By Annette Scarpitta | Project Co-Leader
Communications Challenges
It's been a rough ride in the Congo since our last report. In the last month, the government arranged to shut off all communications for socio-political reasons (see links). No Internet, e-mail, texting, or phone. Don't be misled by the "restoration" reported from Kinshasa on the far side of the country: in the east, they know irregular power and communications lines all too well. Neither Internet nor electricity are found in the rural areas of our three school communities.
The Cow Path Leads Here
Rwenena (Reh-NEHN-uh) is the most remote and volatile of these three communities. To get there, you must travel several miles on what appears to be little more than a grassy cow path, several miles off the main road, very close to the Burundian border. Rwenena is truly overlooked by the rest of the world - no other assistance comes their way. Although this program does what it can, they are in need of everything else, including health care, adequate food, clean water, income-generating activities, and education for more children. Despite all these needs, the village remains grateful to you, the GlobalGiving donors, for what this project does for their children. Everyone there knows that education is the key to a better life.
A Place To Sit
The Rwenena Primary School principal, Isaac, travels by scooter from his far-off home to the school; expenses eat up $30 of his $50-a-month salary, and he has a family to support. Until recently, he had no chair waiting for him at the school, and his desk was so unstable when I saw it, I thought it would topple over at the slightest touch. Thanks to an outside funder, we were able to acquire new furniture for our students, teachers, and administrators. Included is a new desk and chair for Isaac.
Military Escort for These Photos!
Getting the photos you see here (and others that have had technical glitches so are not yet available) from Rwenena was the result of a tremendous effort. Project Co-Leader Bernadette was concerned about her security traveling to Rwenena so was able to acquire an approved military escort for her trip.The group she found - along with the escorts - appears in the main photo. She reports that the escort joined the community in their gratitude for this project. Don't miss the photo that shows our friend Issac at his new table, sitting on his new chair.
Please Consider A Donation
School continues, and now, more than ever, we need your donations to cover costs. Consider donating as a gift, a tribute, or a repeat or recurring donation. Continued gratitude to our recurring donors!
Follow-Up
As a follow-up to our last report, Iain Guest of The Advocacy Project has pledged to offer continuing consulting support not only to this education project, but to AMCAV in general. For this we are extremely grateful.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your caring support.
Links:
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