Celebrate!

Hulda had her first child!

As one of our G2 students, and a leader within the community here at U.C.B.C. - we have all been awaiting this day.

Sarah was born late on Monday night - a healthy and big baby - almost 9 pounds!

"Is Foreign Aid Bad for Africa?"

"...wanting to do something to help is no excuse for not knowing the consequences of what you're doing." 

An article at TIME.com engages the help that people send to poor countries... And questions the ability to positively impact the poor. To really help.

In a world where we often think that our leftovers, the unwanted items and slightly used or broken goods, could be better used and appreciated by those in Africa or Asia, people are starting to challenge that.

“Eat that food, Sally. There are starving children in Africa.” IS it better for a starving child in Africa to get your left-over cheeseburger? What will that do for him? Is it going to give him the nutrients to survive into adulthood? Will he even have the ability to survive tomorrow, after not getting another free left-over cheeseburger? And is a greasy cheeseburger really what he needs?

Living and working in East Africa, in eastern DR Congo for almost two years – has certainly opened up my eyes to a lot of things – to some ugly things. And I don’t mean just the impact of war, living after rape or abuse, even malnourished children or starving older adults. I’ve also come face to face with the damage that humanitarian and non-government organizations (NGOs) have done, and are doing.

A day does not go by where people don’t ask me for things: For candy, money, the shoes on my feet, the skirt I’m wearing. Almost daily, young children scream, “Monique!” when they see me. M.O.N.U.C. is the UN’s force here in the DR Congo. “Monique” is a poor pronunciation of “M.O.N.U.C.”

Why do children often shout MONUC when they see me? Because I’m clearly not Congolese. And so they think I work with MONUC. And to the children, MONUC means cookies, candy, sweets, treats… Even money.

It’s not just children. Men and women, even old men and women, will ask for things. This is not because the culture here breeds lazy or greedy people. It’s not because they think they are entitled to something from anyone and everyone. But it’s because this is what people have been shown. This is what they’ve been taught.

Just like the missionaries taught that it is a downright sin to have a drink or taste of alcohol, of any kind, if you really are a true Protestant (Catholics are exempt from this no-alcohol rule) – the UN and NGOs have taught that foreigners are here with handouts. That is the message that the people have received. And the people live and breathe by it. You will not ever catch a good Protestant with a glass of beer, wine or anything – especially those that have stayed in Beni most of their lives, or are older than 40… They know that they will be committing a terrible sin (as the white missionaries taught them, instead of explaining moderation and self-control!). And people will continue to expect cookies and sweets from foreigners, as long as MONUC and NGOs continue to throw things at the people (is that their solution??).

So, what does it do to people here, to have bags and bags of free t-shirts given to the community? Well, without question, one person (or a small group) will get a hold of them all – and start selling them. I often see the mosquito nets that are packaged and donated by NGOs like Unicef, to help prevent Malaria – sold along the side of the road - $5, or $15. There were meant to be free, to help those who couldn’t afford to purchase a mosquito net, still get one, and prevent their children from dying of the disease. But they are for sale. And the poor still can’t afford to buy mosquito nets.

But that is a tangent that I shouldn’t go on now. I’m talking about t-shirts from the West, here in Beni.

Sometimes it’s surprising to see how many women do not wear kikwembes (the traditional dress), that they have worn for generations. However, three yards of fabric (about how much one woman uses on her Kikwembe) costs about $8-10. And to have it tailored, is an additional $5-10, depending on what is done to the dress.

A junky second-hand Green Bay Packers t-shirt can cost $1-5. (I have not seen any Cubs, Bears or Vikings gear here – just the good old Packers, one Washington Redskins shirt and lots of hockey jerseys, the teams I couldn’t begin to remember)

One dollar? That’s a great price for a mother, or child or parent. However, what is it doing to the local economy? One man or woman just made a dollar. Another only had to spend a dollar to get a shirt that will be worn much longer than it should.

But what about the woman who sells fabric in the market? And the tailor? There are so many tailors and people selling beautiful fabrics – too many, really. And not many make very much money. Partially because competition is so high (all offer the same product, the same service at the same price, so there is no differentiation). Also, it’s cheaper to buy some crummy beat up shirt than it is to buy something locally that will last lots longer.

And that’s one of the problems with shipping our unwanted goods into poor countries. They just get overloaded with unwanted things, nothing that they exactly need or that will truly benefit them. It’s just our left-overs. And how much good does that really do?

This is not to say that I think we should stop supporting poor, war-torn or developing countries or sending aid. Not at all! But my wish, my desire, is that we would really evaluate WHAT it is that we are sending or doing, and WHAT the impact of that will be on the communities. I don’t think humanitarian aid should cease. But I do think we need to be careful of what we do, and how we do it. Our thought should be on how the aid can help the person who receives it – and not just on us being able to unload our garbage somewhere.

I must say, I do like seeing the Green Bay Packers t-shirts (yes, there are multiple!). It makes me smile and it reminds me of where I’ve come from – a place that the people wearing the shirts, know nothing about! If only they knew how cold it can get there!!

