Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

What the Future Holds?

Children are the future.  It does not matter if their American, Haitian, Sudanese, or Congolese children.

In the case of Congo, children face many obstacles.  Lack of health care, education, safe water, and development are critical for their future.

As the world grows smaller, the divide between the haves and the have-nots widens.  Therefore, the scope of suffering will increase.  And our view of the suffering will increase, too. 

Everything will be amplified.  The needs of poor will be amplified.  But the ways and choices to make a difference will be amplified.  You will just need to act.

Rural Water Wells Are THE ANSWER

Water is essential for health, education, and development.  Water is the enabler for better health.  Water is the enabler for girls education and women equality.  Water is the enabler for sustainable development.

Water is nature's gift.  Congo has an abundance of water.  But water is not equally distributed.  Water is the hidden gift, too.

In rural Congo, rural water wells are needed.  We need to make water available to everyone.  We need to let water be all it can be to everyone.

Seeing Is Believing

 
Lots of things seem strange or just out of place in Congo.  Sometime, it is hard to tell what is fact and what is myth.

Congo has vast mineral and natural resources.  They are wanted by the western industrial complex.  In a capitalist run world, they are valuable.  Is it fact or is it myth?

Congo is at the bottom of the human development index of world countries.  It was ranked 176 out of 182 countries.  Is it fact or is it myth?

If you don't see death or suffering, you believe there is none.  If you don't see illiteracy, you believe there is none.  If you don't see poverty, you believe there is none.

How Many Men Does It Take?

 

You have heard the jokes.  They are almost as famous as the knock-knock jokes.  It's the "How Many Men Does It Take To?" jokes.

It's no joking matter in Congo.  There are thousands of men sitting around to do anything.  So it is a matter of how many men you can afford to pay versus how many men does it take.

You are torn between doing the best job with the best equipment versus doing the best job more labor intensive equipment.  How many men does it take to drill a well?  If I use a LS300 rig to drill a well, it takes four persons (male or female).  If I manually drill a well, it takes 9 to 12 strong, young men.

It's a dilemma. 

Walking to Get Water So You Can Work

 

Water is needed for construction projects, too.  Generally, we think only about water for drinking.  However, water has many other uses.  In Congo, you can not assume water is available. 

Before these women begin working on their guest house, they had to walk to get the water.  Then they had to bring the water to the construction site.  Most of us would be tired from just going to get the water and bring it to the construction site.

Now they are ready to start the real work of building mud walls to their guest house.

5 - What's the Difference Between 49 Years and 233 Years?

A child born today is expected to live to 46 years old.  Since 1970, life expectancy in Congo has virtually remained the same.  During the same period, it has increased in almost every country in the world.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo observed its 49th Independence Day on June 30th, 2009.  The United States celebrates its 233rd Independence Day on July 4th, 2009.  That's the difference between 49 years and 233 years of independence.

The Future of Congo is Standing Still

 

What does the future look like for the poor Congolese people?  The future of Congo is on hold.

The world have continued to progress and move forward.  In sub-saharan Africa, some things have changed in last few years.  In the Congo, little progress has been made.  In fact, a few things have gone worst.  For example, the life expectancy of the average Congolese dropped from 46 years to 45 years.

How do we going to reverse these trends?  You have to eliminate extreme poverty.