I'm still here/there...

Long time no post!  It is the middle of October and I have arrived in Kinshasa, DR Congo.  I visited two dioceses in eastern Congo, the Anglican Diocese of North Kivu and the Anglican Diocese of Bukavu.  In North Kivu the diocesan center is in Butembo.  Bishop Isesoma took me to visit many classrooms and I got to say “Hello” in French which for me seems to be a patois of French-until-I-don’t-know-the-word-for-something. 

The Anglican church in Congo is doing a great work in the education of children.  I will post pictures in a second blog.  The number of students per class varies from 40 to 70.   Yes, 70.  Most people understand that education is the key to a better life and a better future as citizens of DR Congo.  I told them to dream big dreams because they are the future leaders of this country.  Most seem to know that Obama is President of the USA.  Like in most places, children and adults respond to a smile.

In the city of Goma, there is an outpost of the Anglican Diocese of Bukavu, which I visited after Butembo.  There the vicar introduced me to some of the widows and victims of violence.  These women form a group that meets once a week to make baskets, sew hand linens and school uniforms which they can sell.  They have become their own support system and it is beautiful to see.  The schools we visited were similar to the schools in Butembo.  The only difference is that violence against women continues to happen not far from the city itself, I was told.   In Bukavu, Bishop Bahati took me to visit schools, which are also overflowing.  The desire for education is huge.  Classrooms burst at the seams.  Yet they have “courage” which is pretty much the same as the English word.  This keeps them moving forward to the future they will construct. 

The war traumatized both survivors and victims physically and psychologically..  I asked a group of women on Sunday to say if their lives were better, the same or worse than three years ago.   To a woman, they began by speaking of the war and how attacks on women outside urban areas are continuing.  Then they spoke of the microcredit program of lending them small amounts to do business, make money and repay the loan.  There is a program of “Alphabetization” where women and older teen girls learn how to read and write.  This has been highly successful.  The premise is that if you educate a woman, you educate a family.   Many positive programs are happening.  It may take a while before the memory of the war recedes.    

I was warmly welcomed wherever I went.  They showed me great hospitality in the visits they arranged and the meals we shared together.  Now begins the next chapter:  Kinshasa and the work with Archbishop Isingoma.  Stay tuned.