“While acknowledging that there are no quick fixes,” says the press release, “the report argues that food security can be achieved through immediate action in four critical areas.” Those four are increasing agricultural productivity, more effective nutrition, building resilience, and empowerment and social justice.

FTM farmers clearing a field

AllAfrica.com brings the subject home to Congo in an article on its site. “The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the potential to become sub-Saharan Africa’s breadbasket,” it says, “yet it has the highest estimated prevalence of malnutrition in the world.” What many people don’t know is that the DRC actually exported food up until its independence from Belgium in 1960. Even in 1990 it grew the most cassava of any country in Africa. Now the country has to import food, and many people across Congo are subsistence farmers, like those we work with in Farmers to Markets. In the places where FTM is at work, the average cash income has been about $25 a year.

In this context, Byron called from Congo several days ago with some good news from FTM. In the Loko region, he said, farmers are seeing increases of two to three times the harvest when they use the new methods they’ve learned from our agronomist. In the Bumba region the increases are in the range of one and a half to two times the harvest. And the new methods they’re learning? Plant in rows. Space the seeds out. Weed well. Read more about Farmers to Markets.

SAJ   16 May 2012

In addition to troops from those four countries, the African Union has contributed forces and the United States has provided 100 military trainers and technical advisers. Pres. Obama, speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Museum on April 23, announced the extension of those deployments as one part of the U.S. honoring the Holocaust “never again” pledge by working to prevent mass atrocities.

The cooperating military leaders emphasize that taking Kony out of action is only one of their aims. “Joseph Kony would be a good result of our concerted joint action,” said AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, “but then you have to be sure you neutralize the whole organization.” A news release from the State Department emphasized that “the United States is supporting projects in LRA-affected areas to increase civilian protection, enhance early-warning capabilities, deliver humanitarian relief and strengthen the overall resiliency of communities.”

The Voice of America article gave the film “Kony 2012,” produced by the organization Invisible Children, partial credit for ratcheting up the pressure on the hunt for Kony. “At a U.S. Senate hearing last month, lawmakers signaled they would push to expand a State Department ‘Rewards for Justice’ program to include Kony,” the article reported, adding, “Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson told senators the United States is providing radios and cellphones to communities in the Congo as part of the campaign to bring Kony and his followers to justice.”

Read the full articles and see the President’s comments here: Voice of America article, President’s remarks, State Department release. See also the comments on “Kony 2012″ posted here when the film came out.

SAJ   9 May 2012

In March Dr. Freddy told Tom that they were running low on meds. Tom calculated that he would need $14,000 to provide $10,000 worth of medicines, with the cost of shipping. He contacted PCP to ask if we could give $5,000, saying that the Kejr Foundation of Salina, Kansas, would contribute $9,000. Byron brought the matter to our Medical Steering Team, and, with Dr. Aimé’s approval (the medical director of the CEUM system), the team said yes.

So Dr. Freddy gave Tom a list of the needed pharmaceuticals, and an associate of Tom’s purchased them in Kinshasa. From there it was air freight to Bumba, then by truck from Bumba up to Wasolo–the most isolated of the CEUM hospitals. (See the maps on our Facebook page.) On April 16 the truck arrived, and the boxes of medicine were unloaded at the pharmacy.

And the moral of this story? Well, there are three: (1) the CEUM hospitals need more medicines than we are able to provide right now; we’ve set a goal of doubling the amount; (2) strategic partnerships can make a lot of good happen; and (3) never underestimate a committed volunteer! Hats off to Tom for making this happen, and to the Kejr Foundation for their generosity.

SAJ   7 May 2012

A Congolese woman’s life is not easy. Women are treated as minors, in the custody of their husbands. They can’t make legal contracts on their own, or travel out of the country. Almost half of Congolese women cannot read or write. And violence against women is not limited to the combustible eastern side of the country. Women living many miles away have a 17 times greater chance of being raped (by a civilian) than they had a decade ago. That’s an appalling statistic–but is it really a complete surprise, when women in Congo are regarded as worth so much less than men?

Maman Bongisa association of women farmers in its weekly meeting

From the time we designed the Farmers to Markets microfinance and value-chain program and submitted our proposal to the U.S. Agency for International Development, one of our stated goals was to begin changing the standing of women and the dynamics of decision-making in the family. That’s why we mandated that at least 50% of the farmers participating must be women (the current figure is 52%). Our training of the animators, and so their training of the associations over many months, includes healthy and balanced gender roles.

