries costs developing countries 1-2 per cent of GDP. Health systems are placed under immense stress. And for the poor, a road injury is often a one-way trip into poverty.

Africa has some of the world's most dangerous roads. There are two deaths for every 10,000 cars in the US, compared to over 190 in Uganda and Ethiopia. Many victims are children and poor farmers in rural areas far from emergency services.

REFLECTIONS:

On March 8, I participated in a telephone conference with Bishop Desmond Tutu.  It was amazing to hear his passion for the poor even from half way around the world.

BEFORE AND AFTER every trip to Bulape, the doctor or other host has stop the vehicle and said a prayer.  The first time it happened, I was taken back a little.  I had never seen anyone ever do that in states.  But after my first trip to Bulape, I knew why.  I could have gotten out and kissed the ground.  WE MADE IT!  However, I knew the return trip was going to be just as bad.

Today, the road ride is most dreaded part of the Congo trip for me.  Now, I have come up with my own ritual.  First, I eat lots of bread and not too much water or coffee for breakfast.  I will accept being hungry and dehydrated for the day.  Second, I get in the vehicle with the best or known driver.  I will walk or commandeer the vehicle before I will let a couple of people I know drive.  Lastly, I pack my painkillers in an easy to access place.  Anything that is uncomfortable will hurt at the end of the trip.

The urban areas, town and cities, are equally as bad and dangerous.  In the bush, I worry about hitting a woman or child walking along the road (more like a path).  In the city, I worry about the same plus other cars.

I read somewhere that more missionaries and aid workers die from car accidents than by bullets, diseases, or animals.   Therefore, the road is the toughest part of the job.

I will confess.  I have wanted to quit or at least thought about quitting because of the roads. 

PRAYER:

Dear God, THANK YOU for taking care of me and my companions on our trips to the Congo.  Please have mercy on the missionaries and aid workers as they travel to bring relief to the poor.  Father, please take care of and heal those injured.  AMEN.

A Microscope that "email" medical images

A microscope that emails medical images would benefit many hospitals and clinics in remote areas in Sub-Saharan Africa like the Congo.

The Bulape Hospital is a remote reference hospital in central Congo.  It supports the Bulape Health Zone which has 30 outlying clinics in really remote villages.

In the fall of 2007, the Ebola virus was contained with the help of Center Disease Control (CDC).  The outbreak started in a remote and rural area in central Congo.  However, the CDC had to fly in a lab to do onsite testing.  Prior to CDC and Doctors with Borders (MSF) intervention, Ebola had spread to other remote areas to include Bulape.

The various viruses could spread world-wide within short period of time.  We should transmit the pictures and contain the virus in the place of origin.

Link: A microscope that emails medical images | Emerging Technology Trends | ZDNet.com.

A team of Chinese and U.S. researchers has successfully applied for a patent for a virtual telemicroscope. It is the only one of its kind capable of emailing electronic slides. It has been specifically designed to allow ‘off-site pathologists to diagnose cancer or other diseases in patients living in remote locations around the world,’ like China, where many hospitals don’t have on-site pathologists. Real systems based on this patent have already been deployed. And the results of the first clinical trials are pretty encouraging. Telepathologists reached the same level of diagnostic accuracy as pathologists using standard light microscopy. Using this software, telepathologists were able to remotely deliver their diagnosis in about 15 minutes.

Today's Prayer Concern - Earthquake Victims are not forgotten by Mennonites, March 30, 2008

The February earthquakes in eastern Congo caused minimal damage or loss of life comparative speaking.  About 100 women and children will be help by the Mennonite Central Committee.

This picture is a rain and wind damaged school in village of Bulape (central Congo).

Link: Press Releases: Great Lakes: Earthquake - Feb 2008, Aid after Democratic Republic of Congo earthquakes.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is providing $10,000 in emergency material assistance to help shelter and care for 100 women and children affected by two February earthquakes in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

On Feb. 2 and 14, earthquakes caused considerable damage in Bukavu, in the Rift Valley area.  According to the Bukavu mayor, the first earthquake killed five people and injured 149. The second quake injured 44 persons, two seriously.

