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Disturbing news has emerged from Kalondo. Reports in Kijiji Cha Amani (a North Kivu news aggregator) indicate that Mai Mai rebels have overran the village in June and have occupied the Health Centre. Locals inform me that the nurses were ordered to not flee or their homes and the Health Centre will be burned down. Many local homes have already been burned and destroyed by the Mai Mai in order to impose control.
There are reports of the Mai Mai militia taking children to join their rebel group.
Adults over the age of 16 are being forced to pay 1,000 Congo francs per month while being forced to comply with Mai Mai demands for servile labour. Men who have objected and unable to escape are subject to 20 whips and a penalty of 100,000 Congo francs, if they have it.
We have supported the Health Clinic in Kalondo here, here and here. It has been subject to a vicious storm and repaired. It is the site of our My Chicken Give Me Eggs microfinance project. We had reported the earlier evacuation of the chickens when the Mai Mai were a threat.
Kalondo is roughly 30 km SSW of Butembo. I am communicating with locals to ask if there is any practical way to help out the villagers. The Congo army is engaged with the Mai Mai nearby, but currently Kalondo is considered as a safe haven for the rebels.
Kalondo medical supplies delivered
Families received two chickens (a rooster and a hen) with the expectation that they would return two chickens to the village the following year
On a day to day basis, Congolese in North Kivu province must deal with the threat of Ebola, the dangers from marauding rebels and bandits, the anarchy of virtually non-existent government and a sustenance standard of living. There is a reason the Bible does not tell us to Be happy. Instead, it says that we should Be content with all things, a much more practical option.
Indeed, no matter what the circumstances, life must go on.
In the past month, I have received multiple photographs of Congolese doing just that. Continuing with their lives and soldiering forward. They display remarkable internal fortitude that will put the vast majority of relatively wealthy Westerners to shame. We have much to learn from those persevering and living their lives with contentment in all circumstances. Here are those photographs:
From a primary school in Beni, celebrating the end of the school year:
From a Butembo church celebrating in the streets:
From the Mama Dorcas orphanage:
Bens in Congo 