We don’t claim miracles, but we are seeing signs of change. Mr. Gila and his wife are one good example, especially with the wife’s vision of what could happen in the area if more men could have the experience her husband had. Another is the woman who spoke up in an association meeting, saying, “Now I have a voice! I never had a voice before.” Her opinions had been worth nothing until she was invited to be part of an association with both men and women. In that context, in the presence of men, she was given a role and a voice.

And then there was the group of women who were part of an association along with some men. Before long, they realized that they were being treated unfairly. The men were giving them less of the profits, neglecting to include them in decision-making, and so on. So the women picked up and left and formed their own association. They named it Maman Bongisa, which means “women arrange,” and set about growing corn. At last report, they were doing well.

Pat on the back for all these women and for the FTM leaders–and for everyone who has been a part of this program through gifts of money.

Read more about Farmers to Markets elsewhere on this website.

SAJ   2 May 2012

A unit at Karawa hospital, with primary support from PCP

MSF points out that the DRC presents a “context of a health system that is sorely lacking resources at all levels.” This is true across the country, but some areas are particularly disadvantaged. The eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, for example, are still plagued by continuing violence from militias, DRC military, and all sorts of renegades–an unsettled and fearful context that makes it hard to seek treatment for malaria and other illnesses.

The article also cites Équateur province–where PCP works–as needing help, saying “the limited presence of effective healthcare providers and overstretched health systems make it difficult for people living in endemic areas to access prevention and treatment.”

The best means of protection against malaria is long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets. The DRC government recently launched a major distribution of the nets in Katanga, Bandundu, and North and South Kivu provinces, as reported in an article on ReliefWeb. Supported by UNICEF, the World Bank, and other international agencies, this current drive will give out a total of 13.7 million nets. In the past, Équateur has benefited from similar international distributions. In spite of these efforts, WHO (the World Health Organization) reports that only 6 percent of Congolese children sleep under treated nets.

Both articles are worth reading in full. See the MSF article here, and the ReliefWeb article here.

The Paul Carlson Partnership has been supporting medical care in northwest Congo for over 40 years. Read more about our medical work elsewhere on this website, with further information on our Medical Ambassadors site.

SAJ   1 May 2012

Cindy went with Ann and Beth today to Karawa. . . . Byron, Dr. Aimé, Wade, Bena (Dr. Aimé’s secretary), Giselle (Aimé’s wife), and myself went to Bwamanda to see the pharmacy there. Whoa! What a place! I’m amazed. It was a big warehouse. The first thing I noticed were big air conditioning units on the outside of the building, but I thought, “Umm, this is Africa. This is Congo. Those probably don’t work.” Boy, was I wrong! We walked in and a rush of refreshing cool air met us!

Karawa Hospital Pharmacy

We got introduced to the director of the facility and the two on-staff pharmacists. Plus, as we walked in we were ushered past stacks and stacks of boxes of meds/supplies. They gave us a tour of the building which included their 3 “compartments” that are temperature controlled. The temperature is monitored 3 times a day–amazing! They even had a cold room where they kept the temp between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.

The stacks and shelves of supplies and meds were of recognizable brands and from companies that are reputable. After a fairly brief tour of the building we sat and listened to a very good POWER POINT presentation—yes, folks, they did a very good power point presentation complete with the projector and all!

It was a stretching time for me because it was all in French, so I tried to speak just in French–difficult for me right now, but I muddled through with the help of Dr. Aimé and huge help from Wade Carlson. He was great in helping getting things understood. He slipped right back into French which was very helpful for me, as well as for Byron to help understand what was being said.

The overall feeling of all who went is that this is a great place to start getting meds. I’ll let Byron fill you in on the details, but it looks really promising. We are wanting to put together some more details and present it to the new CEUM administration later this week. I, for one, am very hopeful!

SAJ   27 Apr 2012

Photo: CBS/60 Minutes

Did you see the “60 Minutes” story about the Kimbanguist Orchestra in Kinshasa? It was shown on April 8. If you didn’t see it then, we strongly encourage you to watch the video online. We did a news piece about this orchestra here in the Paul Carlson Update about two years ago, having spotted it on the BBC online, and it was an impressive story then. By now they’re even better. Watch this, and you will never again underestimate the Congolese people.