The earthquake either destroyed or damaged a lot of these seriously dilapidated houses. Many women and children have been sleeping outdoors in poor conditions. They are vulnerable to mistreatment, illness and ongoing emotional trauma.

In addition to the material aid, the women will participate in a workshop to learn about constructing safer houses and choosing safe area sites on which to build. They will also have time to talk about their fears, and their children's problems due to the trauma of the earthquake and the insecurity of the frequent aftershocks.

REFLECTION:

Thanks to the MCC those 100 or so women and children have better living conditions.  Blankets, plastic sheeting, clothes, and mattresses will be provided to them.

The two earthquakes did minimal damages to property and life when you consider the events of the last 10 years.  I do not want to minimize the loss of life and property.  Those people suffered, died, and lost their homes and churches.

Also, the MCC will teach women about constructing safer houses and choosing safe area sites.  This area of Congo is very vulnerable to volcanoes and earthquakes.

PRAYER:

Dear Father, Thank you for the lessons of your only Son, Jesus.  Thank you for fellow Christians and Christian organization and agencies around the world.  They serve as your hands, your feet, your eyes, and your heart.  They are your body.  Help us to be better servants.  In the name of Jesus, AMEN.

Pre-Congo, I was a Guest Columnist with the Indianapolis Recorder

When you go to a conference, you go to learn something new or to network with others.

I went to the Bread for the World - Indiana State Conference 2008 "Advocacy to End Hunger in Our Time", March 29.  I went to participate and to present.  My major focus was to present during the Plenary Session: Africa -- Positive Steps / Hope for the Future.  I was asked to do a 10 minute talk about Congo Helping Hands' work.

Also, I went to participate and learn more about being an advocate for the poor and hungry.  I did not go to have a flashback (a bad choice of words) and remember a part of my past.  I attended the workshop on Media --- Why and How to Do It.  It was panel discussion with Laura McPhee (News Editor, NUVO), Dennis Ryerson (Editor, Indianapolis Star), and Shannon Williams (VP, Indianapolis Recorder) .

It was a very good workshop and conference.  All was well with me until the next day, then BAM!  My time as a guest columnist finally got my attention over the current issues of Congo, 5.4 million dead Congolese and millions suffering in extreme poverty.

From March 7, 1998 to April 9, 1999, I wrote a column every other week for Indianapolis Recorder, America's fourth oldest surviving African American newspaper.  The column, In Case You Are Asked, was technology column in the Business section.  It was a learning forum for small businesses about technology issues.

During the same period when I was a guest columnist, I got involved in my church's mission work in the Congo.  I made my first trip to the Congo in August 1998 and my life was never the same.

I wrote a short email to Shannon to thank her for the bring back to consciousness my time as a guest columnist at the Indianapolis Recorder. 

Dear Shannon,

Thanks for participating in the Indiana Bread for the World Conference. It was a pleasure to hear your exciting perspective.

Your presentation brought me back to the Indianapolis Recorder. I wrote a bi-weekly column for the Indianapolis Recorder from March 7, 1998 to April 9, 1999. That's a part of my life that was REPLACED by my current work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

I made my first trip to the Congo in August 1998. Upon my return, I remember talking to a staff member about that life changing event. The old Woody was fading quickly.

Sorry, I did not get a chance to talk to you. But I was trying to do double duty both as a presenter and a participant.

Thanks for the flashback. Everything happens for a reason.

Today's Prayer Concern - Is the Fox Watching the Chicken Coop?, March 29, 2008

This does not make sense.  The Congo Army was repeatedly charged by the UN for human rights violations.  Now, the UN tells the Congo government to report its own violations.  Is the fox watching the chicken coop?

   

A mother hen and her newborn chicks in a carrying box.

Link: AFP: Rights group slams UN for dropping DR Congo observer.

GENEVA (AFP) — A leading human rights watchdog on Friday slammed the United Nations' decision to end the mandate of its expert envoy for human rights in the war-scarred Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Downgrading the council's work in Congo despite the recent rapes and killings is inexplicable and could have tragic consequences," said Juliette de Rivero of US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement released in Geneva.

Its statement came a day after the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council adopted an Egyptian proposal to discontinue the mandate of Titinga Frederic Pacere, its independent expert for the central African country.

