Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

A Water Well Without a Pump is Useless

 

Pump operation and maintenance is critical for continued safe water.  Twice this week, I have had discussions that involved pump operation and maintenance phase after a water well have been dug or drilled.  Lack of pump repairs and maintenance have rendered many water wells useless.

As the first water well is finished and place in operation, pump maintenance training should begin.  Pumps need to inspected regularly.  Spare parts needs to be provisioned with each completed.

Pump maintenance should be funded by the water well beneficiaries.  Therefore, a small usage fee will need to be collected.

   

Handmade Clothes: What Size Do You Wear?

 

About 20 years ago, I had three business suits handmade.  They were purchased through the Army  - Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) while I was stationed in Germany.  Except for an polyester exercise suit ordered and handmade in Korea, I could not never afford handmade clothes.

Then I went to Congo where, only handmade clothes are available.  Except for used clothes shipped from western countries, there is no such things as store rack clothes or shoes.

Twenty years later, I can afford handmade clothes again.  But this time, I am supporting the local seamstress.  Actually, she is the sewing class teacher.  My clothing orders provide training and a source of income. 

Sometimes Your Favorite Food Can Be Good For You

Congolese and American are alike when it comes to food.  We each have our favorite foods.  And we will each our favorite food everyday even it is not healthy for us.

I love fried chicken.  I can eat it everyday.  But you know that it is not good to eat fried foods like fried chicken everyday.  However, I wish I could eat it more.

Congolese love to eat bidia, the local cassava or manioc staple.  They will eat it every meal.  However, it is not too nutritious.  But now Congolese can add dried leaves from moringa tree to their bidia to improve the nutritious content.

 I wonder if the leaves or seeds of the moringa tree can help me!

Shoes are Just Leather Bandaids

 

Most Congolese children run around without shoes.  When you see them, you immediately feel pity.  You want to do something.  Most people get excited and decide to give them shoes.

Shoes will not solve the problem.  In a short period of time, you will need to buy them another pair of shoes.  The cycle will be repeated forever unless you get at the root cause of the problem.  The root cause is poverty.

It is easy to collect and give shoes but it is hard to solve the root cause.  Suck it up and do the right thing!  It is pitiful that the children have no shoes but they are not going to die from lack of shoes.  Therefore, it is not wise to just bandaid the problem with shoes.

A Time to Compare Notes and Plan for More Safe Water

When I meet my friend Harmut at the end of April, it will be a time to compare notes and plan the next steps to bring more safe water to central Congo.  I met Hartmut at the Rotary Club of Kananga's weekly meeting in 2007. 

A German native, Hartmut was in Congo to implement a hand-drill water well project.  He was there to do the near impossible or at least do what no one had done lately.  Water wells are not common in central Congo.

In the interim, we have passed notes and experience by email and postal mail.  In the last two years ago, safe drinking water became a reality.  Now we are the point to share lessons learned and develop plans for the future.

Church is a Time of Learning for Children

 

You know that going to church should be a time of learning.  You learn scriptures and the stories of the Bible like the Easter story.

As I sat and watched this familar story, I thought about the learning experience for the Congolese children.  I have never seen a colt or donkey in the Congo.  Domestic animals are plenty much non-existent.  So it was a real learning experience for these children. 

Wanted: Blacksmiths in Rural Congolese Villages

    

Most of us remember the backsmith from watching western movies or shows.  They primarily made horseshoes and other stuff for horses and wagons.  They even made stuff the house and farm.  A blacksmith would make you anything made of metal. 

There are no horses in Congo but blacksmithing is alive and well in Congo.  Blacksmiths make farming tools like hoes and shovels.  They make building tools like hinges and brackets.  They make hunting weapons, too.

Due to the poverty and the lack of manufacturing firms and factories, blacksmithing is needed in the village.   

The Health Plight of Congolese Women

"The lifetime risk of maternal death for a woman in a least developed country is more than 300 times greater than for a woman living in an industrialized country."  The State of the World's Children 2009

 

Some key statistics about Congolese women:

1.  Women live longer than men by 6 percent.

2.  Women are less literate than men by 33 percent.

3.  Lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 out of 13 women.

4.  Only 85 percent of the women have antenatal care at least once.

Congolese women are more likely to die during their lifetime.  Pregnancy and maternal births take their toll on these women.

The death of women put the Congolese family and children at risk.  Culturally, blended families pose higher risk to the children.

Reducing the maternal death for Congolese women must be a priority issue.  Congo Helping Hands' mosquito netting program and baby packet program aim to get more expectant women in the hospital and health centers for health care coverage.     

Boys Like to Pose With Their Dream Vehicle

 

What's the vehicle of your dream?  Some of us dream of a boat, motorcycle, a fast car, or big truck.

Dreams are important to all of us.  They give our life purpose and meaning.  Also, it can give us a inner drive to succeed.  You start to plan how you can acquire it.  You ask questions.  You close your eyes and you see yourself in your vehicle.

Do Congolese boys have dreams too?  Yes, I think so.  I think they dreamed about bicycles, motorcycles, big trucks, or maybe even a Landcruiser.  Now, they can dream about owning a Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV).  The BUV is the newest vehicle for boys to dream about!

Boys (and men) around the world like to pose with the vehicle of their dream.

Children Should be Healthy and Literate

 

What is the future of these children from the village of Mpata Mbamba?  I was in their village for the grand opening of the Mpata Mbamba Health Center.  But, what are their educational opportunities?

In the Congo, only two our of three children are enrolled in primary school.  And only about half of these children reach the fifth grade.  In the secondary schools, only one out of four boys is enrolled.  And only one of six girls is enrolled in secondary school.  Children need to be healthy and literate in village of Mpata Mbama located near Bulape.  The reality is even worse in the rural villages.