Here’s the link, and we’ll quit talking so you can go watch. Go! ……. Go!

SAJ   27 Apr 2012

Two of our Medical Steering Team’s goals for this trip were (a) to look at sources and logistics for supplying the CEUM medical system’s pharmaceutical needs, and (b) to meet with the leaders of the nursing school at Karawa and determine ways of helping the school.

From left: Marta Klein, Dr. Aimé Nkakala, Byron Miller, Beth and Wade Carlson, Cindy Ekstrand. Taking the picture: Ann Hagensen.

When Eric Gunnoe emailed to the members of the Paul Carlson Medical Ambassadors, asking for a pharmacist and a nurse-administrator for this mission, Beth and Wade Carlson responded immediately, and they fit the bill perfectly: Beth is a nurse-administrator and Wade a pharmacist. Shortly after that, Byron visited the ECC church in Kent, Wash., where Ann Hagensen, another nurse-administrator, was interested in going too.

Ann practiced as a certified pediatric critical nurse for the first 21 years of her career. For the past 12 years she has served as the director for patient and family centered care programs at MultiCare Health System in the Seattle area. In 2008 she completed a fellowship in nursing leadership. Preparing for this trip, Ann said, “I look forward to traveling the journey with the Congolese people as they rebuild their health care systems through compassionate care to individuals at every stage of life.”

Wade has been a pharmacist for 30 years, primarily working in hospital pharmacy management. Beth has been an RN for nearly 30 years and has worked in various areas, most recently in nursing administration as vice president of patient care services for Sentara health services in Williamsburg, Va. They have a history in Congo: “We were moved by Paul Carlson’s story years ago,” they write–moved enough to spend a short term as ECC missionaries in Karawa years ago. Now “we have eagerly watched the work [of PCP], in prayer for how we might help. . . . When Eric sent out a request for a pharmacist and a nurse, we looked at each other as only a couple married 31 years can, and we are thrilled to be going to DRC!”

The team is in Congo until tomorrow, Saturday, the 28th, when they fly back home.

SAJ   27 Apr 2012

March 31 was, is, Dr. Paul’s birthday, and he would be turning 84 this year. In honor of who he was and how he lived his life, here is a taste of an article written in 1991 by Joan O’Connell Hamilton for the Stanford University Alumni Association’s magazine. Note the link below to read the entire article. She begins:

“We are a society that likes to christen heroes. But we like our heroes neat and tidy, easily defined: the star quarterback, the Nobel laureate, the ace fighter pilot. We anoint them, store them away, and then march them out for parades in their golden years.

“It has been 25 years since the world met a most unlikely hero, a gentle doctor who had no desire to capture the public eye. Although he became a hero in death, it was the life of Paul Earle Carlson that is compelling.

“Between ads for Ford Mustangs and Coca-Cola, Life magazine ran a spread on the Congo during the first week of December 1964. It was no exotic travelogue: Africa was erupting and the Congo was its flashpoint. The Congo had been given independence suddenly and unexpectedly from Belgium in 1960 and was highly volatile. For five months, rebel insurgents had held the city of Stanleyville, deep in the country’s interior, and had proclaimed a “People’s Republic.”

“Inside Stanleyville’s Victoria Hotel were 250 hostages, most of them Belgians unlucky enough to be in the region when the rebels, known as Simbas, staged their assault. There were many families with children, a smattering of Americans, several diplomats. But one prisoner, a kind, 36-year-old physician and missionary, would later be remembered more than the others. He moved among the prisoners, setting up his own tiny clinic … (more)

Some of you probably have already recognized the patterns Cole is talking about. In that event, he will give you an opportunity for the kind of mental calisthenics that can strengthen your insights. Others may be exploring new territory as you follow Cole through his carefully structured argument. I found myself wanting to argue that Cole’s position itself doesn’t admit the full picture of Western development assistance in Africa–but I suspect he might agree. He hints at that once or twice. He is raising issues that we must wrestle with on an ongoing basis, and he does it well. I, for one, am grateful.

Here’s the link: The White Savior Industrial Complex. See also our earlier post: Kony 2012.

SAJ   21 Mar 2012