Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

to whom much has been given, much will be required

America is the greatest in the world, according to me, too.  We have been given so much.  Some may think we earned it or deserved it.  That's a point for discussion.  BUT I believe much is required from us.

We are required to help the lift the last billion out of extreme poverty.  We must help them to get to the first rung of development ladder.  Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of those living in extreme poverty.  Extreme poverty kills!  And it has killed millions in Congo.

But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.  Luke 12:48

JP Adams - Entrepreneur.

The book is called "The End of Poverty". In Chapter 1 Sachs talks about extreme poverty. The main thesis is:

"If economic development is a ladder with higher rungs representing steps up the path to economic well-being, there are roughly one billion people around the world, one sixth of humanity, who [are]: too ill, hungry, or destitute even to get a foot on the first rung of the development ladder. These people are the "poorest of the poor," or the "extreme poor" of the planet. They all live in developing countries (poverty does exist in rich countries, but it is not extreme poverty)." (pg. 8)

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the United States.  Let us always be remindful of the requirements that come with being so great.  AMEN.

Another Worker Reports for Duty: Tony Blair 'to devote life to faith'

Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of  the United Kingdom, exercises his religious beliefs.  He started a foundation (Tony Blair Faith Foundation) in New York to unite the world's religions and faiths to end extreme poverty.  First, he wants to fight malaria.

The foundation "strongly encourage all faith and multi-faith groups to carefully consider getting involved in direct service". 

The primary focus of Faiths Act appears to be Africa.  The foundation's relates Faiths Act to James 2:17 (So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.).

Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."  Matthew 9:37-38

Welcome to the field! 

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Blair 'to devote life to faith'.

Former prime minister Tony Blair has promised to "spend the rest of my life" uniting the world's religions.
 
He said faith could be a "civilising force in globalisation", bringing people together to solve problems such as malaria and extreme poverty.

He is launching a "faith foundation" in New York on Friday.

His foundation will attempt to bring religions together to tackle global issues such as the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, which range from eradicating extreme poverty to ensuring environmental sustainability.

One of its first priorities will be to fight the spread of malaria.

Mr Blair said: "If you got churches and mosques and those of the Jewish faith working together to provide the bed nets that are necessary to eliminate malaria, what a fantastic thing that would be.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, please use our collective efforts to show your power and glory.  AMEN.

To End Extreme Poverty, Congo Needs a Transportation System

More than $9 billion will be needed for a "Marshall plan" in Congo.  However, it is good start with $6 billion going to transport infrastructure like roads, bridges, and railways.  Without a good transportation system, Congo is "DOA" (dead on arrival).

I hope they have considered water transportation, too.  The Congo River could be a good transportation asset.  It would be advantageous to link some railways and roads to the Congo River.

Since Congo has essentially no transportation infrastructure, they should start with a blank sheet of paper with only the existing rivers drawn on it.

A good transportation system is the first step needed to start the long journey to end extreme poverty in Congo.

DRC, China unveil 'Marshall plan' : Mail & Guardian Online.

Two weeks ago the Congolese national assembly cautiously approved a $9-billion deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China, but warned that it would be watching closely to see that the country's best interests are protected.

Calling it a “vast Marshall plan* for the reconstruction of our country’s basic infrastructure”, Lumbi told parliament that $3,25-billion would be used to revitalise the mining sector and the state-owned copper and cobalt mining giant, Gecamines.

A further $6-billion will be used to construct roads linking southern DRC, where the copper and cobalt mining industry is concentrated, to northern and north-western DRC, where the country’s main port lies.

At the moment copper and cobalt exports are evacuated through Zambia and on to South Africa or Tanzania.

The country’s poor transport infrastructure has severely hampered economic growth, particularly in the agriculture sector. President Joseph Kabila campaigned on the promise that he would focus on five major “construction sites”, including infrastructure, but one-and-a-half years after his election, little, if any, progress has been made and the slogan has turned into a national joke.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, your divine and wise guidance is needed to deliver Congo from extreme poverty.  AMEN.

Yes, Social Media can HELP end Poverty!

Yes, Social Media can HELP end Poverty!  Social Media can be a great tool to help end poverty.  What is the needed to end poverty is the will and a mass of people to care and act.

The first step is connecting to masses of people.  Social media is a new way to connect people to distant places like Congo.  Then it is up to the NGO to get them to care and act.

Engage: the Carve Blog on Social, Search, Talent - Post details: Can Social Media end Poverty?.

N.G.O's are increasingly using social media to help spread their messages virally across the web, raise awareness and recruiting new supporters to the cause in the process.

Karina Brisby, interactive campaigning manager at Oxfam, said: "Using this widget allows Oxfam to reach out to a wide audience of people who want to make a difference, but might not necessarily be aware that they can do this by visiting our website.

A female German researcher is missing in eastern Congo

A female German researcher is missing in the eastern jungles of Congo.  She was with a group of researcher studying the great apes. 

Armed militia groups have threatened park rangers and others in the past.

She has been missing since May 22.

Bloomberg.com: Germany.

German Researcher of Great Apes Missing in Congolese Jungle
By Franz Wild May 27 (Bloomberg) --

A German woman went missing in the eastern jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo after tracking a group of great apes as part of a research project for the Max Planck Institute.

The unidentified researcher disappeared on May 22 in the 35,000 square-kilometer (13,504 square-mile) Salonga National Park, in Congo's South Kivu province, according to a statement posted yesterday on the Leipzig-based institute's Web site. Fellow researchers and 50 Congolese people are looking for the woman around the clock.

