Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Containers in the Bush

Typical building in the bush to not last too long.  They only last about two to three years. We are searching for more permanent or semi-permanent building materials.

Lately, I have been discussing an adverse effect of using shipping containers as housing here in the US.  I have argued that using shipping containers have created a shortage of shipping containers needed for shipping stuff to places like Congo.

If we had more containers maybe we use some of them for school classrooms.  They would last forever.  WOW, I may have to see how much it would cost to transporta container to the bush.  Typical material handling equipment (MHE) can be replaced by hundreds of Congolese men.

Actually, I have seen a few containers in rural Congo.  And I have wondered how they got there.  They got there somehow.

There Is School Tomorrow

Hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and just a strong wind can easily damage a rural Congolese school to the point of no "school tomorrow."

About two weeks ago, a strong storm came across Congo.  It caused death and destruction to a rural village near Tshikaji.  I think the same storm traveled out in the South Atlantic Ocean and started its northern trek.  Maybe that same storm became Hurricane Earl.

A different country with better construction practices was not so deadly or destructive.

Let Them Stare

Don't stare!  That's what my mom said.  But when you see something interesting or something you have never seen before, it is natural to stare.

Children, teenagers, and young adults have lots to catch up on.  The Belgians left the Congo following Independence in 1960.  After the exodus, the country's infrastructure has been steadily declining.  Roads, cement buildings, running water and electricity are things of the past in most rural villages.  Therefore, most younger people may not have experienced such things.

So, let them stare and dream about a better future.

One Step at a Time

 
  
If you answer the first word of a crossword puzzle, you may get a hint of the next word.  As more words are completed, the hints or partially revealed words become more visible.  You are not getting smarter but it feels that way.

In rural Congo, children going to school need a help getting the first word.  They may need help with the second, third, and fourth words.  But sooner or later, school becomes more doable.

The first word may be a scholarship to help pay their tuition.  The second word may be notebook paper.  Each need individually is not so great if you take it one step at a time.

Good Neighbors

 
This is the season for floods, severe thunderstorms, and hail.  Also, trees fall on houses and cars.  But these acts of God can be covered by insurance. 

In rural Congo, these acts of God cause damages, too.  However, there is no insurance company or agent to cover your losses.  So what happens, the villagers have to get together and try to rebuild.  Here is the land of real 'good neighbors'.

It's a Multi-Functional Hoe

So what is he doing?  That's the question someone asked me recently when I was briefing a potential partner.  I had to think about it for a while.  Because I had to translation this rural poor Congolese man's action into a developed world action.

In the developed world, we have many specific and varied tools to do a job.  We do not just have one Phillips or one flathead screwdriver in our tool box.  We probably have many of each type with different sized blades, different shaft lengths, and different handles.

But it in rural poor areas of Congo, you have fewer tools.  Therefore, your tools do multi-tasks or multi-functionals.  You can use a hoe to plant crops, dig a hole, or cut a log pole from a longer tree.  Or you can use a machete to dig a hole or cut a tree down.

The poor make do with what they have.  They survive.  

Poverty Keeps Them Behind

 
When we buy a new car, it's a newer or upgraded model.  You can't buy a new 1985 Ford Mustang.  In spite of your desire, you can only buy a new 2010 Ford Mustang.  But the newer model has more safety advances.  It is less polluting.  So it is better. 

Houses are different.  If you want a 1790's home, you can build yourself a 1790's home.  You can decide whether you want electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing.  It's a choice because you have money, the skills and materials are available.  

In Congo, poverty keeps people in a different time zone.  But if you have money, you can make the time shift.  For example, you can build a house with tin roof instead of roof made from palm fronds.

The Big Bad Wolf Did It!

 

What damaged this classroom school building?  Was it a tornado, a hurricane, or an earthquake? 

We have seen destroyed buildings caused by earthquakes.  And we have seen buildings destroyed by tornadoes.  And we have seen buildings destroyed by a hurricanes.  This building was destroyed by the big bad wolf.  It was a Congolese wolf otherwise known as a strong wind-driven rain storm.   

In rural Congo, building are constructed with sticks, mud, and palm fronds.  The big bad wolf just huffed, puffed, and blew it done!

The Lack of Everything Except Poverty

 
One of the things that hinders project implementation in Congo is the lack of materials.  The availability of building material like wood, cement, and roofing is near-existent.  When it is available, it is very expensive.  A good hardware store would a lot of problems.

But then there is lack of utilities like running water and electricity.  Can I have a public utility company?

And then there is lack of infrastructure like roads, trains, and planes.  Can I have transportation company, too?

How To Make Mud and Stick Walls

 
It takes patience and dirty hands to build a mud and stick wall for a rural Congolese house.  The work can be done by women or men. 

Strips of bamboo are tied to the supporting poles of the wall.  The strips are put on both sides of the support poles to create a slotted wall.  Then it's play time.

You make mud and press it into mud balls.  The balls are put in between the slotted bamboo walls.  The mud fills the wall to give it a solid appearance.

The mud and stick walls work well for a while.  Then, the sticks rot away or the mud wash away, or both.  Then the walls come tumbling down.