Field Trip

Im back in Kampala...relaxing and reflecting on the first 3 months in the Congo. This time last week I was in the middle of my first field trip, which proved to be very eventful. Myself and Karin visted the town of Wamba, about 2ookm North of Isiro, to visit some Medair projects going on in that area. The roads were terrible, the car broke down, we got stuck and even managed to visit some Pygmy villages. This is where Medair's programmes have become a bit blurred between emergency and development programmes. We have constructed some health centres, helped to provide some medical kit and trained some of the medical staff. Wamba is not an insecure area, but is desperately poor.


The road from Isiro to Wamba. Not exactly the M1. Its about 200km. It took us 11 hours.

Crossing the Poko river. North Eastern Congo.

A pygmy village. About 20km north of Wamba. There are about 50,000 Pygmies living in the forest that surrounds Wamba. They try to live their traditional lives as much as possible, but they are extremely poor, their tribes have been ravaged by illnesses such as leprosy and terbuculosis. They are a forgotten people, ignored by the government, reached only by a few NGO`s, missionaries and some inspirational individuals.

Im at the back of this picture with 2 friends, Dr.Jose and Fr.Justin, a Catholic priest. Both reach out to the Pygmy community, with pastoral and medical care. Some of the health centres have even built small huts for the Pygmies, as they feel uncomfortable inside the normal hospital strutures. Its small acts of community like this that really give me hope for the Congo. Individuals reaching out in love to transform lives. Amazing.


The Pygmies still hunt with the bow and arrow, poisonned lethally at the tip. This picture was also supposed to give you some idea of their size. The health centre in Wamba, built by Medair.

Inevitably we got stuck on the way back home. It looks more like a river than a road.

Effects of the War, Isiro

Yesterday myself and my friend Karin managed to take some photos in the old rail station in Isiro. Built by the Belgians, amazingly, it was operational until 1996 when rebels completely destroyed and looted it. It has never been used since. Too far away from Kinshasa to matter, it has never been restored. You can imagine what it was like in its heyday. Now just another symbol of a shattered infrastructure

The railway. You can see the power cables. Completely overgrown and left in ruin.

More pictures of the rail lines. I was stood on the platform taking the photo, but even that has been overtaken by jungle.

Not sure what this was. Could have been a taxi, or a bus to transport passengers. Its lying in the grounds of the station.

One of the train carriages, in the old maintenance warehouse

Some of the old machinery sat in the workshop. Apparently still in resonable condition, but it cannot be used because there is no power or fuel. The guy with me used to work at the station, since 1972 so he told me. They have not been paid for years, but him and few others turn up every day to guard the equiment and show people like us around. Can`t imagine there are many visitors. I have to say i don`t understand why they turn up everday. He told me they went on strike a few years ago but they were completely ignored, so eventually they just came back, presumably as they were unable to find jobs anywhere else. Maybe they have some blind hope it will be restored one day. Crazy!!!

I think this was a generator. Now just left there, never used. What a waste!!! More transportation. Burnt out and left to rot. In the grounds of the station.

The old entrance to the rail station. You cant really see it here, but there were obvioulsy some gardens in front of the station. They are completely destroyed now.

One of the old buildings still standing at the station. 1000 employees used to work here apparently, they exported coffee, soap, fruit all over the Congo.

Old fuel tank.

The old ticket office. Abandoned.

The reality

The reality of working in Africa can be quite difficult. There is a steep learning curve, it can be challenging and exhausting. I remember, back in Manchester a few months ago, I was talking with family and some close friends, how I needed a fresh challenge, that God was calling me to something new, away from a secure, comfortable, happy environment at home to something more unknown in Africa.

mmm..be careful what you pray for? No Im joking, so far I`ve loved every minute of my time with Medair in the Congo. Through the ups and the downs, I have a great sense that im in the right place and God is really at work. There are definately challenges to working in this part of the world though. I am enjoying being stretched in many different directions.

The strongholds of poverty and dependency can mean that a lot of poeple are out for something. When they see a white face, they see dollar signs. You have to be very careful about you present yourself and the organisation you work for. Its very easy, with a Western mindset, to see the material needs here....money, clothes, school fees etc. There is a huge danger of setting a precedent if you decide to give some support to one individual. Even letting somebody use your internet can cause problems...before you know it you have the entire community asking if they can use your computer, at all times of the day. Its almost expected. Knowing how to manage these expectations is a skill I am still learning.

