Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Seeds, Roots and Herbs

One out of five Congolese children do not reach their fifth birthday.  That's a tragic.  Rural Congolese families are even more susceptible.  They have less access to traditional health care.

However, these same families have learned to survive on non-traditional medicines and cures.  They have an abundance of roots and herbs.

New roots and herbs are being found daily.  We, Congo Helping Hands, introduced the Moringa Tree for nutrition intervention.  Later, we found that the seeds could be used for simple water purification.  

Ready For My Shower

Indoor plumbing is mostly non-existent in rural Congo.  Everything is outdoor including the showers or bathing area.  Bathing outside in the open air can be scenic.

For some reason, I had never showered outside.  I guess I had avoided bathing while traveling to and from remote bush locations.  Other things like eating, drinking, and staying well were much more important. 

Reasons to eat Locusts

In rural Congo, the poor can not afford meat.  They only eat meat about once a week.  So it is not uncommon for them to eat bugs.  Termites, caterpillars, and locusts are favorites. 

I tried a plate of locusts.  They were not delicious.  But they were not bad either.  I checked the box and put that experience behind me. 

Then I watched this recent speech, "Why not eat insects?" by Marcel Dicke.  He makes an compelling case for adding insects to everyone's diet.  For example, pound for pound insects are more nutritious and healthier.  Also, they easier and cheaper to produce than a pound of meat.

 

Keeping Their Stuff

Have you ever re-gift someone?  Occasionally, you may receive something that's just not you.  You wrap it up and give it to someone who can really use it.

In Congo, re-gifting is not practiced.  If you were a Congolese, you can use everything at some time.  Therefore, it is a matter of saving it until you can use it.

Tons of broken stuff is another unique factor to Congo and many Africa countries.  If you were a Congolese, you would keep everything because one day it may be repaired.  So, it is a matter of saving it until you can find someone to repair it.

Cheap Entertainment

Locust swarms were welcomed in the rural Congo village of Bulape.  In most African countries, these swarms are a biblical disaster.  The children had fun catching, cooking, and eating them.

That night, I noticed one of the locust was attracted to our solar-powered light.  The locust was safe because I was not going to eat it.  Also, I was not going to just kill it. 

The light reminded of the use of bug zapper in southern states.  In Congo, they use a lit candle as a bug zapper.  Just like in the south, they serve as a source of entertainment at night.

The Other Main Dish

A dish of Bidia, cooked cassava and corn meal, is a centerpiece of the Congolese table.  It's the main dish of the meal.  In the developed world and more affluent cultural, the main dish of the meal is some type of meat.  The courses of the meal are set to enhance the favor of the served meat deal.

In Congo, the flavorof Bidia is enhanced by the dishes of greens and beans.  To many, the Bidia is flavor-less.  Actually, Bidia is more like dumplings without anything.  That is, it's like Chicken and Dumplings without the chicken (the meat) and sauce.

As you realize, meat is the most expensive part of the meal.  Hence, the poor can't afford meat.  That's why, there is little or no meat at the center of the poorer Congolese table.

Moving Up the Human Development Ladder

One of the recommendations offered by Greg Mortenson, author of 'Three Cups of Tea' and 'Stones into Schools', is for children to spend hours talking with their elders.  I remember spending about every other weekend with one set of grandparents.  They were some of my most memorable things.

In rural Congo, families most often live together in the family compound.  The grandparents are there.

Some things change as countries and cultures move up the human development ladder.

It's Like The Twilight Zone

Way back, when I was a young boy, I can remember going to visit relatives that lived out in a rural country setting.  (That's the politically correct version.)  They did not have running water in their house.  You had to go out to the water well to get buckets of water.  It wasn't so inconvenient because, for me, it was just for the weekend.

Then I went to rural Congo about 40 years later.  I stepped back into time.  I experienced and saw things that I had not seen for four decades.  I had almost forgot about my past life. 

It was a "Rod Sterling" moment.  But it was not the Twilight Zone, it was real life in the rural Congo today.

Keep the Simple and Get Rid of the Poverty

It's a place without cinemas, theaters, shopping or strip malls, TV, fast food shops, and fine restaurants.  Rural Congo is a simple place for living.

Unfortunately, it is a place of poverty.  There are poor schools, bad hospitals, no roads, poor cell coverage, and a very slow internet.  And there is no electricity and running water, either.

I think most of us would like a simpler life.  But we want a good quality of life.  The same is true for rural Congolese. 

Do You Love Things Made From Scratch?

 
It takes time!  What is it?  It is everything.  In rural Congo, everything is made from scratch.

As you know, things from scratch requires skills and patience.  We love our grandma's cooking.  But it took a long time.  When was the last time, you had some made from scratch.  Mashed potatoes come from a potato and not a box.  Nothing is done in 5 minutes or 15 minutes or even 30 minutes.

Did you know that a leather drum-head is heated with fire to change the pitch?  You have to gather wood and start the fire, just to heat the drum-head.

That's a inner beauty of Congo.