Getting Around

How do you get to school? Do you walk? Does somebody take you? Do you ride a bus? How does your mom or dad get to the grocery store? How do they get to work? How do packages come to your house?

Would it surprise you to hear that it's very different in the Congo? Probably not! In the cities there are cars and trucks, though not as many as in the cities we know. But in the villages, it is very unusual to see any kind of vehicle.

People in Congo walk. A lot! Enough to make us very tired if we tried to keep up with them. Little kids walk, adults walk, older people walk. This is partly because nobody has enough money for a car, and partly because the roads are terrible! Almost all of them are dirt roads. When it rains, they are mud roads. An ordinary car would never be able to make it on these roads.

There are a few 4-wheel-drive vehicles, but they don't belong to individuals. They're owned by companies or organizations, and used for work. Some people have motorcycles, but that's mostly if someone else helps them buy it so they can get around in their work. For example, some doctors and pastors have motorcycles. And anyone with a motorcycle usually has somebody else riding behind them on it. There are some trucks for carrying loads of stuff -- but they have a hard time when the roads are muddy!

Bicycles are a good way to get around in Congo. They can go around the ruts on the dirt roads. People use them to carry loads, like bundles of food going to market. Sometimes someone with a bicycle will use it to help get a sick person to a clinic. They even use them as taxis! Since most people in the villages can't afford to buy a bicycle, the Paul Carlson Partnership helps some to buy bicycles so they can earn money for their families.