Alright well I think I’ve rambled on enough for one day… I hope you’ll read the article. And hopefully you’ll understand a bit of my heart, my perception… through my words.

With Love,

Bethany

Our Mamas

A few weeks ago, there was a concert put on by a local church... To help raise money for the church to purchase new instruments... The women who take care of us and do so much for us at home, Mamas Furaha and Odette - are part of the choir. It was a hot and sunny day... It was the second time all year that I put on sunscreen... But it was a fun day and a good time. I hope you enjoy some of these photos.

Noe started the concert by leading everyone in a new song
[photo credit: Anne Medley]

Then the brass section of the church played a song... Or two?

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

The ladies all came out in a long procession

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

Mama Odette

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

Mama Furaha

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

they even danced a little! 

[photo credit: Anne Medley]

Now if only I could find a photo of the 70+ year old woman who played the guitar!

Peace,
Bethany

Telling their own stories

For the past three months, we have been so honored to have Anne Medley here with us, teaching in the Communications Department. She has really shaken up the students' perceptions of learning - offering hands-on practice in the classroom. Her students have been instructed in taking audio, still photos and some in video as well. She'll be leaving us at the end of this week... But we've been so fortunate and thankful to have her with us at UCBC these three months.

Anne has been working to give the students the skills and resources to be journalists. In their own country. She is training them on how to convey stories of life, of their people - to the rest of the DR Congo and the world.

She has put together a website, not only journaling her time here in Beni, but also showcasing the students' work, reflection and bios. While teaching her students, she also put together the following short video. I hope you enjoy it.

What Multimedia Journalism means for Congo
Anne Medley

Peace,
Bethany

[photo is of Chelsie and Anne on the right]

dirt

i love the smell of the ground when it rains.

a visual update

Well I have finally managed to upload some photos today!

I hope you enjoy some of the pics (from my time in the States, up to the end of February).... Just another way to see what's going on here in the Congo and in my life!

My photos at Picasa

Love and peace to you all,
Bethany
















Checking out some fabric at the market (photo stolen from Grant's facebook page... Asante kaka! ;) )

Watch out for... Bamboo?

A few weeks ago… I was thrilled to see a bamboo tree (is it a tree or a plant?) when I got off of a motorcycle. I stepped closer to it, still a solid 5 feet from the base of the stalks – when my friend Noé asked me to stop and please stand on the other side of the motorcycle… Conversation continued with those we were with, but later I had to ask him why he had called me (somewhat urgently) from the tree.

“Snakes love to live in bamboo trees. You won’t know they’re there unless you get too close and then it’s too late.”

Good to know! I’ll stay away from bamboo from now on!

remembering victims while not forgetting Congo...

With all of the news reports coming out of Haiti... It's hard to not be pulled to the suffering and struggles that the people there are facing... The loss, horror, pain. It's drastic and shocking. Even here in the DR Congo, we hear reports of what happened and continues to occur there. The government even announced last week (or before?), that they will be donating 2.5$ million in aid. A country that isn't organized, is accepting foreign aid and humanitarian donations... Is giving. Ah.

Whether that's a wise decision or not, Congo is still bleeding. Lives continue to be damaged if not lost, on a daily basis.

Two weeks ago I presented to one of our classes about the potential that this country has, and what is being done about it by Congolese leaders (close to nothing). I also shared with them the foreign investors... Investors who's presence here might benefit Congolese to a minimum degree, but mainly the gains are leaving the country and impacting China, Europe, the States...

Congo is still hurting... Twelve years of civil wars will create unimaginable damage to a country, not to mention to a person's spirit. But Congo continues to be unseen, unnoticed, unimportant.

This article was published in the NY Times this past weekend... The author states, "It’s time to show the same compassion toward Congo that we have toward Haiti."

I hope that can happen.

Orphaned, Raped and Ignored 

Thank you for the love you have for me, and the Congolese people. Our students are living examples of hope in spite of pain, damage and destruction. Continue to pray for them.

love,
Bethany

I'm still here...

...Just fighting with slow internet.

!!!!

But it's surprisingly going "fast" this morning... Let me try to upload a pic so ya'll know that I haven't lost weight. In fact I'm getting fat!

I love you all!

Here is Hulda, Freddy, me and Sifa

Now you know I'm not starving to death...

love,
Bethany

All is Well

Happy New Year! 2010.

It's still weird for me to write... I continue to write out 2009 instead of the proper year...

Apparently so do Immigration officials here in Beni.

We have a team here from North Carolina right now... They arrived on Saturday and they stay for a week. They got their passports and visas back from Immigration on Sunday. On Monday, an official called Kaza here, to tell him a mistake was made on all twelve of the visitors' visas...

Instead of writing January 10, 2010 - they wrote 2009. On their VISAS!

So, yesterday and today, we've worked to get them corrected.

I guess I'm not the only one having a hard time remembering the correct year. Thankfully, it's not as important for me to remember as it is for some!