Congo re-visited
Hazel Shellens reports on how a Quaker sponsored project in the Congo is making a difference
Four years after my first visit to Friends in eastern Congo, I returned to see what difference, if any, three years of formal partnership between Quakers here and in the Democratic Republic of Congo had made to the lives of those in one of the poorest and most war ravaged communities in Africa – the area around Abeka in Fizi, South Kivu.
The statistics speak for themselves: since 1996, more than six million people have died due to war, famine, poverty and disease. Fighting between government and militia groups continues spasmodically. Rape is used as a weapon of war. One in five children die before the age of five and the maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. There is little in the way of infrastructure and most people have no access to clean water, electricity or health care.
The evidence for this was all around us. My colleague Catherine Putz noted ‘how much we take for granted: water from a tap, electricity with a switch, buses, roads with bridges and without potholes. In Kenya we obtained money from an ATM; in Burundi we changed dollars in an office, with rates of exchange written up on a wall, and received a written receipt; in Congo it was a plastic carrier bag in the market and then there was nothing to buy…’
Changes
Some things had changed since 2008:
- There were goats, pigs and cows on the road between Uvira and Abeka (on my previous visit I had seen no animals – they had all been taken and slaughtered by the various warring groups).
- A brand new frontier post had appeared on the Congolese side of the border.
- The ambulance, bought by the Quaker Congo Partnership (QCP), primarily for the use of the hospital, was impressive – the driver superb. Rivers and potholes were negotiated without difficulty – the former were rising steadily, it being the rainy season, the latter were ubiquitous.
- The sound of the mobile phone had reached Abeka, although there were not many in evidence.
The main purpose of our visit, however, was to see how the £77,000 transmitted by the QCP to CEEACO (Community of Evangelical Friends Churches in Congo) over the last three years had helped the three projects we had agreed to support: the hospital, the trauma counselling scheme and the women’s microcredit project. To our great delight (and considerable relief!), it soon became apparent that the financial input had clearly made a considerable difference.
At the hospital we found a much more motivated and professional-looking group of staff. On my previous visit, most of the staff had not been paid for months and were threatening to walk out. The buildings were in a state of disrepair. There was no electricity, no water supply, few surgical instruments and, virtually, no medication. There are now fourteen members of staff including two doctors, five nurses, a midwife, a pharmacist and a laboratory technician.
Construction
The Catholic Relief Society (CRS) has enabled the construction of a new block, housing the operating theatre and the maternity unit. It is built of bricks that have been fired (as opposed to those made from local clay, which wash away during heavy rains). There is a proper ceiling and the walls are painted white. The beds are reasonably clean and there are mosquito nets. We had to remove our shoes before entering the operating theatre, the instruments were neatly stacked and again the walls were painted. The doctors pronounced themselves well satisfied with both these buildings, although they have a long list of equipment that they would like to have, from an ultrasound machine to more scissors to cut the umbilical cord.
Although there is still no running water, a large water butt (also provided by CRS) captures the frequent rainfall and there are two latrine blocks, provided by Oxfam and Tearfund.
Compared to 2008, the pharmacy was a revelation. It was in new premises, well-stocked and well-maintained. Funds provided by QCP and medicines brought in from America by ‘Dr Kevin’ of EFCI (Evangelical Friends Church International) seem to have made the difference.
The leverage factor
The acquisition of a new generator, a gift from the Codys (former EFCI missionaries in Abeka), has meant that there is light for a few hours in the evening and, also, if it is required for urgent medical intervention during the night. It is, however, costly to run and depends on the availability of the fuel and should really, therefore, only be regarded as a back-up and not as, at present, the prime source of energy.
The single solar panel, new since 2008, functions well, but the battery is apparently reaching the end of its working life and one panel does not generate a great deal of electricity. The installation of more solar panels and a supply of batteries to go with them is clearly a priority.
What was very apparent was that, thanks to the support of the QCP, other NGOs and individuals had been encouraged to support the hospital, knowing that it now had a regular source of income and that staff members were not, therefore, likely to walk out. The leverage factor was clearly at work.
Professionalism
The same increase in professionalism and sense of purpose that we had seen in the hospital was also visible in the work being undertaken by the trauma counsellors. Thanks to a partnership with the Radley Trust, the dozen or so trauma counsellors have undergone two intensive training courses in the last couple of years and the results of this showed clearly in their general demeanour, increased confidence, ability to articulate what they were doing and close attention to record keeping.
Their enthusiasm was infectious and impressive. Writing about our visit to one of the villages, Catherine noted: ‘The children, staff and villagers gave us a tremendous welcome as we walked up the path to the small house, which has an office and a listening room. There was exuberance and vibrancy. There was singing and netball. They told us about their work: one to one, with groups, in schools, awareness-raising in villages. There were flipcharts with information all over the walls.’ The work they undertake with children and young people is of particular importance: encouraging them to speak out about the abuses they have suffered via the Tribune des Enfants Traumatisés, persuading them to join in sport, creative activities and drama sessions with others in similar situations and enabling them to remain in school by supporting them financially with funds provided by QCP. These schemes, together with peer mentoring, home visits and one-to-one counselling, will go some way towards helping these young people grow up into responsible adults, more interested in peace building than in revenge.
Microcredit
The least professionalised (and the least expensive) project supported by QCP is the women’s microcredit scheme. This got off to a shaky start – the supervisor was beset by illness, the training given was not followed-up, the geographical spread of the recipients was such that supervision was patchy and spasmodic and repayments were slow and, on occasion, nonexistent.
Nonetheless, we were regaled by stories from women who had made a success of the scheme: a woman who had used her loan to buy palm oil, which she had sold at a profit to pay for the education of her children; a widow with four children, who had bought manioc, ground it and sold the flour – she had paid back her loan and had $20 in hand having done so. Her dream was to build her own house. Another woman had used the loan to buy haricot beans from some distance away and then sell in her own village, where they were unobtainable. She said the money had helped her a lot and she was doing well.
There was huge enthusiasm for the scheme from the women we met and the two new supervisors, appointed shortly before our visit, were keen to make a fresh start with clearly set-out rules, regular follow-up visits and clear accounting procedures. The QCP committee agreed to this at their meeting in June and the microcredit scheme is now once more underway. We are hopeful that the impetus provided by our visit and the fact that we, the two supervisors and the women involved were able to work out the way forward together will mean that this time round the loans are repaid and the various small businesses are able to get off the ground and thrive.
Working in partnership
So, can a couple of Quaker Area Meetings working in partnership with Quakers in eastern Congo over a three-year period really make a difference in one of the poorest and most deprived areas of the world? Ask those whose lives have been saved because the QCP ambulance was available to transport them to hospital; ask the woman who has been supported by a trauma counsellor since she was raped eighteen months ago and who has received free treatment at the hospital for injuries sustained; ask the children who are in school because their fees are being paid thanks to the microcredit scheme; ask any of the committed staff and volunteers who are working with CEEACO or with the QCP. The answer must be a resounding ‘yes.’ Or, to put it another way: If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito!
For further information contact The Quaker Congo Partnership, c/o Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BA or go to www.quakercongo.org.uk
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.