It's very hard for health care facilities to break-even in their operations. Making a profit is unheard of. Everything seems to suffer from catch-22. They have poorly staffed and supported facilities due to their poorer clientele.
Their clients just do not have disposable income to spend on health. Poor families gamble with their health. They wait until the last minute or until conditions are beyond worst before going to the doctor or nurse. They believe it will get better tomorrow. Unfortunately, they die before tomorrow comes.
I'm confused about the purpose of this site. Is it to inspire more debilitating "charity" to Africa? Because what our land needs is international policy changes that ensure that the resources of the continent are not at the mercy of the West, but in the hands and control of the African people. Africa is beyond wealthy. The people are not "poor". They are exploited and being stolen from.
If we want to "help Africa", we need to lobby our governments to ensure that international policy represents the interests of AFRICAN PEOPLE, and not the EUROPEANS. Until then, no matter how many schools and water facilities people build and no matter how much "charity" is given, African people will continue to suffer the exploitation of Europe and China.
If you want to help, demand and lobby for policy changes, NOT more charity!
Posted by: Account Deleted | March 19, 2011 at 02:18 PM
This site is about plight of the people, the masses of poor people living in rural areas. I'm speaking from my experiences while visiting Congo over the last 13 years.
Stopping blame the other governments, and start with the current African leaders. Congo is in shambles. It's a crime. Resources, both internal and those given by external sources have been squandered. As a result, the people live in extreme poverty.
The African leaders and governments need to get its act together. If it was not for charity, millions more of Congolese poor people would be die. Most Africans in the diaspora have forgotten Africa. They rarely participate in the change where they are living. They should remember, to those who have been given much, even more should be given in return.
Posted by: Woody M. Collins | March 20, 2011 at 03:15 AM
Your argument is disingenuous. As long as African leaders are forcibly corrupted or outright assassinated by Western nations when they stand for the sovereignty and riches of their land and their people - Lamumba, Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lamumba, Ruben Um Nyombe - then Africa will be in the state it is in.
You oversimplify the matter, like a typical American with a superficial understanding of geopolitical/economic politics. It does not matter that you've been there 13 years as a doctor, missionary, or otherwise. You clearly have a typical, superficial understanding of a situation that's much more complicated than you let on to be.
"African leaders need to get it together". Let me tell you something. Million of Congolese have already died, at least six million since the 1990's to be exact. Our people have been slaughtered in a genocide that is financed by the US and by Europe! It is carried out by Fortune 500 companies and US/European governments that arm groups so that they can destabilize the region, remove the people from rich lands, and then steal our wealth, right before our very eyes.
How are African leaders with no weapons of their own supposed to fight against the West?? Those who have "their act together" are immediately assassinated.
Our people receive no damn "charity". Any "charity" that is given is smoke and mirrors - and does not equate to the riches they are taking from our land while simultaneously committing genocide against our people to obtain those riches and remove us from the land so that we won't be a problem.
How can a doctor in the region be so shamelessly ignorant?? You are as bad as missionaries, and a disgrace to the Congolese legacy in the Americas! You support giving 1 dollar in charity, while simultaneously stealing 1000 dollars from the people while wiping them out so they don't prove an obstacle from you in the future.
Our coltan, bauxite, uranium, gold, diamonds, oil, your country and the rest of the rest wants all of it and any African leaders brave enough to stand in their way will be maligned by your media to justify that leader's removal and assassination. While ignorant people such as yourself tsk-tsk at how our leaders need to "get it together".
You are a disgrace.
Posted by: Tesene | December 24, 2011 at 05:28 AM