Posts Tagged ‘DRC’
Global Peace Starts With Us
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to 200 ethnic groups who speak nearly 250 different languages. Its ethnic diversity is matched only by its biological diversity. Rich in culture and natural resources, it’s a beautiful place. Yet, it’s also a country riddled in war, caught up in armed conflict that dates back to the 1960s.
Conflict in the Congo, as with any country, is as complex as it is varied. It ranges from high-level disputes between people groups, to personal disagreements over issues such as land use and resource distribution, to relational discord between community members. At any level, conflict has the ability to disrupt peace within a community and perpetuate cycles of poverty and unrest.
Take Landrine and Neema, for example, two women living in a small village in the DRC. These women were friends and neighbors until a conflict severed their relationship. Neema accused Landrine of having an affair with her husband. The conflict quickly escalated, consuming both of their families and threatening to involve their entire community.
Luckily for these two friends, a Village Peace Committee (VPC) had been established in their community. The women took their disagreement before the committee, received counsel and mediation, and the conflict de-escalated.
Village Peace Committees are part of an ongoing peacebuilding initiative that World Relief has embarked on in partnership with local churches and community leaders in eastern Congo. Each committee is made up of 10 members from various social and ethnic groups in the community. Committee members are trained in conflict mediation and relationship restoration.
World Relief’s peacebuilding activities address community-level conflicts, such as the one between Landrine and Neema, that occur within or between families. These conflicts often involve personal relationships, destruction of property or use of land and other resources. Most critically, VPC mediation interrupts the cycles of revenge that have the potential to escalate to violence or further damage to person or property
In the case of Landrine and Neema, Neema realized that jealousy had caused an untrue story to take root inside her heart. That story lead to a belief that Landrine was sleeping with her husband. That belief led to an accusation, which led to conflict. With the help of the VPC, Neema adjusted her view of the situation by looking critically at the internal narrative she had been writing. This allowed her to see the truth in her relationship with Landrine, and the women were able to find forgiveness and reconciliation with one another.
“We made the decision to forgive each other,” Neema said. “Our husbands…praised the VPC [for helping] us avoid this conflict that could lead to war between two families.”
Today, on the heels of International Day of Peace, we reflect on Neema and Landrine’s experience and are reminded of how much we can learn from the peacebuilding efforts of our brothers and sisters in the Congo.
Peacebuilding works on the assumption that if differences, conflicts and misunderstandings were resolved through a process of introspection and discussion before they escalated, people could live at peace with one another and harmony would reign throughout the community.
There’s no question that our nation is embroiled in conflict at this moment in time. Conflict between political parties as well as the cross-cultural divide happening around issues of immigration have uprooted peace on a national level that has trickled down into our personal lives. Rising levels of violence and the discord we feel when we turn on the news, log in to social media or even sit down to dinner with loved ones can be overwhelming and at times, defeating.
It’s easy to point fingers, to create false narratives and assume the worst of the “other” side. It’s almost natural to take issue with family members who just don’t get it or who we see as less knowledgeable. But as we learned from Neema, communal conflict might be best avoided if we first start with the internal narratives we’ve written, thinking critically about the stories we tell ourselves and being willing to discuss them with others whose views may differ from our own.
Peacebuilding efforts, whether in the Congo or in the U.S, have to start with a mindset change and a desire to live at peace with others, even if it means refraining from our own self-interests.Â
That’s challenging, isn’t it? To consider that a life of peace requires us to put someone else’s interests, or our community’s interests ahead of our own? It’s far easier to believe we’re right and our ideas are correct. But we would be well-served to remember what Jesus said in Mark 9, that anyone who wants to be first must be last, and a servant of all, and to recall Paul’s words in Phillippians that tell us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves.Â
Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. If God is going to grow it in our world, we must first allow him to grow it in us. In other words, if we want a peace-filled world, we must first become peace-filled people.
