Lyn Lusi

We are mourning Lyn Lusi... And asking ourselves, "what next, Lord? How will we manage without Lyn?" We will miss her. We still don't know the answer to those questions, but believe and hope that Congo, the women, children and men that she served, will not suffer any more, as a result of the death of their champion, as that is what Lyn really was - to so many people.

The funeral will be in Butembo, tomorrow morning. Please, pray for her husband Jo, daughter Nadine, son Paluku and his wife and child - as they mourn the loss of a remarkable woman, wife and mother.

In memoriam, Lyn Lusi - Texas in Africa

It is a sad night in Goma, and it will be sad there for some time to come. I'm trying to think where they will hold the funeral, and how they will accommodate the thousands who will turn up to honor Mama Lyn with songs and dancing and talk of the deep, deep love that motivated her to care for so many. Lyn Lusi is irreplaceable. And, oh, she will be missed.









HEAL Africa mourns the loss of Co-founder Lyn Lusi

Lyn Lusi was the heart of HEAL Africa. Everybody called her “Mama”. She was like a mother for to  the 400 employees of HEAL Africa and to the thousands and thousands of women, children and men whom HEAL Africa was and is providing care for. Lyn passed away in Goma, DR Congo on the evening of March 17^th. “We are missing her so badly, but we know she is now on a better place. We will never ever forget what she did for us and for our country”, says a patient at the HEAL Africa’s hospital in the eastern Congolese town Goma where HEAL Africa is based.

She came to the Congo (formerly Zaire) from England in 1971 as a teacher with the Baptist Missionary Society. In 1974, she fell in love and married a Congolese physician, Dr. Kasereka M. “Jo” Lusi. They founded together with American friends an organization which trained young doctors in Congo and worked in it for the next 19 years. After earning her master’s degree in Human Resource Development and Training, Lyn and Dr. Jo founded HEAL Africa, bringing her formidable administrative, program and people skills to the survivors of violence and rape in the DRC.  In 2002, when a volcano destroyed the original hospital, the couple rebuilt HEAL Africa’s medical facility one wing at a time. The work which  Lyn started has helped many, many people to survive and rebuild their lives. HEAL Africa will keep on going, continuing her work and her legacy.

Lyn Lusi was 62 years old. She passed away from terminal cancer. She leaves behind her loving husband Jo, son Paluku and his wife and son, daughter Nadine, her sisters and thousands of friends and colleagues who loved her. She will find her resting place and last home in Butembo, North Kivu in DR Congo where the Lusi family is from. One of her last words before her death were: “Tell them not to cry”. Her love and her full heart will carry on – forever.

International Women's Day 2012

Happy International Women's Day! 

For a history of International Women's Day, click on this link.

And my thoughts on the day, from 2009, can be read by clicking on this link!

with love,
Bethany

Congo Siasa - Rwanda's Long Arm?

Dear friends,

Check out this blog post from Jason Stearns.

Rwanda's Long Arm?  The Economist posted an article last week that would raise the hackles on many a Congolese's neck. In the article, the paper ran over the familiar argument that Rwanda is trying to become a Singapore of Central Africa and that it is doing quite a bit better than most countries in the region in terms of good governance.

There is a good debate to be had about this, but will confine myself to a small nuance in the article: "Rwanda wants to be a regional trade hub, linking all the areas where Kinyarwanda is spoken (see map)."

Go to his blog to read the entire article, if you wish :)

And happy Monday!

Bethany

Listen to the Congolese

For Next Steps in Congo, Listen to the Congolese

     by Joshua Marks

While the Congo’s GDP growth for 2011 was just under seven percent, Congo dropped to last place in the UNDP’s latest Human Development Report, and its business environment, dominated by the corruption-laden mining industry, is considered one of the worst in the world. 

http://www.possible-futures.org/2012/02/15/for-next-steps-in-congo-listen-to-the-congolese/

ECI delegation's visit to UCBC in January

Hi Friends,

In January we welcomeda team from Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) at UCBC. ECI is an advocacy initiative working with organizations in Eastern DR Congo.

