Please click on 'Against Malaria' logo below to learn more about the

Against Malaria Foundation

and how to help combat this senseless disease.

 

            It’s been a hectic two weeks as the IMA team finished their training in Tshikapa and started with the hang-up in Kitangua. Twenty qualified supervisors learned about the ODK files, GPS settings, and various computer programs that would allow them to gather data from the field. The supervisors play a very important role in this particular campaign as they lead the RECO’s into these eight health zones. They then determine the number of nets that need to be distributed: one net for every two people in a household. The RECO’s are locals from these villages who are trained to properly install the nets and to gather data on the smart phones. There are usually around 12-15 RECO’s working with one supervisor. It seems like many of these locals have never used a smart phone before, so it takes time to train them. I was actually surprised by how quickly they caught on. Soon they were deftly poking at their complex devices. 

 

I teamed up with Dr. Delphin, one of the main supervisors. He speaks decent English and has helped me out with the language barrier; after all, my French is terrible. We drove out of Tshikapa after a full day of packing supplies and organizing which of the 20 supervisors with gear would start first. Crammed into the Landcruiser we headed for Kitangua, the first health district. We arrived after a few hours at an old Catholic Mission built sometime before the 1960s by the Belgians. I was amazed by the size of the place and by the brick architecture. This sudden appearance out of the darkness as the headlights illuminated the main entrance was a little shocking. This was the case because the entire village was dark except for the faint glow of candlelight in some of the shops, and after traveling on these trails for nearly three hours you expect to see the standard local mud and stick huts. The team quickly unloaded gear and materials before heading to the dining room to enjoy a great meal of fufu, pondu, and some local dried fish. Fufu is a staple African food that I came to enjoy during my travels. It’s made up of cassava root and usually ground-up maize mixed up with water. The women pound this mixture for what seems like most of the day until it’s the desired dough-like, starchy consistency.  It’s a heavy food that will keep you full most of the day. Pondu is a dish of pounded cassava leaves that usually accompanies fufu and a meat course, whether it be goat, fish, chicken, or beef. Locals always get a kick when I ask for extra peri-peri, the local hot sauce made from a local variety of chilies. 

The next day I was busy organizing gear and checking the phones to see if they had all of the programs installed and were charged up. The supervisors were issued their allotment of phones and they proceeded to train the RECO’s on how to use them. This kept everyone pretty busy for most of the day until the community outreach event, later in the afternoon. It was an amazing experience to be in this beautiful village with the locals gathered around the center of the market. Everyone had welcoming smiles on their faces and the mood was very uplifting. The PA was set up for speeches and demonstrations and then the music started. I’ve done my fair share of traveling and I must admit I have witnessed many cultural practices. This seemed to be the real deal and authentic, not some watered down tourist show. Just as the group of drummers arrived and started setting up their drums I noticed how they tuned them. Actually, at first I thought someone had caught fire by the close proximity of everyone. Then I realized that they were tensioning their drumheads by heating them up and then cooling them down again. They also had some lard pasted on the head for tone and lubrication. As the drumming and singing started, two masked dancers made their way toward the center. When they started moving, it looked like they were telling some ancient story through their dancing. Perhaps some of this story was being absorbed on some level. I was moved. There was a point of climax at the gathering when one lady took the stage and started dancing Congolese-style. This is usually done from the waist down and involves shaking the bottom. The youngsters got a kick out this and the crowd started surging with energy and excitement. Adults had to hold back the kids and threatened to use a stick if necessary. I really enjoyed this tribal music being performed here in this small village somewhere off the grid in the DRC. 

 

After the performance, there were many speeches by important men in the village including the chief. It’s vital to have the support of these leaders for the net campaign.  You can usually identify the chief or the person in highest command by what time they show up at a gathering. For example, if you are just a citizen or employee you show up on time. However, if you are a chief or a man in a high position you show up later, at which point the most important man shows up last. It can take hours for everyone to arrive, and then the speeches begin. At the end, I was handed the mic unexpectedly and quickly offered the Chiluba greeting for ‘Hello,’ which is ‘Moyo, moyo.’ The crowd got a kick out of this and gave a cheer but I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Dr. Delphin translated my simple message about the importance of using these nets to prevent malaria. In the end, everyone was on the same page and the hang-up would begin that evening. The wet season has just begun and it’s crucial that this project is completed before the roads turn to muck. No time to waste.
 

The next several days were spent hanging up nets and collecting data in the field.  I spent most of my time inventorying and issuing gear and materials. Since there was no available electricity out in these parts, we used five generators to charge close to 400 phones and batteries, radio equipment, cameras, and computers. Along with these gadgets, the RECO’s were issued hammers, nails, and string for the installation. The nets were stored and issued at the central hospital in Kitangua. This was a community effort using the available motors and bicycles in the vicinity for transport. When I finished my duties, I teamed up with a supervisor and his RECO’s to help install nets. I noticed how eager the kids were to help carry the nets around from house to house. In this fashion the hang-up went smoothly in Kitangua and we finished on schedule. 

 

 

The driving experiences here are brutal. These earth tracks are rough with long stretches of sand and mud, rutted-out, and grown over with thick foliage. A few days were spent traveling up to 12 hours in these conditions and I have whip-lash to prove it. The teams in the field need constant support with more supplies; they are cycling through batteries. So we make the rounds with a positive attitude and a sore back. Traveling a few hundred kilometers doesn’t seem like a long distance until you make the journey.

 

 

 

            These locals push their bikes for many kilometers throughout DRC transporting everything from batteries to grain to cassava and other food items. In many places the bicycle is the only way to travel and in order to get anywhere they must push these monstrosities through deep sand. It’s no wonder they eventually break down and cause a minor traffic jam.

