Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Another Type of Adoptive Parents Needed

I have seen a plenty of Congolese children that need to be adopted.  But they were not officially available or advertised for adoption.  They were just ordinary poor Congolese children who were trapped in poverty.

Most of them were not parent-less or orphans.  Their parents were not just too poor to provide for their basic needs.  Many of them were malnourished.  Many of them were not in school.  Many of them were not dress properly.  Many of them were destined to be poor parents, too.

These poor Congolese children need someone who cares for them.  They need a new type of adoptive parents.

A Deadly History Today

Congo is stuck in the 1890's.  If you read history or fictional accounts of Congo, lots of those things have not changed.

Malaria is still a big killer of people.  You could easily die from the disease with chills and fevers added for effect. 

Water is still not available everywhere.  You could be required to get water from a stream or a watering hole.

Food is still not readily available everywhere.  You could easily starve to death.

Of course, rural Congolese live that way everyday.  Step back into a deadly history today.

Surviving Without Water

 

You probably have heard stories of family living without utilities (water or electricity).  We wonder how they survive.  We pity the family.

In rural Congo, almost all families live without water and electricity.  Let's explore the situation with no water.  Do you wonder how they survive?  Well, many do not survive.  They die from water-borne disease and sicknesses.  Do you pity them? 

Do something about it!  Visit Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo on Facebook.

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.

Empower Girls to End Poverty

 
Mostly boys are allowed to go to school.  Therefore, almost all boys finished secondary school.  That's the reality of education in many developing countries.  Girls are discouraged from attending to school.

In rural Congo, educational opportunity for girls are worst.  Also, business opportunity almost non-existent.  Girls are trapped in poverty. 

Educating girls should be a priority.  Girls have the power to end poverty.  We must empower girls.

Dreams Can Come True

 
What's the Congolese Dream?  It's more than a stick and mud house with a thatched roof along with two goats.  It's much bigger.  Incidentally, it sounds a lot like the American Dream.  It's a dream of from poverty to a better quality of life.

However, the Congolese Dream is a lot more cloudy.  And it going to take a lot of hard work to achieve.  And it going to take some luck, lots of compassion, lots of money, and a lots of time.

All of that does not matter because it is still their dream.  We know that dreams can come true. 

Making Lemonade

At some point in time, you have to move on and do with what you got!  You can't wait for ever!  When you only have lemons, you have to forgot about the fruit juice and just make lemonade.

Once upon a time (about five years ago), I was really excited about the Millennium Village Project.  It held out the promise that we could end extreme poverty by 2015.  The project has done well but it has not scaled up to really end extreme poverty.

The Millennium Villages Project was launched at scale in 2006 and now reaches nearly half a million people across ten countries.The goal is to show how an integrated approach to community-level development can translate the international MDG agreements into ground-level breakthroughs throughout rural sub-Saharan Africa.

There is no Millennium Village in Congo, a country of over 64 million people.  That's about 38 million Congolese living in extreme poverty. 

We will continue to make lemonade.

Look Down Instead of Up

 
Did you know that apples grow on a tree?  Also, oranges and bananas grow on trees.  Grapes grows on vines.  A few people may not know the original of those fruits.

Did you know where dates grow?  They grow on a tree.  Most grow high up in palm trees about 30 to 40 feet tall.  But now, some dates grow a few inches above the ground.

This new variety was imported to Congo.  Initially, it a dream come true of not having to climb tall trees.  However, some say they are too accessible now to everyone.

Rural poor Congolese families extract cooking oil from the palm dates.

Taxes and the Poor

Congo does not have a tax system.  Also, Congolese are among the poorest people in the world.  That's a recipe for disaster and uncommon suffering.  Imagine what your public schools would look like under those conditions.

The people are too poor to afford adequate schools, text books, and school supplies.  The village or local government authorities are too poor to provide adequate schools, teacher training, text books, and school equipment.

Fair taxes and economic development are the long term solution.  But until then, it's a unreal world for the poor.  That's why Congo Helping Hands is there! 

Water Means Survival

In Indiana, we are having a very dry month.  We may break a record.  As a homeowner, I am wishing for some rain.  Oddly enough when it rains too much, I wish for few dry days so I can mow the yard.  I will survive.

In rural Congo, wide swings in the rain pattern cause human suffering and even death.  The poor people do not have water for drinking, cooking, or washing.  Also, lack of water causes crops to fail.  Then people may starve.  They may not survive.