Please go to my colleague Chelsie's blog to read all about it! 

Eastern Congo Initiative and Ben Affleck Visit UCBC

Delegation from Eastern Congo Initiative visits UCBC

On Monday, January 23, 2012, Congo Initiative (CI) and Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC) had the pleasure of hosting friends and partners from Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI). ECI is the first advocacy initiative focused exclusively on working with community-based organizations (CBOs) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

24 hours in: Kasenyi, East DRC - Matador

I enjoyed this article... If you come to Congo with a certain set of expectations... You just might be pleasantly surprised!


http://matadornetwork.com/trips/24-hours-in-kasenyi-east-drc/

24 hours in: Kasenyi, East DRC

by RICHARD STUPART on JANUARY 12, 2012

We’re not in Fort Portal anymore, Toto.

Photo by Richard Stupart, the author

YOUR FERRY will dock, late in the day, at a nondescript pier straddled by the dark carcass of a crane that was likely born in the time of the Belgians. Realise you have already used the word ‘dark’ in describing part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and curse. Promise not to do it again. Damn you Conrad.

Your cameras stay in your bag. Despite smiles from people you pass, you set out convinced that the Eastern DRC is the country-sized equivalent of Pyongyang. Worst place in the world to be a child. War. AK-47s. Underage soldiers in flip-flops. That sort of thing. Not that you’ve seen any.

They must be around though. You saw documentaries.

Please go to 

http://matadornetwork.com/trips/24-hours-in-kasenyi-east-drc/ to read the rest of this article! 

The Mystery of Children: The Three Fools - a story

Dear Friends,

I read this posting from January, on my friend Soyon's blog and just loved it! She has posted a beautiful chapter from Mike Marson's book, The Mystery of Children. And I wanted to share it with you!

With Soyon, and other friends at ASP, in 2004!

Please click here to go to her blog and read the whole (but quite short) chapter!

Chapter Two and a Half from The Mystery of Children by Mike Mason 

The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Matthew 2:9 

The three wise men (as everyone knows but likes to forget) did not visit Jesus in the manger as a baby. They found Him much later, living in a shanty on the outskirts of Bethlehem, when He was two years old. This is important. 

They were looking for a child, and this was a matter of some awkwardness for them. They wondered: What sort of behavior would be appropriate in the presence of a child-king?

