A World of Difference - Congo Initiative

This Congo Initiative update can be found in full, by clicking here!

A World of Difference

On a cool, overcast and breezy morning on July 28, students, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, family members and people from the wider community gathered to celebrate UCBC's second Commencement. Graduates were robed in their garments with stoles draped around their necks--down one side was printed "U.C.B.C." and down the other was the name of their academic discipline. The Commencement address was given by Daystar University's Vice-Chancellor Dr. Timothy Wachira. Special awards were presented by UCBC President ("Rector") Dr. David Kasali. The UCBC Welcome  Center was dedicated to the late Lyn Lusi, a courageous woman who dedicated her entire adult life to Congo, founded HEAL Africa with her husband, and served on the Board of CI-UCBC in Congo. 

So what's one more graduation? Honestly, we have them every year. Many of us have gone through them ourselves and sat through those of family and friends. Aside from the distinctly Congolese flair, in many ways this graduation looked a lot like other graduations. So what's the big deal?

The big deal is that the young men and women graduating from UCBC one month ago are not simply cogs in the machine. They did not graduate merely by satisfactory completion of assignments and rote memorization, which is the standard for Congolese universities. These graduates have not simply completed their studies, but they have been formed. They have been transformed. And now they will go out to transform. It will not happen overnight. It will not be easy. It will take years. Decades. Generations. But a new thing has begun and is flourishing at UCBC--the intentional, deliberate formation of leaders who are choosing peace, justice and hope for Congo--who take seriously the call to serve others. 

The big deal is that each graduate from UCBC represents another rupture in the cycle of poverty. Poverty that is not only physical, but mental. Circumstances may not change, but mindsets do. Value systems are formed that give new meaning to being fully human. Life, in all of its beauty and terror, is suddenly very different when seen through the lens of hope rather than despair. This is why a UCBC graduation makes all the difference in the world.  

2011 Graduation Photos

More pictures for you to see! These are from our first graduation ceremony in July. I had posted a few photos on here after graduation...

Graduates listening during the ceremony

Probably with promises to upload more soon... 

But after six months, they are up!

I love having a faster internet connection! :) And wow, will I miss you, Wisconsin internet, in a few short weeks...

Anyway, here's the link to the photo album.

"Opportunities to Lead"

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Opportunities-to-Lead.html?soid=1101863034612&aid=Q2fo0JT7_Gc

The following is written by Congo Initiative board member, Mary Henton. Please read and reflect... What are we being called to do? In our own lives, in the lives of others? It's a question that I think I need to ask myself more often... And listen to the answer(s) that I am given! 

This is a beautifully written piece and I hope you will enjoy it.

-Bethany 

A recent weekend trip to the town of Epulu (about 250 miles northwest of Beni) provided an opportunity to observe, reflect, and listen. What I observed, reflected upon, and heard in my heart were two persistent themes: (1) UCBC can take a lead in environmental education; and (2) UCBC has a responsibility to take action on behalf of women.

The scenery along the road to Epulu was magnificent: lush vegetation, surging rivers (Ituri and Epulu), glorious skies. But I was troubled to see evidence of the race to extract Congo's natural resources: old growth timber toppled, workers loading trucks with timber, plots of forest burned and tattered. Our hosts in Epulu spoke about the decimation of wildlife from poaching and loss of habitat. Here in Beni we see the pollution of waterways. But in the midst of this destruction UCBC has an opportunity. It is an opportunity to educate, to raise up professionals and practitioners, to develop and demonstrate a new ethic of resource stewardship, and create new models of sustainable resource management.

UCBC has an opportunity to transform how communities see and use their natural resources by cultivating a creation care ethic. We can make wise choices about our own land and natural resource use. We can also educate our students about the ethics of resource stewardship. And what an impact we could make if we established a faculty in environmental studies and/or sustainable resource management!

A second theme - As we passed Congo's women carrying loads of firewood, charcoal, water, and crops, I was reminded of the evidence regarding the significant role that women play in developing their local and national communities. A growing body of literature, including the recent publication, Half the Sky (WuDann and Kristoff), confirms that as the education, health, and opportunities for women improve in developing communities, so do the health, education, and opportunities for the entire community. As we passed women along the road, I thought, "We must, at UCBC, develop our women students and nurture strong women leaders. If we are going to transform this nation, we must make an intentional commitment to women's development." But what does/would that look like?

To begin with, we can be proud of our track record in highlighting women and gender issues such as our annual celebration of Women's Day and last year's gathering of women lawyers. We can also be proud of the ratio* of female/male students at UCBC.

However, we also have the challenge of bringing into similar balance the ratio of female/male faculty and administrators-Congolese or African faculty and administrators. We must give our students models of women in leadership, academics, and research. We must give them opportunities to learn from the voices, perspectives, and styles of women as well as of men.

We will keep listening for how our priorities and plans might coalesce around the deep needs and promises of this magnificent country that is Congo.

  

- Mary Henton

Mary is a Congo Initiative Board member and has spent the past two months living in Beni working on a variety of projects with our Congolese team.  She is a life-long educator with expertise in teacher education, curriculum development, experiential learning and non-profit management.

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* Female students constitute about 44% of the student body, which is remarkably high for a Congolese university.

UCBC Education

Interviewing Dr. David Kasali

David M. Kasali: Being transformed to transform

The founder of a university in the Democratic Republic of the Congo talks about why educating a new generation of leaders is one of the greatest needs, even in a country where people are dying every day.

Here is the link to the website with the interview and video with Dr. Kasali, it's about his leadership and vision for UCBC: http://www.faithandleadership.com/multimedia/david-m-kasali-being-transformed-transform 

"Certain problems will repeat themselves. You have to go to the roots. The root for me is leadership. Our suffering in Congo is dependent on the type of leaders that we have. If we can prepare a new generation of leaders who are critical in their thinking, who are grounded in ethics of love your enemies and love your neighbors, and who say, 'Enough is enough,' then in the long run we will change to a sustained development...”

Hope you'll check it out! 

love,
Bethany