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
World Relief Calls Americans to Partner in Response to Ebola’s Public Health Emergency Status in the Democratic Republic of Congo
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 18, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Calls Americans to Partner in Response to Ebola’s Public Health Emergency Status in the Democratic Republic of Congo
BALTIMORE, Md. – Earlier this month, the World Health Organization formally declared the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) after the first case was diagnosed in Goma, at the border of Rwanda. Having worked in the country for nearly two decades, World Relief is mobilizing churches in the DR Congo to respond, urging Americans to give with compassion and generosity to serve those affected and contain the virus’s spread.
“Ebola is not just a problem for DR Congo; it’s becoming a global health crisis,” said Scott Arbeiter, World Relief President.“The church has the unique ability through its local engagement and cultural understanding to raise awareness, promote safe health practices in communities and locate those in need in their communities more effectively than the government and foreign NGOs.”
World Relief’s response to the crisis pairs church volunteers with community health workers to repair or replace handwashing stations in targeted health facilities and equip churches with handwashing stations where they are lacking. With 90% of the population in the DR Congo professing to be Christian, local pastors have unparalleled influence to disseminate information encouraging improved hygiene and medical intervention, providing knowledge of the disease and addressing their congregation’s false fears.
As the first Ebola outbreaks occurred in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, medical interventions and government messaging failed to contain the disease but rather pushed communities to hide or deny its existence. However, once faith leaders began sharing from religious texts about accepting Ebola workers and survivors in their services, their communities began to understand that Ebola-control practices were not irreligious. These leaders’ messages helped drive out the stigma associated with Ebola in highly religious areas, curbing the disease’s spread across the globe.
Recognizing the urgent need to anticipate and deter the virus’s further spread, World Relief is focusing efforts also on the bordering country of South Sudan through the relationships it’s built in Ibba County since beginning its work there in 2012. Before an outbreak occurs, World Relief will mobilize community volunteers to teach their communities about the disease, how it spreads and can be prevented, as well as providing soap, handwashing buckets and menstrual management kits to improve hygiene.
“World Relief’s work combating HIV/AIDS in Rwanda is a poignant example of how effective the local church can be in raising awareness and preventing a global epidemic from spreading by addressing the root causes,” commented World Relief CEO Tim Breene.“We urge our supporters to partner with us in prayer and compassionate giving as we seek to protect millions of lives made in the image of God.”
World Relief asks its supporters to respond in generosity so they can reach their goal of raising $150,000 for this crucial and life-saving work in the DR Congo and South Sudan. Two-thirds of these resources will be used to improve the physical, emotional and spiritual health of communities in the DR Congo and one-third will be used in South Sudan.
Those interested in supporting this cause can donate at www.worldrelief.org/ebola.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
Voices From the Field: DR Congo
Yesterday was International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, a serious injury that can occur from complications in childbirth. The World Health Organization used this day to call on the international community to significantly raise awareness and intensify actions towards ending obstetric fistula.
An estimated 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Arab region, and Latin America and the Caribbean are living with this injury, and some 50,000 to 100,000 new cases develop each year. Yet fistula is almost entirely preventable. 1 Its persistence is a sign that more can be done.
We took a moment to talk with Dr. Esperance Ngondo*, staff in DR Congo, about this injury and our work in DR Congo to treat and prevent fistula.
What is fistula?
Obstetric and traumatic fistula presents as a hole between the tissues of the vaginal canal and bladder, vaginal canal and rectum or all three.
What causes Fistula?
We see fistula caused by a number of circumstances. Obstetric fistula occurs when girls whose bodies aren’t yet fully developed try to give birth. Young girls under the age of 16 are at greatest risk of developing obstetric fistula. Traumatic fistula, however, is typically the result of a violent rape. In the Congo, where rape is frequently used as a weapon of war, we focus most of our work on this type of traumatic fistula.
How did World Relief DRC begin working with women with this injury?
