More wedding pictures

Here are some more... 

Our chariot 

It was a packed house!

In the church - almost to the front

Lots of people were outside the church as well!

Harvesting some of our peanuts!

At our garden

In the car, on the way to the Congo

The family shopping for fabric!

Near a salt pond in Uganda

Right next to the road! So cool!!

Nathan and Sarah admiring the view from the guesthouse room

All of us in our safari van :)

They kind of freak me out.

Hilarious sign near the National Park in Uganda

At Lake Victoria

with love,
Noé & Bethany 

A few headlines

Some of the news for the day.


On World Malaria Day, UNICEF distributes mosquito nets in DR Congo
The last time nets were donated to the country, a man made a lot of money off of the free nets - at least in Beni. 
And probably elsewhere around the country.
Noe said he's still in prison and also (others have reiterated this) - that however these nets make it to Beni, you can be sure that someone is going to profit in a big way, from these "free" mosquito nets.
So this problem isn't instantly "fixed" by this attempt of UNICEF to help people... At least not yet.


Freeport versus the People of Fungurume, DRC 
"The sad fact is that TFM could be the driving force behind economic growth and sustainable development in the area. In 2010 alone, the mine produced around 115,000 tonnes of copper and 8,000 tonnes of cobalt in 2010 – and an income of nearly US$1 billion. And with reserves estimated at 119 million tonnes, the mine should be transforming the lives of everyone in the area for the better."


Congo's "Papa Machete" sculpts life out of death - Reuters 

"People are asleep here," he said. "We have to shock them."

Which one to choose...?

Hi Friends! 

Will you please read the appeal below and consider supporting UCBC, once again? We are trying to make UCBC's radio station, Radio Tele Bilingue, a powerful and consistent presence in the community. In order to do that we need a dependable generator that can be used even after school hours. We have already received a significant donation to purchase it and need to raise $7,000 more. Read below for more details!!!

For a few photos of the radio station, go to my blog post here.

Thank you for considering this! 

with love,

Bethany

Movie and popcorn or democracy and education?

Dear Friends of Congo Initiative, Movie and popcorn or democracy and education? Hmmm....an interesting choice, isn't it? But it's in your power to make it! You've already demonstrated that you are interested in the work of Congo Initiative (CI) and the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC). Thank you for your support!   Please extend that support and help us expand CI's impact.  Literacy. Health. Democratic Elections. These are powerful forces for change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) right now. And you can help! UCBC student broadcasting For the price of 2 movie tickets and popcorn ($25) you can help Radio Tele Bilingue (RTB), CI's just-launched radio station, double its broadcast time from 4 hours/day to 8 hours OR MORE! To do that, however, RTB requires a dedicated generator to power the station. The total cost: $12,000.* A generous donor has given a $5000 gift towards the purchase, shipping, and installation of the generator. If 300 people each give $25, we'll raise the addtional $7000 that will enable CI and UCBC to power RTB-a station with a potential listenership of 400,000-700,000 people! A one-time donation of $25 is the price of going to the movies this month. Entertainment or education? The choice is yours!  Please, donate today and be part of the power for change! *The generator is a high-quality, dependable machine with a superb track-record, and an expected life-span of service of 30 years or more. Our staff and students will be able to maintain and service the equipment to assure dependability and service. Even after UCBC campus installs a fully-integrated power source that includes renewable energy sources, the generator will continue to serve as back-up power, necessary for assured operations.   RTB is on the air thanks to the generous support of a committed group of donors and the Eastern Congo Initiative.

It's the little things...

...Like seeing a mole for the first time, that provide for some genuine entertainment!

The voices you hear in the background are Brandon (the one with the stick), Meredith (she said it was cute), Grant and me. This was in February or March of 2010.

I don't think I'd ever seen one before - it was pretty cute for a rodent!!

UCBC Education

looking around Beni...

Here is a link to a map I made which shows a few points in and around Beni:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116023567316651285963.000492fdf50b5b3278abe

If you click on satellite on the map, you'll probably get a better idea of what the area looks like... Although it's an old photo and it doesn't get up very close :)

Enjoy!