Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

A Rare Chance to Sightsee Along a Good Road

 
Most of us would prefer to travel via an interstate highway if we are going great distances.  In Congo, a vast country the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River or the size of Europe, there are no interstate highways.  There is not even an interstate railroad.

There are even few examples of good state roads.  Most paved road or streets stops at the city limits.  Dirt and sand roads, actually more like trails, are the norm.  Because of the erosion caused by rain and poor drainage, roads become impassable quite frequently.

It takes 9 to 17 hours to travel about 170 miles from Kananga, the West Kasai Provincial Capital, to the village of Bulape.  The roads are so bad, you literally have to hold-on in the vehicle to avoid injury.  There is no time to sightsee.  But occasionally, the road is good enough to take a picture.  Above is a rare picture of a good road in rural Congo. 

Would You Choose A Small Commuter Plane To Fly?

Do you like flying in a small commuter plane?  When I lived in Sierra Vista (Arizona), the town operateda small municipal airport.  The airport had commuter service from Sierra Vista to Phoenix.  The distance of just over 180 miles which equated to 3 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours of driving.  You other option was Tucson, about 70 miles away.  Tucson have regular jet service like Phoenix but few flights and connections.  You had a choice!

What about Congo?  To get from Kinshasa to Bulape, you have choices too.  You can fly from Kinshasa to Kananga but just 3 times a week.  You will probably fly in a MD-80 formerly owned by TWA or some other American airline.  Then you have to drive, 9 to 17 hours from Kananga to Bulape.  The total minimum transient time is two days if all the stars were aligned.  (NOTE: The stars are never aligned in Congo!)  Normally, its three days at best.

You other choice, you can fly from Kinshasa directly to Bulape in a small commuter-type plane.  It carries up to 9 people or less.  Mostly, it is less due to its weight restriction.  Everyone and everything is weighed as you get on the plane.  When the pilot reaches maximum weight, the doors are CLOSED.  The transient time is just four hours including a refueling stop about halfway at a remote mission station.

What's your choice, 3 to 7 days (or more) flying in a modern jet and long drive by 4-wheel drive vehicle; or flying a small commuter plane for four hours?

Flying To The Bulape Village Airstrip

 
A small single engine plane can land at the Bulape Village Airstrip.  I forgot the airport identifier used by the Mission Aviation Fellowship's pilot.  After flying over the airstrip twice for a visual inspection, the pilot landed on the slightly smooth patch of ground.

There are only the bare ground at this rural village airstrip.  There are no maintenance hangers or other facilities.  There are no fences to keep the villagers or their animals off the landing strip.  There are no TSA screeners or security personnel.  There is no flight arrival or departure gate, or baggage claim area. 

After flying over the jungles of central Congo, you are glad to be back on the ground.  You are glad to be greeted by almost every man and most of the children who are not attending school.  You are not late or early, you are just thankful to be there.

The Last Two Miles Are The Most Difficult Two Miles

 
Have you ever lost a bag on an airline?  My bags have only been delayed and temporarily misplaced.  The trip to Congo is over 8,000 miles one way.  For them to arrive in Bulape requires patience, a grand strategy, quick tactics, and luck. Sometimes you never know where your luggage will ultimately end up.

The bags contain the normal stuff like clothes and personal toiletries.  But it also contains comfort items like kool-aid and snacks.  Finally, it contains tools and supplies needed for projects. 

The last two miles of the journey are sometimes to a project site located deep in bush surrounding Bulape.  Then it is a step back into history and the 1800's when each bag was carried by a porter through the jungle.  The paths are sometimes impassable except for by foot.

You Are Living In A Time Shift Hours Equal Days

Clocks are useful for measuring time in minutes and hours.  What do you use when want to measure time in hours and days?

It takes days to travel 170 miles by trains.  It takes hours or days to reach a hospital or health clinic.  It takes hours to get five gallons of water.

You measure nothing in minutes.  Therefore, clocks and watches are useless devices.  In Congo, you are living in a time-shift.

Visiting the Rural Areas of Congo May Become More Difficult

Travel to rural Congo may become more difficult.  The Congolese authorities are hassling the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).  Actually, they are preventing their airplanes from taking-off.

Traveling by road is nearly impossible.  And when possible, it takes a long time.  For example, it takes 9 to 17 days to travel the last 150 miles from Kananga to Bulape.

Being able to charter a flight with MAF from Kinshasa directly to Bulape eliminates 2-3 days from the trip to Bulape.  Also, it is eliminates the pain and adventure of driving on the very bad roads in rural Congo. 

With MAF, a two week trip to Congo is feasible. 

Ready For the Airplane Ride (Day 3, July 25)

Today, I had a reunion with an old dear friend from Indianapolis. I visited our Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) which is sitting in the warehouse in Kinshasa. This BUV has traveled around the world from Indianapolis to Kinshasa. The trip to date has taken over a year. However, the BUV has actually been driven less than a mile. Our BUV has traveled by U-Haul utility trailer, ocean container, and truck. It is ready for the next leg of its trip to Kananga by air.