For more than ten years, the World Relief DR Congo office has been active in humanitarian programs and in projects promoting health, agriculture, microfinance, peace & conflict resolution, savings and institution building among churches and communities, 82% of our beneficiaries are women and children – the most vulnerable demographic across the board, but especially in Congo. As World Relief DR Congo implemented its numerous programs in the rural areas, it has been increasingly clear that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and young girls (ages 2 to 60) must be addressed.
What are the effects of fistula for a women in DR Congo?
When fistula occurs and is not treated, many women become incontinent and are often cast out by their families as shameful and dirty. Not only do women experience horrible physical effects of fistula, but there are painful social and emotional effects as well. In Congo, women who are raped face terrible rejection and stigmatization. If a woman is married, not only her own family, but her husband and husband’s family cast her out of the home leaving her feeling rejected and humiliated. Oftentimes these women become homeless. In fact, many of our volunteers find these women living hopeless and alone in the forest.
What programs does World Relief DRC offer to support women suffering from fistula?
World Relief has implemented a number of programs to provide medical, psychosocial and economic support to women who are survivors of sexual violence as well as women who have developed obstetric fistula. In partnership with a local hospital women receive treatment, often surgery, for fistula. After the initial surgery, programs are in place to support women; Income generating programs are offered to women to restore their dignity, as well as provide them with the opportunity for economic independence.
How successful are the programs?
In general, fistula repair surgery has an average 80% success, but for World Relief and our partner hospital, we see a 95% success rate. We see God blessing our work again and again. Desperate and hopeless women are finding hope and experiencing a renewed sense of self-worth and dignity.
1. World Health Organization. Retrieved May 23, 2019 from https://www.who.int/life-course/news/events/intl-day-to-end-obstetric-fistula/en/.
*Dr. Esperance Ngondo is a World Relief DRC’s Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) & HIV/AIDS Health Officer. After completing her degree in medicine from the University of Goma, DRC in 2013 she worked at Bethesda Baptist Hospital in Goma in a program supported by Doctors without Borders, specializing in diagnosing and treating cases of SGBV. She began working as WR’s SGBV-HIV/AIDS Health Officer in 2015. Dr. Ngondo and her husband, Innocent, have three young daughters.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Frontline Report: Democratic Republic of Congo
Frontline Reports is a monthly series that provides updates on the countries, contexts, and situations in which we work as they continue to evolve. The reports are written entirely by program experts and local staff on the ground.
A Complex Crisis
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Referred to affectionately as the Heart of Africa; rich in resource, culture and beauty. The nation has some of the greatest concentrations of valuable raw minerals in the world, and Eastern Congo, in particular, is fertile and ripe for agricultural development. And yet this nation and its people have been engaged in a cycle of conflict and violence which has stolen more than five million lives and kept millions more from being able to realize their full potential.
In 1994, the devastating effects of the Rwandan genocide spilled over borders into the DRC, Burundi, and Uganda. Since that time, Eastern Congo has suffered constant unrest and instability. Dozens of armed groups have operated in there, at the great expense of the local population. Cyclical conflict and political gridlock have exacerbated problems of underdevelopment in the region, and the most vulnerable still suffer from interrupted livelihoods, inadequate systems of justice and lack of physical and mental health care–particularly for women and girl survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
The overwhelming nature of the ongoing conflict in Congo can oftentimes be discouraging, made harder by the fact that we cannot claim to have all the solutions to the complex problems facing the nation at this moment. But at World Relief, we see beyond these seemingly devastating challenges. And we have hope, because we know that the solutions to Congo’s challenges, as well as the capacities to implement them, are already inherent within the communities we serve. That is why, beyond addressing the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable in Eastern Congo, we go a step further to work with and alongside churches and community members toward long-term sustainable change.
Sustainable Solutions
In our sexual and gender-based violence program, we not only provide immediate peer-to-peer psychosocial support and links to medical and legal services, but we also work to change community perceptions and stigmas surrounding SGBV survivors. In communities where survivors are often blamed for what happened to them, World Relief is mobilizing churches and communities to change hearts and minds and to speak out against SGBV to prevent future incidents, as well as to reintegrate survivors into their families and societies.