Instead of reports by the special observer, the proposal calls for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government to keep it updated on the situation in the country.

REFLECTIONS:

I can not understand it.  Why would the United Nations decide to remove its special observer?  Why would the Egyptians' propose such an action?

Is the UN being pressured?  Is the Egypt Ambassador playing political and using Congo as a pawn?

Something is not right here.  This looks like a cheap B-movie plot.  The good guy is called off the case just before the bad guys move in to do their dirt.  If so, who is the Congolese government getting ready to move against?

The UN just warned the Congolese police about their actions in Western Congo.  And they have repeatedly warned reported that the Congolese army was committing atrocities in Eastern Congo.

This just does not make sense!

PRAYER:

Dear Father, help me to understand this action.  Protect the innocence civilians who could be caught in Congolese conflicts.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Great Documents from ONE - The Campaign to Make Poverty History

These are two fantastic documents from the ONE campaign.  Get them, study them, and then go change the world, ONE by ONE.   

Link: ONE » Blog Archive » Speaking With ONE Voice.

Over the last year, I have been traveling throughout the Midwest, holding training sessions for ONE volunteers. From Minneapolis, MN, to Bloomington, IN, dedicated ONE members came together in large and small groups to learn how to speak with ONE voice and bring the fight against extreme poverty and global disease to their communities.

After all these trainings, I thought I would share the materials that the other field organizers and I developed for these trainings with everyone interested in raising awareness on global poverty.

Download this document to learn about ONE, the issues and learn what books you can read to get more information.

Then look at this document for ideas on bringing the fight to your community, ONE volunteer guidelines, ways to engage your elected officials and the media on behalf of the world’s poor, and much, much more!

Terre Haute Couple establish Tracy's Heart Safehouse

This is great news for the people of Bukavu.  Victims of sexual violence in eastern Congo need many forms of support to recover. 

Link: Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Wabash Valley missionaries complete Tracy’s Heart safehouse in Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the time it will take to watch tonight’s episode of American Idol, at least one female will have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the United Nations, 27,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2006 in the South Kivu Province of the DRC alone, while many assaults go unreported.

A missionary couple from Terre Haute wanted to help those women and children. On Sunday, their hard work came to fruition when the doors of Tracy’s Heart Center opened.

Brenda Buell and her husband, Ed, of ACM International have been working since last June with various churches to get the center started.

Tracy’s Heart Center is a safehouse in the town of Bukavu, where rape victims can find medical help — physical and psychological.

With the center’s official opening, the group is now training people who will go into the villages to meet with the victims instead of making them go to the city, which can be difficult if they don’t have money or transportation, Buell said.

Today's Prayer Concern - Would You Boycott "Blood Coltan"?, March 28, 2008

Congolese have benefited from its coltan but only as marginalized consumers.  If coltan is certifiable, then they could benefit as its rightful owners.

Will the world step up and demand their iPods, cell phones, and other small electronic gadgets be made from "conflict-free coltan"?

Our Congolese Partner, Justin, talks on his cell phone.

Link: DRC to begin coltan certification in 2009 - Minister.

Democratic Republic of Congo hopes to set up a scheme to certify columbite-tantalite produced within its borders in 2009, the country's Deputy Mines Minister Victor Kasongo said on Tuesday.

The illegal traffic of the rare metal, used in mobile phone chips and commonly referred to as coltan, helped fuel a 1998-2003 war and resulting humanitarian crisis in the central African country that killed an estimated 5,4-million people.

But a new G8-backed and German-financed pilot initiative aimed at creating a mineral fingerprint for coltan could soon help developing countries trace ore that is illegally exported and boost their profits from legal exports.

Kasongo said he hoped a global certification process aimed at ethically-minded consumers would follow. "

All the large companies are fighting for this. They'll be able to display a certificate to prove fair trade. You'll begin seeing many machines, many iPods, that are certified," he said.

Congo plans to use the data to set up its own certification process within the next eight months, which should help the creation of a global system similar to the Kimberley Process set up to end the trade in "blood diamonds" from war zones.

Much of the so-called "blood coltan" originating in Congo was illegally smuggled into Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi during a five-year war that saw the plunder of its natural resources by neighbours and foreign-backed militias.