In June 2007, it made the trip from Indianapolis to the Development Marketplace 2007 Competition in Washington, DC. There it was visited by the World Bank's Rural Transportation specialists and competitors.

After leaving the competition, it went to New Windsor, Maryland to the IMA World Health warehouse to awaiting shipment to Congo. To prepare for its ocean voyage, the fuel tank was drained and its battery disconnected. Unfortunately, it sat in the warehouse until late March 2008 before being packed into a container bound for Congo.

Now, it's finally in Kinshasa ready for the next trip by air to Kananga. When it arrives in Kananga, it will be road tested for the 150 mile road trip to Bulape.

In Bulape, it will be given to the Bulape Hospital in a ceremony. The BUV will be used to transport patients and medical supplies to and from the outlying clinics.

Congo is Swapping SIM Cards (Day 2, July 24)

Yesterday, I slept too much on the flights to Brussels and Kinshasa. I got settled in bed and slept for about 2 hours. Then I was wide awake. So I caught up on some reading. Also, I tried to think what was happening with those SIM cards.

At breakfast, I talked to three missionaries from Wilmington, DE area. They have been here for about 2 weeks and were heading back tonight. They gave me a quick update on life in Kananga (provincial capital of Kasai Occidental), my next stop on the way to Bulape. They reported that corn is in very short supply in the town and surrounding area of about 2 million people. People are lining up early in long lines to get a chance to buy corn. There is not much corn for sale. They heard that the near-famine conditions are resulting from poor transportation, namely, the train system from the farming area around Mweka and Bulape into Kananga. The bicycles can not move enough corn to market.

Also, they mentioned that Hewa Bora Airlines. Congolese premier airline and only airline which HAD BEEN allowed to fly to Europe was concentrating on maintenance issues. They have had a number of crashes in the past year and had been banned from landing into Europe. As a result, they had cut back on the number of flights in country. For example, they were flying to Kananga just twice a week instead of three times a week. That's good news and bad news. Flying is only way to get around Congo. But arriving alive is better.

After breakfast, I was told that the phone companies would issue me a new SIM card with a new phone number. And it was not possible to get the old number again. I caught a ride downtown when the group went to drop off their luggage. It appears Congo is swapping out all old SIM cards for a new 32k SIM card. I went to the Vodacom shop downtown. It was funny to see these swapping forms printed in English for everyone to complete and swap out their old SIM cards. About 95 percent of the population does not speak English! There was a steady stream of people still swapping out cards.

I presented my case. I just had used the card last July and August. I had left money on the card. And I had used it for about 4 years or so. Therefore, my number was widely used on government forms and etc throughout Congo. As such, it would be hassle for me and Congo Helping Hands. The first lady looked on the computer and noted the account was deleted. I insisted. She passed me to a gentleman who looked on the computer and noted the account was deleted. BUT he kept typing! WOW, a Congolese hacker (wiz kid) is going to get my number back. Then he turned to me and said, "I sent a message to the head office and asked them to give you back that number. I will let you know when I hear from them." Ok, how are going to let me know because I do not have a working phone at the moment. So, he gave me a SIM card with another number. And he wrote down the number to call me.

Next, I had to contact MONUC's Civil Affairs about assisting us to ship our stuff from Kinshasa to Kananga. The paperwork was still in Kananga but it had to be approved here in Kinshasa. I went to visit the Kinshasa POC but he was on holiday. I called the other known person in the Civil Affairs section. She agreed to contact Kananga to see what the hold was after I gave her a copy of what was submitted there. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until tomorrow to get a copy from Kananga email to me. Tomorrow, I hope for more substantial progress.

Also, tomorrow, I hope I get a favorable response from Vodacom. Then I have to go the CelTel shop, too. But I am not attached to that number since I only used it as a back up when Vodacom was down.

A Scary First Night in Congo (Day 1, July 23)

I officially started my trip in Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon (July 22nd) at 1:50pm. I arrived at the airport just over an hour for flight to Chicago, approximately 12:40 pm. I was taken to the self-service machine by the Skycap. By the way, I am traveling with five matching black footlockers. I started the process and it went well until I had to scan my passport. It would not scan, so I had to manually enter the passport information. I entered the information and waited and waited. Oh, no! The machine froze up. I call the agent and then we proceeded to start the process again on an adjacent machine. The passport would not scan, so we manually entered the passport information. Finally, it took and we continued. I paid my extra bag fees and proceeded to the gate.