Similarly, our Peacebuilding work fills a crucial gap for community members seeking justice at the local level. Village Peace Committees (VPCs) do not just provide short-term solutions to disputes, but interrupt cycles of violence and revenge by focusing on reconciliation and forgiveness. Most importantly, families and community members form agreements to bury grievances, relationships are reconciled and potential tensions dissipate before they have the opportunity to spur conflict among wider groups.
In our Agricultural program, we not only equip farming households with improved seeds, tools and training to maximize yields, but we also train them on how to save seeds for future seasons and connect them to savings groups so they can save the income earned from selling their surplus produce and increase their household safety net.
In each of these solutions, World Relief comes alongside local churches– the widest and most influential social network in Congo. We currently work through more than 250 churches which are actively mobilizing more than 950 volunteers to reach the most vulnerable, both within and outside their congregations. It is these community members who will remain–long outlasting World Relief’s presence and ultimately catalyzing transformation in their communities.
Small Beginnings
These solutions, and ultimately their impact, may not grab headlines. Transformation will not be sudden. Yet at World Relief, we take heart in these small beginnings. Because we know that the Lord rejoices to see this work begin (Zechariah 4:10).
We are grateful for our partners who have had, and continue to have, the courage to embark on a journey of transformation one household, one church and one community at a time. As an old Swahili proverb reassures, “The careful traveler goes far.”
Thank you for your continued support.
Heidi Dessecker joined World Relief in 2010 and has served in both the US and International Programs. She previously served as the Program Officer for Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan. Heidi is passionate about gender issues and reaching women in some of today’s most complex crises.
The Church in Congo
By James Misner and Marcel Serubungo In the Democratic Republic of Congo, some say that you can find all of Africa’s problems: weak national leadership, eroding rule of law, HIV/AIDS and protracted tribal conflict. Warring militias use rape as a weapon of war and perpetrate other human rights violations. Children are stolen, forced to become soldiers and used as proxies between fighting groups.
Congolese civilians are caught in the vicious cycles of conflict and disease. Millions have died as a result. Refugees and internally displaced people number into the millions.
But even in the world’s most war-torn regions, the power of Jesus can overcome the horrors of conflict. After years of warfare, the Church in DR Congo is the only social structure standing. It is the only hope of true peace for survivors of violence.
This is the reality of the Church in DR Congo:
- The Church is traumatized. Many people in the Church have been displaced from their homes. They’ve fled as refugees, survived grave atrocities, lost entire crops and ran through the night in search of safety. Our Christian brothers and sisters in DR Congo face the same situations that their greater communities face — they’re not immune from struggle.
- The Church is resilient. Even in the midst of adversity and unspeakable hardship, the church in DR Congo stands strong! Despite ethnic divisions within the nation, the church builds unity and reconciliation. They’ve refused to give up the pursuit of peace. They continue meeting together, praying together and worshiping God together. In some of the worst poverty and injustice on the planet the church gathers to proclaim the greatness of God! We have much to learn from them as they restore their communities.
- The Church is redeeming suffering. None of us can explain precisely why God allows suffering. But we do know that God redeems it — through his hands and feet, the Church. When a woman survives sexual violence, the Church will take her in, provide food and shelter and help her to care for her children. When cultural norms say that husbands should abandon their wives after rape — the Church works to debunk this lie and to reconcile marriages. The Church stands in the gap and speaks out against this injustice — teaching boys and men that women are created in God’s image and are to be respected and treasured.
Wherever there is suffering in DR Congo – the Church is right there, too. And World Relief is there to empower the Church to fulfill its mission: to bring hope to the hopeless and restore justice to the oppressed. As the people of the Church endure suffering, they faithfully follow in the steps of Jesus – bringing healing to their communities as they themselves are healed.