``Against the strict instructions not to separate, the young woman made her way back to the camp alone around midday,'' the institute said. ``The search is difficult and time- intensive.''

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, protect those who take care of the Congolese people and its rare animals.  AMEN.

Ted was not impressed with Kinshasa

Here's another person's view of Kinshasa.  Ted says Kinshasa is a dump. Ted vividly and descriptively tells about his visit to Kinshasa.  Ted discovers the two worlds of Kinshasa.  The haves and the have-nots.  The majority of the people living in the Kinshasa is part of the have-nots living in poverty.

"These people have no chance."

"Today we went out for lunch. A hamburger with fries was $16."

"You can go into the hospital for a simple procedure and not come out alive. According to the Embassy "Welcome" Book, local hospitals do not meet American standards."

"My hotel room is $150 a night and doesn't include breakfast. I paid in US dollars. They only want money that was printed in the year 2000 or later."

"We are paying western prices and the Congolese that are at the bottom of the ladder live off a different economy."

Ted's Running Journal/Logbook: New Sidekick.....

Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of Congo

This place is a dump! I was looking out from the Embassy vehicle as we were driving from the airport to the Embassy and saw a baby in diaper walking in the dirt and thinking how fortunate my niece and nephew are to be living in the US. These people have no chance. The living conditions are so terrible. Trash is everywhere. Streets with big potholes or dirt roads. Crumbled buildings or buildings that looks like they were built in the 1960s or 70s and left to ruin. Lots of people out on the sidewalks or sides of the roads (where there are no sidewalks). There were several truck loads of policemen but they can't be trusted. That is another story I'll share with you later. It doesn't appear to be that people are starving here. There are lots of markets with local produce and food set up. Everyone is dressed nicely and the women wear brightly colored fabrics. Most even have their hair done with weaves. From a western viewpoint, because of the shacks they are living in, the neighborhoods that are lined up along the major road, and the litter along the roads, it looks pitiful.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, I believe with your help all things are possible, even rebuilding Kinshasa.  AMEN.

Cell Phones are a tool against Extreme Poverty

Cell Phones are a tool against Extreme Poverty.  Watch this video and see how.

I have watched the explosion of cell phones in the Congo.  They connect the rural village of Bulape to the world.  Cell phone calls are too easy.

I get one to three communications per week via the cell phone.  It is either a text message or an old phone call.

Alfred State College donates their BUV to Congo Helping Hands

Thanks, Alfred State College!

This video was taken with my HP Digital M425 camera. (Other pictures are shown in BUV Competition photo album.)

Alfred State College, a SUNY College of Technology, won the 2008 BUV Competition. Beyond the design, Alfred State College's vehicle did exceeding well in the demonstration part of the competition. Here's the vehicle going through the final phase of the moguls.

Alfred State College donated this vehicle to Congo Helping Hands. The vehicle will be used in Kananga, DR Congo.

Food wars and the challenge for peacemakers

Congo will be affected by food price crisis because they can NOT feed itself.  From a financial standpoint, Food Agencies donate millions of dollars to feed the poor.  From an agricultural standpoint, farmers in Congo do not produce enough to feed the country. 


Bangkok Post : General news.

"Food wars and the challenge for peace-makers"

THE SILENT TSUNAMI by MICHAEL VATIKIOTIS
 
War and hunger are inseparable: long experience has shown the close relationship between economic distress and the outbreak of conflict. But the solutions the international community tends to apply are mostly political and rarely address material needs.

Everyday concerns of the population rarely reach the negotiating table, in part because the economic and social problems in conflict-ridden societies are extremely complex, involve many actors and can only be resolved in the long term.

So what happens when people are driven to kill one another for food? It's a critical question to ask as the world faces a sudden and unexpected food price crisis that is threatening to plunge millions back into poverty.

For one thing, conflict fuelled by hunger will be more widespread, exerting strain on international agencies involved in peace-keeping and humanitarian work. Food security is already fragile in many African countries and a protracted conflict tends to drift across borders, as we have seen in Sudan and Congo.

PRAYER:

Dear God, enable our rich countries to provide food to the poor as Egypt did during the times of Joseph.  AMEN.

Congo shuts its Belgium embassy over "moral right", May 26, 2008

Belgium says that have a "moral right" over Congo, its former colony.  What is a "moral right"?

Congo recalled its ambassador to Belgium and closes its embassy.  Congo wants to send a strong message.

Belgium chastied Congo over its corruption and privilege few.  Funds are not being used as intended for the poor.

I would like to know what does "moral right" mean? 

DR. Congo shuts Belgium embassy following diplomatic spat_English_Xinhua.

KINSHASA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Saturday recalled its ambassador to Belgium and closed its diplomatic mission there following an ugly diplomatic spat, the local media has reported.

The move was part of a government response to an assertion by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, who was quoted as saying that his country had a "moral right" over its former colony, according to reliable sources.

Earlier this year, in widely published remarks, President Joseph Kabila had told a Belgian newspaper that Belgium would have to choose what kind of ties it wanted with its former colony.

"It will have to decide whether it wants old-style master-servant colonial ties or modern relations based on mutual understanding and respect," said Kabila, accusing the former DR. Congo colonial master of having what he described as a "bad attitude."

 
PRAYER:  Dear Heavenly Father, help us as nations and as leaders to do what is right and to do justice to all.  AMEN.