Rest Day, TIA

Well, there was a gap in time zones, between my draft of the project proposal going to the US, and them waking up to send me a revision, so I decided to squeeze in a day off. The rest of my time is leaving, so I rode back with them to Kigali, for a Rwandan R&R.

We left Goma at 11:00 or so, and had little problem leaving DRC, except the immiration officer informed us he had to keep our visa receipts, a "new policy" since last week, when we last went through the border. Minor delay. Oh, and a drunk man was groping women at the border, so the police chased him, beat him, and handcuffed him to a tree by the river to sober up.

Then, upon arriving at Rwanda immigration, we discovered that our Ethiopian colleague, who joined us a few days earlier to lend an expert pair of hands on IDP assessment, was not allowed to enter without a visa. So, he has a flight to catch that night, four hours away, he has to apply online for a visa, wait three days, (and it's Sunday, so make that four), and then come back. Meanwhile, he can't go back to Congo, because he doesn't have a visa receipt for there anymore, they just took it!

Rwanda doesn't take bribes (not in public), so we just had to wait and beg long enough for the officer to feel he had shown us how good he was at his job, then we were able to go. Actually, it reminded me a lot of US Immigration officers...

So we finally got to Kigali, Mesele caught his flight, and I got back to work to get the CIDA proposal done. Just finished now, so tomorrow morning I can take the second half of my day off, visit Martin Rusenga, whom many know, of Nu-Vision ministries, and see the sights of Kigali. Then, back to work in the afternoon to start on the second funding request from the US government. I may be going back to Congo on Tuesday, that is yet to be decided.

Good night all.

La vie congolaise...

I just returned from a two day assessment trip, two of us from FHI and two from World Relief. You can see the pictures at my Picasa site. What a sad state, amid such beauty and grandeur... a village of 450 families finds themselves trapped between two armies. Grenades destroy homes, and the whole community flees. After suffering bullet wounds, fractures from falling buildings and cuts and bruises from their flight, they arrive at a displacement camp with insufficient resources to sustain them. Thousands of families huddled in tents on a lava field. No wonder, after less than a month, they return to their community, to find their livestock stolen, with not even a chicken remaining. Meanwhile, their own cattle are promenaded past them by the "new owners", eating their soon-to-fail corn and bean crops.

When I spoke to UN and other agency officials, they confirmed what I had seen, "It's a gap. We're focusing on the displaced, in the camps and in host families, and no one is assisting those brave enough to return home." Hopefully we can offer some aid. I'm busy working on aid proposals, but may be home soon.

Canadian in the Congo

Well, it's a week late, but here's a brief post on me in the Congo. I'm working for Food for the Hungry International (FHI) again, on an assessment mission to determine how we can appropriately respond to the crisis here. FHI has worked for several years in Sud-Kivu province, so there is an experienced Congolese staff available, as wll as a lot of support from the regional office in nearby Rwanda.

As you may have seen on the news, there is currently a rebel movement (CNDP), which is warring with the Congolese army (FARDC) in the province of Nord-Kivu (NK). This description is, however, far too simple. In reality, there are at least 7 different armed groups, most of which have formed to defend their region from other armed groups, and creating a constant, rolling game of Risk, with areas changing hands all the time. Unfortunately, this area is not empty, and the civilians become the pawns of ever changing warlords. In an effort to defend themselves, the Congolese have been constantly running away from conflict, and camping in a "safe" area until the conflict finds them, and they are on the run again. The army has managed to hold the town of Goma, and many displaced people are gathered around this town. However, there are many behind CNDP lines, where few or no humanitarian agencies dare to go.

All armed forces have signed agreements to not harm humanitarians, and so far these have been kept. Traveling under the banner of a recognized agency creates relative safety, and we have been able to visit regions behind the CNDP lines and been welcomed.

There are at least half a million people displaced right now, and many have received no help in months. Imagine camping for 6 months in the rain with only a few dollars, in the rain, with no tent, and a family of six. The situation for many is desperate, and the close, unhygenic quarters have led to increased cases of serious diseases like cholera.

I'm going back behind rebel lines on Wednesday for a two day trip, as we identify the most critical needs and prepare a proposal for funding. Here's a picture of me with a CNDP Captain I met, who ahs a brother in Ottawa.