Would you consider making a gift to empower local churches to prevent further gender-based violence and care for women survivors? All donations will be matched by One Day’s Wages. Your gift will be used to provide medical care and trauma counseling for the victims of sexual violence and to raise community awareness about violence against women. Give today at onedayswages.org/worldrelief.
James and Marcel are both members of the church team at World Relief. James serves as the Global Director of Church Partnership. Marcel serves as the Director of Church Mobilization and Peace Building in DR Congo.
Savings is HOPE
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is one of the poorest places in the world. In a country where more than 70% of the population live below the national poverty line and war has led to over 5 million deaths, hope can seem lost. But resilient Congolese women, men and children are working for hope. And Eperance Kayitesi is one of them.
A widow living in eastern DR Congo, Eperance is a mother using what she has to prepare for a better future. Since the conflict erupted in the region almost 20 years ago, life has been hard for her family. With no help from relatives, she singlehandedly supports five children in her home, but can’t afford to send them to school.
Joining the Amani (“Peace”) Savings for Life Group in her village has empowered Eperance to fight the overwhelming odds of poverty. This small group of mostly women subsistence farmers meets together regularly to save, give small loans and make sure each member has what they need.
As a savings group member, Eperance took a small loan to purchase potato and bean seeds, which she planted in her small field. Eperance says that God blessed her yield and her family was able to grow nutritional food to eat.
More than just benefitting from the loan, Eperance was also able to save money. She used the savings to buy two goats for the family – generating income as well as providing nutrition for her family. Eperance considers this a miracle, saying, “I was saving only the small amount that I could, but I received so much. My life is improving because of savings, something I didn’t understand in the past. I praise God for this.”
This month, we’ve discovered the incredibly powerful meaning Savings for Life has for women and men in some of the most vulnerable places on earth. And you can be a part of this – stand with us today as we pursue lasting change through economic development.
Celebrating World Food Day: Farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo Fighting Hunger
When fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reached Viviane’s village, she and her children were forced to flee from their home and into a camp with many other internally displaced people . The camp was crowded with others who also sought refuge from the ongoing violence. Unfortunately, without employment or reliable access to food, they all were at greater risk of suffering from food shortage and hunger.
When Viviane was finally able to return to her home, the extreme challenges of everyday living remained. “We came home with no seeds or farming tools and no money to buy these things,” Viviane said. Although she had the desire to provide for her family in a sustainable way, the violence and displacement left Viviane without the means to begin rebuilding her life.
“But God sent World Relief to help our [farmers’ group] by providing Irish potato seeds, vegetable seeds and farming tools,” said Viviane. In farmers’ groups in the DRC, World Relief equips farmers with tools to begin family farms and the necessary training to make their harvests successful. Farmers are trained in crop diversification, resource management and other ways to increase the productivity of their land.
Viviane’s yields have indeed grown as a result of the support she received when she returned home even though devastation from instability and armed conflict are still felt in large areas of eastern DRC. This year alone, she harvested over 1900 pounds of potatoes, more than four times more than last year! A portion of her earnings will go towards her children’s school fees and to buy other supplies for her family. Next year, Viviane plans to rent a larger plot of land so she can grow even more potatoes.
Because of Viviane’s agricultural skills, she and her family have been able to overcome many of the challenges related to hunger and malnutrition. Viviane has also planted a vegetable garden outside of her home that adds essential vitamins and nutrients to her family’s diet. “This is the first time my family is able to eat three meals a day,” Viviane said, “I praise God for this. May our Lord Jesus bless you all who have helped us during this time and for helping us find a solution for feeding our families.”
Throughout the month of October we’re celebrating World Food Day with farmers like Viviane who are empowered to lead their families out of poverty through agricultural training and development. In DRC, World Relief is empowering local churches and farmers to work together and earn a greater income from their crops. By participating in farmers groups, some of the DRC’s most vulnerable are empowered to sustainably support their families and local economies while laying the building blocks for peace in the midst of the destruction of conflict.
