Dear friends and supporters
It is with joy that I announce that after almost sixteen months of absence, I am finally back in Congo, or rather, in the occupied part of Congo, which represents a state within a state. Even the DRC visa, which is usually obtained in Rome at the Congolese embassy, is not recognized. A new visa that applies only to M23-occupied territories is issued at the border (in my case the gateway to Bukavu), but only for cooperators of large, well-known NGOs. In my case, it required communication, prior to my arrival, to the authorities from the Archbishop of Bukavu(!). It had not been easy to get a letter from the Archbishop and have it presented to the migration authorities, but thanks to the help of many good people I succeeded. So without too much difficulty, by paying for the visa at the Ruzizi border, which separates Bukavu from Changugo (Rwanda) and which I reached by bus from Kigali, I was able to enter Bukavu.
I wanted to meet the children in the carpentry workshop we had started a few weeks ago and Fabien, the supervisor as well as educator of the children, and the carpenter trainer. I wanted to see the workshop, how and where they had set it up, and see how the activities were progressing.
And I was looking forward to meeting Angelo, who was coming from Mwenga to take his well-deserved vacation, discuss the progress of projects la and leave him many things for the children. It was very nice to come back, I realized how much I missed all the people I met in Bukavu and also the children from Mwenga, as much as I was not able to go back there, the road being still too dangerous (I remind you that Mwenga and Kamituga have not (yet) been occupied by the M23) but also just being able to get things to them, and thus make them feel my closeness, that I have not abandoned them.
Contrary to what I expected, I have been able to move around the city freely, on foot and by public transportation (minibuses, tuk tuk etc ), as I used to do in the past as well, although foreigners are just not to be seen around (the various cooperators stay in their offices and do not frequent the popular areas as I did!). On the contrary, security seems to have increased, as there are police everywhere, just as order has increased, traffic is a little less chaotic, and the city is a wee bit less dirty (every Saturday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. traffic is banned to allow all residents to clean the streets in their neighborhoods). Trucks full of heavily armed military personnel can often be seen passing by, which is a bit disturbing. There seems to be an increased mass of people on the streets, trying to sell anything, women, children, the elderly, people of all ages. Old women with huge loads on their heads, other people who only have two or three things to sell....
With great satisfaction I have seen that the workshop is progressing well and the children are happy.
They are all children who we removed from situations of great misery and who spent the whole day on the street. The place where the angar was built is at Essence Bizimani, a very poor neighborhood, but the place is airy, with a view from above over the Ruzizi River, which separates Congo from Rwanda. I spent a lot of time at the atelier,
supervising the activities and giving many pointers to improve its management. Together with Fabien we went around the neighborhood and other deprived areas to look for more boys and girls for the workshop (we wanted to get to 10 students)
and to start making a list of possible boys-and between the ages of 15 and 17 for a possible welding workshop we would like to set up, if we can get enough funds. This allowed me to experience firsthand the situation of extreme poverty and misery in which many families find themselves.
I think of Christophe, 13 and a half years old, the first of 8 siblings; his father left three years ago for Kamituga to work in the mines and has not shown any signs of life since. The mother is 30 years old, and she continued even after her husband's departure to give birth to children. Christophe carried sandbags and other heavy loads to bring some money home to feed his siblings, since their mother does nothing. We visited them in the one room where they live, filled with sad-looking children no one going to school (Christophe says he is up to fourth grade, but he can't read or write), a crowded outdoor balcony shared with other families. Christophe sought us out, he wanted to learn a trade, he looked very sad when we first met him. It was good to see him smiling, radiant, as he attended the workshop.
We have been wondering how the mother will get by without her help. It will be Fabien's job to talk to her, sensitize her, empower her, see if she can be directed to some other aid program....and we will have to see if we can also help some of her siblings at least for schooling....
It would be very nice to be able to broaden our scope beyond the workshop, but without doing pure welfarism, giving people the cultural and material means to get out of their misery and improve their situation. Thus we have 10 trainees, including 7 boys and 3 girls. The most recent addition was Eric, a 15-year-old boy who has been on the street for at least two years, although he has a mother to whom he often returns, his father long gone with the military. I had met Eric 2 years ago when I was passing through Bukavu on my way from Mwenga to shop for the Maison Msaada we were setting up. He had seen me loaded with packages on the street and offered to help me carry something. He was then 13 years old and had expressed to me his desire to be taken in a home and receive an education. Then I went back to Mwenga and learned that he had often come looking for me, to the Xaverian missionary house where I was staying and where I was also welcomed this time. He came back again to look for me, when I had by then left the country, but one of the workers at the house to whom I had left instructions was able to bring him to the workshop, and so he too is one of ours!
Fabien plans to start a literacy program, for a few hours a week, for the 4-5 boys/girls who cannot write. It is nice that he sometimes devotes some time to the moral education of the children, having them sing, pray etc. He will also soon start a literacy class for the 5-6 kids/and who cannot read or write. We have managed for now to provide lunch for the boys (rice and beans) thanks to the generous help of some of you. We hope to continue, since none of them eat at home in the morning and it is already a lot if they can eat in the evening!
My short stay in Congo was very intense and enriching, unfortunately there was a snag near the end of my stay that complicated my return and made me somewhat discouraged. This will be the subject of another newsletter! It will also be followed by a newsletter with updates on the Mwenga project, Maison Msaada, which unfortunately I was unable to get to because of the lingering war.
Once again I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart, also on behalf of our boys, all those who made the realization of this small project possible, as well as all our collaborators. Special thanks to the Mission Center of Bolzano and Bressanone for their generous support!