REFLECTIONS:

A certification process for coltan is great news.  However, will the world boycott "uncertified" products?

What will this certification process do to the price of Coltan?  Coltan has been referred to as "black gold".  Coltan is just like oil, the original black gold.  Would price go up or stay the same?

What happens to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi?  Can their economies survive?

Lots of questions!

PRAYER:

Dear Father, please help the Congolese government to make right and just decisions with this opportunity to control its precious resources.  These resources should be used to better the quality of life of all its people.  Also, give us the courage to stand up and support the certification process.  If certification makes us uncomfortable through higher prices, let us think first about those children miners.  Also, let us not forget the millions of Congolese who have died since 1998 while we enjoyed the benefits of coltan.  In the name of Jesus our Savior, AMEN.

Certification Process for "Blood Coltan" in 2009

Congo hopes to set up a scheme to certify coltan (columbite-tantalite) produced within its borders in 2009.

I am speechless!  AMEN!  There is hope!  I think this would go a long way toward stabilizing the Congo.  WOW!  The Germans are going in Congo on April 2 to start mapping the coltan reserves.

It is essential that the mining contracts review be transparent. 

Link: World News Journal: DRC setting up scheme to certify colombo-tantalite..

Democratic Republic of Congo hopes to set up a scheme to certify columbite-tantalite produced within its borders in 2009, the country's Deputy Mines Minister Victor Kasongo said on Tuesday.

The illegal traffic of the rare metal, used in mobile phone chips and commonly referred to as coltan, helped fuel a 1998-2003 war and resulting humanitarian crisis in the central African country that killed an estimated 5.4 million people.

Today's Prayer Concern - When You Educate a Woman, You Educate a Nation, March 27, 2008

I vote for educating women and girls.  I believe there is some truth to this popular saying.  "When you educate a man, you educate an individual but when you educate a woman, you educate a nation."

This high school senior was vice president of her class at Bulape High School.  She was impressive.

Link: The Tide Online - Challenges, gains of girl-child education.

When you educate a man, you educate an individual but when you educate a woman, you educate a nation. That was a popular saying by Dr J.K. Aggrey, the late Ghanaian educationist and nationalist.

Social analysts predicate this assertion on the belief that an educated woman will impact positively on the family. They argue that she will use such her education to fight poverty, minimise maternal and infant mortality, and raise her children to become responsible members of the society. Ultimately, responsible children coming from such responsible families will ensure a socially responsible society.

The story of Amina Yusuf, a 39-year-old widow, perhaps illustrates the assertion. Amina, mother of five children, is one of the most respected women in her Unguwa village, near Wamakko, Sokoto State. She enjoys such respect because she went as far as junior secondary school. ‘’In my community, my mates who have no formal education depend on my advice concerning their day-to-day problems.

‘’Even at the level I stopped, I stand out among other women in the community. We are denied education because men think it will make us insist on some rights, they feel we must not know much,’’ she says.

For Amina, her fulfilment in her life will be when her four girls complete their education.

REFLECTIONS:

I am impressed by the women of Congo.  They have a big responsibility as mother.  Being a mother involves working LONG and HARD to take care of their family.  Just consider preparing meals, that's a big chore and nearly a fulltime job.  And raising children is an equally big chore.

So women and girls are the backbone of the Congolese society.  I must mention that they are the backbone of the Congolese church, too.  Once, a leading church leader (male) stated "Without the women, there would be no church."

Even if only for equality reasons, we should educate women and girls.  Congo ranks 148th out of 157 countries based upon gender-related development.  Despite a hard life, Congolese women still out live their men.  However, just 54 percent of the adult women are literate versus over 80 percent for men.  As a result, the estimate earned income for a Congolese woman is just over half of her male counterpart, $488 to $944 per year.  Finally, women hold just over 7 percent of the parliament positions in government.

Even in the church, women are kept out of leadership position due to their lack of education.

PRAYER:

Dear God, women have always played leading parts in your kingdom.  In these times, education is a necessary tool.  Lord, I ask for your guidance to promote the educational needs of our Congolese sisters.  Help the next generation women, today's young girls stay in school.  In name of Jesus, AMEN.