 

             I really enjoy being around the children here. Everywhere I go I usually have a large crowd of them following me, whether I’m at the market or taking a walk through the village. Always smiling and ready to tease a Mdella (white man).

 

 

Please click on 'Against Malaria' logo below to learn more about the

Against Malaria Foundation

and how to help combat this senseless disease.

 

             I arrived in Kinshasa on the 8th of September and after pushing through some jet lag, I started working on customizing and programming phones. Approximately 430 phones will go into the field and be used to collect data. The photo above shows my friend, Delphon, programming a phone. It's a laborious task. Thankfully, with his help, we finished the phones and are now working on the Wi-Fi routers. The prep work for this distribution is key to its success so hopefully I haven't messed things up too much. 

 

            We have finally arrived in Tshikapa! To tell the truth it’s not as easy as it sounds to get on a plane here and go from point A to point B. In Africa you have your standard red tape you have to deal with. Lucky for me someone else dealt with it and eventually I was able to board a plane and fly here.

            It all started at the Custom's office at one of the airports in Kinshasa about a week ago. I was excited to finally leave Kinshasa and start with the field work after about three weeks of prep work. I can think of more desirable places to visit. Anyway, it is usually the case that in these parts a white man or foreigner draws lots of attention without meaning to. Unaware of the customs of dress in the Congo, I packed only shorts and sun shirts. When I arrived I probably looked like some clueless American brat, looking to book a safari, and willing to pay any bribes along the way. The officer was saying something about how I had the wrong Visa and how I needed an additional letter with a few rows of stamps and signatures. Standard protocol. During my five years of travel, I became a master of avoiding paying any bribes, being time rich and monetarily poor. I learned one method from a friend, which I termed the "stove trick." Once you start having problems (like at a border or checkpoint) on the road, you just break out your stove and start cooking tea and a meal in front of them, all the while maintaining your composure. Works every time, if you have time and are moving on land. Unfortunately, taking an air taxi in the Congo is a little more complicated. Even after I pulled out my letter of invitation provided by IMA, the officer would not budge. On top of all this he pretty much confiscated my passport. I was stunned by his blatant attack and persistence to create problems. I guess I was also a bit naïve to think that an organization like IMA and NGOs (that are actually helping the Congolese people) would be exempt from this sort of corruption. I'm no expert, but it seems this is not the case. So, I left the airport defeated and also with a little more information than I began with. I learned that first and foremost I needed to get a new outfit, preferably with some Congolese flare, and ditch the shorts. It's funny how style came up first when discussing this ordeal with other expats; image is everything here. It was only an additional three days in Kin before I headed back to the airport, this time dressed for success. Of course at this point I had my paperwork in hand, everything was in order thanks to IMA, and I was able to board the plane. Boom.

 

            Flying into Tshikapa was like traveling back in time for me. It has a "Wild West" feel and look to it with its sand and mud boulevards, energetic markets, and endless diamond businesses lining the streets. It was during the early 1900’s when diamonds were first discovered in Tshikapa. The Belgians dominated these mining fields for years until 1960 rolled around and the independence of the Congolese. Since that time, independent specialists/businessmen have targeted this place for buying and selling diamonds. Because of the exploitation that has taken place over the years, Tshikapa has the densest source of satellite phone connections (outside modern day Iraq) in the world.

 

            Officially the first day of this project started with IMA’s outreach event last Sunday. I helped to set things up and also got to travel with the caravan, which moved through Tshikapa and advertised the beginning of IMA’s bed net campaign. It's clear to see how this was done. There was a band playing in the back of one of the trucks and the rest of the motorbikes were honking their horns and holding up nets. I guess in Africa if you want attention you must create a lot of noise. And so it was.

           The event was held later that day on the main boulevard. Locals lined up on the street to see the speeches and demonstrations taking place. It's clear that this project is much more than just handing out nets to the Congolese people. The other side of it is convincing locals to accept this as the best way to prevent malaria and to keep these nets up. It seems obvious that one would want to protect their family, but necessity is the mother of invention, and so the nets are sometimes used for other purposes. It reminds me of another example of this which I witnessed during my three month walk across Nepal. I met up with some UNESCO workers following up on a latrine project they had been working on for the last three or four years. Both of them spoke good English and were from Kathmandu. At that time they were conducting a study to see how many of these well-built outhouses were actually being used. I was told how some of the Nepalese use them for storing grain and corn and continue to go the toilet in the open. Follow-up was very important to explain to these people how they were putting the rest of the community in danger. It takes time before these basic concepts are accepted into the local culture.

            This week some of the key players from IMA will train 20 field supervisors in Tshikapa. It's projected that as early as this Saturday we will be on the move to the first health zone. Can't wait to get out there!

 

             This is the health minister for this district. A "big man" in the DRC.

 

 

 

Please click on 'Against Malaria' logo below to learn more about the

Against Malaria Foundation

and how to help combat this senseless disease.

 

  

 

       So since my return to the states last December, which was the biggest culture shock of all, I have been doing some research on getting involved in some volunteer work.  Having spent a year and a half cycling through 25 countries on this continent, I felt Africa would be a great start. So now I will be working alongside the IMA World Health team as they distribute over 700,000 mosquito bed nets in eight health zones here in the DRC. This involves much more than your standard net campaign in that the nets will be hung up for each house and tracked by GPS to provide data for transparency and accountability. IMA and Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) both provide a high level of transparency which is important for donors. I encourage all to view the IMA and AMF websites.