Telling a different story - CI

Telling a Different Story - from Congo Initiative

Kipepeo Reflections: Telling a Different Story  Do you want to make a tangible difference in the lives of Congo's future leaders? Join Kipepeo Partners today and help us meet our goal of 50 partners by March 1. We only need 10 more sign-ups! Find out more about Kipepeo Partners. One of our Partners shares her story below: ***************************************** A couple years ago, I spoke with a law student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As we shared our life stories, I tried to recall everything I had read about the D.R. Congo on the internet or in books. But my mind blanked. The next morning, as coffee brewed, I decided to re-educate myself on the D.R. Congo's history, people, and beautiful terrains. My first questions were close to home. "If I were a Congolese woman, what would my life be like? What are their standards of beauty, roles in the home, and recent accomplishments?" As I typed "Congolese women" into my browser, I assumed the search would yield websites on Congolese literature, political developments, and colorful printed fabrics.  Instead, page after page was all about rape. War crimes. FDLR rebels (a remnant of Hutu forces) systematically destroying the reproductive capabilities of women. Besides a few charity efforts, few websites actually celebrated Congolese women; one article celebrated a doctor for his reconstructive surgeries of them. Gaping in disbelief, I then did a Google search for "American women." Immediately, links to songs, literature, "famous firsts" of American women, and women-only fitness centers popped up. Most links celebrated their beauty and strength.  The difference between my two searches could not have been more drastic.  The results grieved me for days. It was as if my whole world came to a stand-still. Friends asked why I would tear up at coffee, or on the way to the metro. Each time I answered them and shared why, I was surprised that others -- like me -- were completely unaware of the situation. Almost a week later, in sheer frustration, I confronted God. "Why are you letting me grieve? Why am I mourning? Obviously you've put this on my heart for a reason, but my tears are unproductive. Please give me an answer. Show me why D.R. Congo is on my heart." When I found out about the Congo Initiative, my prayers were answered. There was something I could do to help!  As soon as I found out about the work of Congo Initiative, I started giving to their programs monthly, and praying for them. While I have never been to the D.R. Congo, it means so much to me that Congo Initiative is working to build up strong and courageous women and men who will lead the D.R. Congo's future generations. I am inspired that Congo Initiative is promoting justice and nation-building on their campus...a campus where women are being respected, valued, and equipped for leadership! And, I am grateful that Congo Initiative is caring for disadvantaged women, and teaching them important skills. I wish I had even more to give. Being a Kipepeo Partner is the least I can do to help. Davita Maharaj Masters candidate in International Human Rights Law Oxford University ***************************************************  We are proud of the fact that roughly 45% of the current student body at UCBC is female. This is radical for a country in which the national average is around 10%. This embodies a different story about the women of D.R. Congo--a story marked by the hope and potential of their unique place as future leaders. Join Davita and others today by making a monthly pledge of support. Your gift will go toward covering the critical tuition costs that so many of our deserving students are unable to meet. Choose an amount that fits your budget. You will be making a real impact in the education and formation of a new generation of leaders. We only need 10 people to join to help us meet our March 1 goal of 50 Kipepeo Partners. Thank you in advance for partnering with us! Become a Kipepeo Partner Today

For more information about Congo Initiative or UCBC, please go to the websites, below.

www.congoinitiative.org
www.ucbc.org

DRC - different from the what the news reports

http://matadornetwork.com/trips/the-drc-you-dont-see-in-the-news/

The DRC you don’t see in the news

by RICHARD STUPART on FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Richard Stupart shares these journal entries and images from the Democratic Republic of Congo, without a single Joseph Conrad reference.

– Somewhere in the Epulu Forest, 26 December 2011

I WALK HALFWAY back to the okapi pens to make field recordings of the forest noises and the faint rushing of the Epulu River behind me. Watching the light change in the forest as I sit monitoring the recorder levels in silence, I am reminded — or perhaps realise for the first time — how strange this place can be. The different sounds in the trees as the birds sing, some acrobatic, mouselike creature leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk just beneath the canopy. The yellow and green of moss and damp leaves bundles between the giant buttress roots pushing out from the forest floor. If “fecund” ever described a place accurately, it’s here.

Normalcy is perhaps the most profound lesson of this place. Just how durable the fabric of human routine can be.

This is a neat article, with a great photo collection at the bottom... Hope you'll read the entire article and enjoy the pictures! love, Bethany 

An NBA player without a country

http://africasacountry.com/2012/02/22/serge-ibaka-has-no-country/

NBA player Serge Ibaka has no country

FEBRUARY 22, 2012 BY SEAN JACOBS 

Last year we pointed to the fact that sports commentators, statisticians and journalists can’t distinguish the Democratic Republic of Congo (the DRC) from its neighbor the Republic of Congo every time they talk about NBA basketball player Serge Ibaka. He was born in Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, normally referred to as Congo-Brazzaville, not the DRC or what used to be known as Zaire (until 1997) and now commonly referred to by its initials or as Congo-Kinshasa. The only thing the two countries share is a river: the Congo (yeh, that river which  Conrad fictionalized). Earlier this week Deadspin, the American sports blog, pointed out that ESPN lists Ibaka’s birthplace as “Brazzaville, Zaire.” At least they know that Zaire still existed when Ibaka was born in 1989. But again it is the wrong country. Today I noticed they just deleted his country and his birthplace is now only listed as “Brazzaville.” So now he has no country.

Anyway, he acquired a Spanish passport last year and now plays for Spain in international tournaments.