A Hero in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the second largest country in Africa, home to more than 70 million people and over 250 tribes and languages. It shares a border with eight countries, playing an essential role in the economic and social development across the continent. Its unique rainforest and river ecosystems, fertile grounds and high concentration of valuable raw minerals give it nearly unlimited potential. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also home to the largest conflict since World War II. Since 1996, over five million Congolese have died as a result. Others are vulnerable to rebel group activity, extreme poverty, prevalent diseases including malaria and HIV/AIDS, a high infant mortality rate and sexual violence against women and girls ages two to 60.
Where is God in a war-torn country like the DR Congo, where eight out of every ten women is a victim of rape? Psalm 72:14 gives us a promise of his faithfulness in regions like the DR Congo when it says, “He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight” (NIV).
Rutshuru is a town located in the North Kivu province of eastern DRC. Pastor Fabian is from the Pentecostal Church in Kelengera, Rutshuru territory. At 58 years old, he is the father of 7 children and a true hero in his community. He refused to flee when M23 soldiers advanced. He said he could not leave his congregation behind.
(Image: Sean Sheridan)
On July 21, 2013, Fabian was taken by rebel soldiers from his home into the bush, without shoes, proper clothes or the ability to notify his wife. His feet were wounded on lava stone as he followed soldiers into the forest. After walking the entire night, he was brought before the Chief rebel and accused of espionage: he had hosted some Tutsi women who were passing into Rwanda, an act punishable by death according to rebel soldiers.
Fabian explained his role as a Pastor and a follower of Christ meant he had a commitment to all God’s children, regardless of their tribe. Fabian only asked that the soldiers not use machetes but a bullet to kill him, explaining that he was ready to be received in Heaven.
The soldiers held Fabian captive for ten days. Without a shirt, he suffered from the cold and insect bites that caused blood to cover his body. He was given two pieces of uncooked root to eat every day. He was repeatedly interrogated. Child soldiers guarded him by night, informing him that they were eagerly awaiting the command to shoot him. Fabian prayed aloud day and night, refusing to let rebels call his community for a ransom.
On July 31, a rebel leader told Fabian he could be free if he left his possessions, including his money. With only a cell phone and an ID card, Fabian was led blindfolded by child soldiers through the night. Fabian awoke the next morning weak, wounded and traumatized, but he was home. His family, community and church celebrated that God had delivered “Papa Fabien” from the “den of lions.”
Those with hope in Jesus Christ know how the battle ends, for Colossians 1:20 explains that through Jesus Christ all things shall be reconciled to God through the peace established for mankind on the cross. World Relief has been present in the DR Congo since 2002, responding to its Biblical mandate to empower the local Church to bring peace and restoration to torn communities through village peace committees.
In reality, World Relief has stepped into God’s pre-existing, ongoing restorative plan for the most vulnerable. And what an honor it is.
Empower a Hero like Pastor Fabian today.
The DR Congo in May – “We pray and carry on”
Jesse Thornburg, World Relief Volunteer in the DRC, tells the story of DRC’s most recent uprising:
For eastern DR Congo, this has been a scary and puzzling week. The new leader of the M23 rebels, Sultani Makenga, has for the past month been openly threatening via radio to attack the city of Goma, but no action resulted for weeks on end.
More stressful than “the boy who cries wolf” is the pack of wolves who cry “we will eat you” but stand peacefully by (armed and ready) for weeks on end. Then suddenly, the M23 rebels fulfilled their threats and attacked Goma last Wednesday morning.
They fought with the government and UN troops in the western parts of the city while we listened on the eastern edge. From our office, we heard the gunshots and artillery explosions falling – just like in November, but this time the explosions were much closer and within the city limits, around some of our staff members’ homes and an orphan center we support.
As our staff were being sent home, I hastily packed a few bags and drove our 3 American visitors into Rwanda. The visitors took it surprisingly well, especially considering two were new to Africa. The situation had accelerated so fast – that morning I spent the first hour of the workday as usual, thinking it would be just another day.