Then there is the problem of corruption. Its endemic in Congolese culture. Mobuto, when he was in power, said in a national newspaper "If you want to steal, steal a little in a nice way. But if you steal too much to become rich overnight, you'll be caught.". Mobutu was a notoriously corrupt leader, rumoured to have stolen over $5bn. There is a natural level of mistrust and suspicion in Congolese culture. Meeting with Congolese customs officials in recent weeks has been a testing experience. Naturally, the office in Isiro seems to have made up its own rules, they are completely different to the rules employed in Kinshsasa. We had a tricky situation, trying to prevent some of our motorbikes being impounded. We managed to negotiaite our way out of it, with some prayer and divine intervention helping us on our way. They really wanted us to pay the fines more than anything else, despite the fact that that we are a humanitairan organisation here to help the Congolese. Also our motorbikes are pretty important as our medical supervisors use them to get out to the field. Aarghh!!!

Managing Congolese staff can be challenging. Proactivity, initiative, planning, all key activities in Western organisations, are ofthen skils that are missing here. These are, of course, generalisations but management skills, especially when managing projects, seem to be a particular area where we can really develop capacity. Timetables, schedules, deadlines are not really followed. Communication can be frustrating as well, especially when you have staff based in several locations. There is a real opportunity for capacity building here

Im loving all the challenges so far though, and I still have lots to learn. Its a steep learning experience, no doubt about that. I will be ready for my holiday, at the end of August. You certainly need the regular breaks when working out in the field.

For What Its Worth

I have just finished reading Simon Guillebaud`s `For what its worth`. Simon has been a missionary in Burundi for 8 years, living through some pretty interesting, dangerous times. The book is essentally a call to radical discipleship, to complete surrender of your life to Jesus. The book brings out some interesting points, many of which i was contemplating when deciding to come to the DR Congo with Medair.

Following Christ was never meant to be easy, comfortable or safe. Its supposed to be tough, real and impacting.

`Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a 3 piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fabrics, choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing yourself in a miserable home, nothing more than en embarassment to the selfish brats you`ve spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future.Choose LIFE`

This, of course, come from the closing scene of the cult film Trainspotting. Its raw and cynical and relfects the grim pessimism which embodies the films central character, Renton, a heroine addict. While this is not representative of most people lives in our modern society, his sentiments that life are meaningless resonate with many. His escape is drugs, to get away from the mundane, but what choices do we have?

The choice I was confronted with was to follow Jesus, to really follow and trust my life to him. To go to the Congo or not. Either that, or settle, settle for less than what God had for me. Many Christians fall into this trap. They turn up for a church on a Sunday, they live a comfortable life but they are not fulfilled in their relationship with Christ, they complain and wonder why? My hope for myself, and for you, is that we can live a life where opportunites are seized, gifts maximised, risks taken, obstacles overcome, storms weathered, people impacted, and most importantly, our calling is filled.Choosing life involves embracing and enjoying Gods awesome creation and the opportunities life presents us with. As followers of Jesus, we have the choice to embrace or reject a life of puropse, fulfilment, meaning and challenge. Are we going to settle for the safety of existing, where life is comfortable, or will we choose to embark on the adventure of really living. Jesus is calling each one of us. will you say no or will you say yes?

Kivu, Rwanda and the Genocide

A few people have written e-mails asking me if have i met Hutu`s and Tutsi`s in the Congo. So I just thought I would write a little piece to explain the complexity of the political situation in Eastern Congo and why I have not met any Hutu`s and Tutsi`s. It makes my head spin a little but I will give it a go.

Isiro, where I am based, is located in Haut Uele Province and there are many tribes in this area. All living peacefully alongside each other, it seems. Of course, this region is now suffering because of the LRA attacks. Especially as you head further North towards the town of Dungu

Medair`s main base in the Congo is in a town called Bunia, in the Ituri Province. The two main ethnic groups in this area are the Hema and Lendu people. The conflict in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi people is now well known throught the world, after the genocide in 1994 and events since. People tend to know much less about the conflict between the Hema and Lendu tribes, which was at its height in North Eastern Congo between 1998 and 2007.

If you head further south to the Kivu provinces, North and South, this is where you will find the ethnic hutu and tutsi people living. The FDLR (Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda) are now the prominent hutu force in this area. Some of the guys fighting for this militia fled Rwanda after committing the atrocities in the genocide, they are formerly known as the Interhamwe. Others have joined as well.