On the way, I heard my name being paged to return to the American Airlines counter. Oh, no! I identified myself to another agent and she said the TSA inspector wanted my keys to inspect my bags. Ok, I headed down the stairs to the TSA inspection area. I waited outside the door and finally someone came and asked for the keys. Another 15 minutes went by before another inspector returned. "Mr. Collins, I would recommend you use TSA approved locks in the future." Bah, bah, bah. "Also, I would recommend you put your wires and electronic items on top so we can get to them easily." Bah, bah, bah. Yes sir, thank you, those are great ideas for my next trip. Finally, off to the gate again. But I needed to stop at McDonald's for a meal to go. Also, a quick stop in the bookstore for another book.

At the screening table, "You will have check your toothpaste or throw in the trash can." What!? There goes my new 4 ounce toothpaste tube. After the usually stripping, I passed through the sensor. "Sir, can I check your bag." Of course. Yes, that a high pressure fuel pump for a 1990 something Chevy Tahoe with a 4.3 liter engine and 6 spark plugs. "You are right." Just in time to hear the page, "Mr. Woody Collins, please report to gate B-1 immediately, this is YOUR final boarding announcement." I took my sit on the plane with 10 minutes to spare. Now off to Chicago. I had two hours to burn at O'Hare Airport so I found my book and bought another 4 ounce tube of toothpaste. Also, I enjoyed my last cone of ice cream for a while.

The flight is late. Oh, no, not again. I have two hours in Brussels to catch the flight to Kinshasa. "We decided to change planes for the flight to Brussels. So we had to wait on another plane coming in from Miami. As soon as we service the plane and move the food from the old plane to the new plane then we will depart." Amazingly, we only left an half hour late.

The flight from Chicago to Brussels went well. I slept, eat, slept, eat, slept and got off the plane. Sometime before going to slept the first time, I switched off my phone and installed one of Congolese SIM cards. In Brussels, I found my gate and boarded ontime. The flight from Brussels went well. I slept, eat, slept, eat, landed in the Cameron, slept, departed the Cameron, slept, eat, slept and landed in Kinshasa. It is 6:50pm local time or 1:50pm eastern standard time. It has taken 24 hours!

I switched on my phone as we were taxing to our designated spot on the tarmac. There are no gates at the airport in Kinshasa. As I was walking off the plane, I noticed that my phone was still not functionally. Oh, no, I forgot to get an immigration card. The stewardess thought I was Congolese or she thought I was sleeping too good to be awaken. Ok, back up the stairs to the stewardess to get an immigration card. Oops, the tarmac is not well lit and neither is the custom room. I am alternating between trying to get my phone to get a signal, filling out the card, and moving in the line with a carryon bag and a backpack. I completed the card and blow the ink dry just as the man calls me to the window.

Darn, my phone is still not working. But I got I plenty of time as I wait for my five footlockers. Did they make it? Are they still sitting in Indianapolis with that recommending TSA inspector? Are they in Chicago on the wrong plane? Are they sightseeing in Brussels? DARN, my phone is still not working! No problem! Where is my protocol officer to get me through the Congolese custom inspector? The Congolese inspector do not make recommendations! Where is he? Oops, I can not call him because my phone is not working. Ok, I just bought a new phone, so I will put the SIM card in the new phone. DARN, NEITHER PHONE IS WORKING! Where is my protocol officer? The vultures sensing my panic and politely ask me can they help? Ok, I got another Congolese SIM card. I quickly install it in one of the phone. SHOT, IT IS NOT WORKING EITHER!!!! My protocol office arrives just as the first of my bags are coming around on the conveyor belt. Finally, all five footlockers are gathered. The two porters pushing five footlockers across the floor, protocol officer and I are ready to negotiate our way through the Congolese custom officials.

I purposely lag behind. The porter start pushing the footlockers through the opening between the concrete benches. "STOP!" The protocol officer goes to work explaining, smiling, explaining, pleading, but no to avail. "Open one of them." Finally, I step forward and hand over the keys to the protocol officer. Oops, I should have marked one of my footlocker as the token footlocker. DARN, I forgot. We open one of them. My jeans on top, two boxes of ink refill, lots of knit bandages, and a laptop in a styrofoam box. The Congolese inspectors picks up an ink refill box, looks at the bandages, and disgusting throws it back in the footlocker and waves us through. AMEN!

They packed the footlockers in the station wagon and just that quick we are heading into Kinshasa. I sit back, take a deep breath, and say a quick prayer of THANKS. Its dark and you can not see anything if there was something to see on the trip to MPH (Methodist Presbyterian Hostel). The first 3-4 miles from the airport is one of the few four lane divided highways in the country. May be time for another quick nap!? Maybe not, I look down the road and it appears cars are on our side of the divided highway. Did our drivers cross over the median? What is happening here? The oncoming lights draw nearer and they are on our side of the road. Then I look to the left in a panic just in time to see a road crew paving the other lane in the dark. NOW that's scary, not just paving a road in Congo but doing it at night with out lights.

Darn, the phones are still not working. My first stop tomorrow will be the Vodacom office. There is nothing else to do but go to sleep, AGAIN.