The fighting continued until the evening, and suddenly it stopped. It appeared the rebels had attacked in anticipation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Goma the next day. But in a bizarre turn, by the next morning (Thursday, 5/23) both sides had agreed on a ceasefire (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22634535). The UN troops stopped shelling, cleaned their tanks and trucks, then came out in clean uniforms to welcome their esteemed visitor. Mr. Ki-moon came and went as planned. The rebels withdrew outside the city and have remained peacefully there ever since.
I returned to Goma yesterday morning. We pray, listen, and wait, but so far the coast is clear. We don’t know if the rebels were making some sort of one-day statement or if they were pressured to leave by the DRC government, but we hope a viable, lasting peace is being formulated now.
In the end, at least 19 people (including several children struck by artillery) were killed last Wednesday with little warning, with 7 days of peace starting the next morning.
My friendquoted a Swahili proverb that perfectly captures the situation: “When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers.” Here, as so often in Africa, “big men” play their games for power and wealth, but they usually face no repercussions. It is their citizens, the poor and helpless civilian families, who pay the price. Bwana atusaidie (The Lord help us).
Our fluctuating situation, from violence to tense anticipation to violence, seems to fit with Isaiah’s cries in Isaiah 59. The passage is long but when read together, it gives a picture of how many of us feel.
Tunaomba na tunaendelea (We pray and carry on),
Jesse
Photos by Christine Anderson
How God grabbed my heart for the DRC
Craig Pixley, World Relief Director of Church Engagement, shares how God first grabbed his heart for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Seven years ago, I was sitting in a Nissan-Mercedes dealership having my oil changed. The cover story in the recent Time magazine caught my attention: “Congo: The Hidden Toll of the World’s Deadliest War”. Beautiful waiting room, coffee, cookies, comfy chairs. Free shoe shine. I brought along some work to do as I typically did but saw this cover sitting on the table next to me when I set my coffee down next to it. I reached over to pick it up, truly oblivious to what was happening in the Congo. Yet curious. I began reading the article.
A poignant paragraph from the June 5, 2006 article:
“Is the world willing to see it through? The shame of indifference should be reason enough for action. But without more money from the developed world to help rebuild, without more troops to secure the peace and protect innocent civilians, without a genuine effort by Congo’s leaders to work for the country rather than just their part of it and without Congo’s neighbors ending their meddlesome ways, Africa’s broken heart is unlikely to heal. In 10 years’ time, you may be reading another story much like this one. The only difference will be that millions more people will have died.”
Four things happened way out of the ordinary for me once I finished reading. First, as I processed the challenges to fix the Congo I recall thinking,“This is a God-sized problem … this will not be fixed even by well-meaning countries and aid organizations. This problem needs God.” Second, I had tears streaming down my face – right in the Nissan-Mercedes showroom! I held up the magazine in front of my face so nobody could see and brushed away my tears. Then third, I was compelled to briefly pray, “And God, if I can help be part of the solution, I am willing.”
Again, these three things are not ordinary for me. I typically don’t think in the context of “God-sized problems”, I don’t often cry (especially in public for Pete sakes), and I usually don’t offer to God ridiculous propositions to help be part of a solution with those circumstances in the way that I did on that day.
I left that dealership different as I drove back to work. No plans or resolutions or really even any new passions. But something inside of me had shifted.
I said there were four things out of the ordinary for me. Here’s the fourth … Through a series of unlikely events, I applied for a job to an organization called World Relief eight months later or so. I can remember as I read over the list of countries World Relief was actively working in, I saw the DR Congo on the list. Suddenly that word “Congo” on the website drew me back into the Nissan-Mercedes showroom with the Time magazine on my lap. God knew.
Today, Craig Pixley is working as the Director of Church Engagement with World Relief and continues to Stand for the DR Congo. Read more about World Relief and the work of the Congolese church in the DRC.