In recent times the CNDP (National Congress for the Defence of the People), have also been operating in the Kivu`s. They are Tutsi rebels, apparently protecting the tutsi population. Their infamous leader, Laurent Nkunda, is an ordained Christian minister! In a famous piece of political manoeuvering, he was arrested in Rwanda in January.

As you can see its pretty complex. There are many other abbreviations as well. FARDC are the Congolese army, UPDF is the Ugandan military. I could go on...and you also have to think about the abundant supply of natural resources in the DR Congo and who wants to control what...that discussion is for another day. I can`t think of many other parts of the world which need the transforming power of Jesus as much as this forgotten part of Central Africa.

I have added the map as well, so you can see how the geography fits.

The Congo problem - infrastructure

One of my colleagues in the DR congo was recently on a field trip, for a construction project. Some of the photos above show you some of the challenges the team faced as they tried to drive across the Congolese roads.

Immediately you can see some of the problems faced by the DR Congo, particularly the Eastern Congo. The infrastructure is just devastated. Kemal Saiki, a United Nations spokesman, said recently that the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not "even have 2,000 miles of roads" . That is staggering, for a country the size of Western Europe.

For a distance of 210km, from Isiro to Dungu, it can take 2 days to travel one way when its been raining. You may think I exaggerate, but as you look at the photos above, you can see what the reality looks like for most people here in the DRC.

Infact, most people who do travel domestically in the Congo travel by air. Its by far the quickest way to get around, though not an always very safe way to travel. The domestic airlines here have an appaling safety record.

For wealthy `mizungus` like myself this doesnt really present a problem, as Medair, my organisation can pay for flights with international carriers, such as MAF or we can get access to donor flights. For the majority of Congolese though, it presents massive challenges. Conflict ongoing for the last 12/13 years has exacerbated the problem. As you can imagine, it can be very difficult to reach people in rural, remote communities, especially when you have cargo such as medical aid to deliver. Also, when there is an emergency what do these people do? its not always that easy for them to get the help they need.

Private and commercial road transport is almost non-existent and traffic is scarce. The few vehicles in use are run by the UN, aid agencies, the DRC government, and a few larger companies such as those in the mining and energy sectors. It makes it very difficult for thousands of people to get access to clinics, hospitals and sometimes shelter. Most people travel by bike, or just walk.

I hope to be going on a field trip of my own in the next couple of weeks so I will have some stories of my own. But i would recommend Tim Butchers Blood River - a pretty vivid account of what it can be like travelling across the Congo

Welcome to the jungle - Pictures of the Congo

One of the main streets in Isiro. For all you Mancunians reading, this is our equivalent to Princess Parkway.

A visit to a local school to present some gifts a colleague had brought from Canada. They even sang the Congolese national anthem for us.

This guy was carrying a coffin on his bike. He told us building coffins was how he made his living. Sadly, he also said it was a lucrative business in the Congo.

Isiro. the edge of town. The jungle is pretty thick already. Very beautiful. However, as you head north of Dungu, the LRA hides out in the forest. The miltary can`t find the rebels there its too dense.

The colour of a Congolese wedding!!!


Can you see that there is a guy riding a bike here..carrying the rack of clothes. Guys like this are a common sight in the Congo...carrying all sorts, bananas, cement, you name it. They are traders - and can sometimes travel for up to 2 week periods to sell their parcticular goods.


The view from the MAF flight. Down below you can see the dense jungle and Lac albert in the distance. i understand the Congo/uganda border splits the lake.


Beautiful Isiro - the forest of North East congo, Haut Uele Province

My team at work. Isaac and Baya repairing the Medair vehicle after a field trip. This is what the roads in the DR Congo do to your car. More on that later.

Joking around with some of the local kids. Pretty cute!!!

The garden in front of our house and the volleyball court. We even have a net..impressive!!!

Me and the volleyball crew. We try to play 2/3 times a week with some of the kids and teenagers from the local community. Its a great laugh and good excercise in the heat and humidity.

The lounge. Where the team comes together in the evenings and for our devotions. And where i spend most Sundays resting on the sofa after a tough 6 day week. Im only half joking!!!

The special bucket shower we use in Isiro. In fairness, it works very well

My new home above. The base in isiro. Welcome to the jungle - North Eastern Congo