“Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.”
In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay “The Danger of the Single Story,” she writes: “The American writer Alice Walker wrote this about her Southern relatives who had moved to the North. She introduced them to a book about the Southern life that they had left behind: ‘They sat around, reading the book themselves, listening to me read the book, and a kind of paradise was regained.’
“I would like to end with this thought: That when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.” (from Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing)
You may have heard that the story of Congo is difficult to sum up in a few sentences, paragraphs, or even books, and thus the challenge when trying to grow our Action Kivu family with an elevator pitch of why someone should turn their attention to the people and stories of Congo. Reading this excerpt about rejecting the single story rings true, especially when I think about the stories the people of Congo allow us to share in, to spend a moment in their lives, gaining deeper empathy and connection.
This past month, Amani asked some of the students at the Congo Peace School to share what life has been like for them in July, what they've learned. What book have they read that they liked or would recommend others to read, and why?
Kaliwe Lubunga shared: "I'm 13, and a student in the 2nd grade of secondary at the Congo Peace School. This pandemic has made us lose time which we will never recover in our lives, but praise God we are still healthy without knowing what will happen and when the pandemic will end. July has been a disappointing month for me. I was hoping the pandemic would end before July 2nd, which was the last day of school. But unfortunately, we did not resume the full school system. My dream is the end of the pandemic and to resume school activities.
“But we are lucky being at the Congo Peace School, the only school where we are given an opportunity to read books, learn computer skills, and eat a meal. Right now I'm reading a book about Napoleon Bonaparte as an emperor. I'm learning how he ruled, but I hate wars. I can strongly recommend other people read this book because it is clear about the history of Napoleon. I like learning how his empire attempted to spread religious tolerance."
Munguakonkwa Borauzima is also in the 2nd grade secondary school. At 17 years old, she is older than most students in her class, because she had to drop out for three years due to lack of financial support. "This month of July I learned how to type using a computer, creating a document and saving it in a file. I am so happy and my dream is becoming a reality. I am reading a book about French writing and reading, it is a book with French subjects for 3rd grade in secondary and I am kind of getting ready for 3rd grade, but this pandemic is a huge obstacle. I am already behind and the pandemic is making things worse because it is not ending. People who want to learn French, I can recommend this book! I like our school and community library."
The news from late July is that the DRC government has decided to open schools in the fall. The Congo Peace School is better situated than almost any in the region to do so in a safe way: with running water and large classrooms with limited numbers of students, they will socially distance, and continue the ongoing health education about hand washing. The school will install additional hand washing stations at the gate’s entrance, and we are purchasing several ThermoFlash thermometers to take each student’s temperature before starting the day. In addition, we have included two masks per student into the year’s budget, so that while one mask is being washed, each student has a clean mask to wear. (If you would like to give above and beyond your current gift to provide for these needs, the masks are $1.50 a piece, with a need of 720 for the current student body.)
The story of the regenerative farm continues to grow! Amani’s friend from his Rotary club had visited the Congo Peace School, and was so impressed by the curriculum and the vision, he promised to gift a cow to the community farm, that has grown from the marsh farm with fishing ponds, pigs and farmland that Action Kivu has supported over the years to include the farm at the Congo Peace School. Working with volunteers, Amani and the community built a beautiful cow barn next to the school’s soccer field. Community members gathered for a clean-up day, making sure there was no litter or plastic in the grass where the cows would graze.
When the time came for the cow to move in, Amani had a surprise – his brother and one other person learned about the gift of the cow, and offered their own gifts. The barn and field nearby is now home to three gorgeous bovines, two of which are pregnant, so in five to six months we will welcome two calves to the family as well!
The cows fit into the regeneration cycle of everything we are doing, Amani reports. Their manure will contribute a great deal in our organic fertilizer wing through compost. The cows will produce milk to provide nutrients for the students who join our school's beloved community with severe malnutrition. The manure of the cows is also very helpful inside the fishing ponds as it helps the water grow rich in nutrients and that water helps irrigate the rice we are growing and other crops around. The school is in addition envisioning to sell milk for sustainability.
(DRC is now the second largest hunger crisis in the world after Yemen. Hunger and conflict fuel one another, with armed conflict and widespread displacement prevailing for the past 25 years and multiple other crises compounding DRC’s humanitarian challenges. Countrywide, 5 million people have fled their homes and lost their means of livelihood. The number of severely food-insecure people stands at 15.6, making access to food a daily struggle for a significant part of the Congolese population. An estimated 3.4 million children are acutely malnourished. - World Food Programme)
Another goal is to teach the student population how the cow is part of who and what we are. We already have local staff including a vet and he will take care of the cows medically whenever needed while our local team will tend the cows while they graze, feeding the cow with the grasses we have been planting, different varieties planted on the edges of the soccer field, not only to feed the cow but also to protect the field against erosion.
The urine of the cows will be used as “beer and wine” for the fish down in the marsh farm. Apparently the fish show enthusiasm in water treated with cow pee. (Filed under “things I never expected to learn when starting a non-profit to partner with communities in Congo.”) The urine is also used as a natural pest control.
The rice referenced above was a response to flooding at the marsh farm, and will contribute to making our Congo Peace School meal program more affordable and sustainable.
Amani reports from Congo: "Masumbuko Cifuruta is a local Congolese expert in growing rice. Born in 1961, he spent much of his life in neighboring Rwanda in a district known for a long history in cultivating rice. Masumbuko is married and the father of eight children. In his twenties he went to Rwanda but came back home during the Rwandan genocide. Masumbuko was very happy to see ABFEC (Amani’s local organization that Action Kivu supports) introducing rice into our integrated farming approach, he came to us and said, 'I am experienced in rice growing and would like to share my experience.' Musumbuki is an inspiration, he will not stand by watching but wants to do something to make a difference in his community. We believe in local solutions to the local problems in Congo!"
The rice harvest is expected at the end of September.
The graduates of the Sewing Workshop are able to earn income from the providing of masks for the community, and soon to sew the uniforms for the Congo Peace School students.
We’ve shared Francine’s story, from her participation in International Women’s Day:
to here, seen sewing masks for her community:
The women who graduated from our Sewing Workshop continue to work together (often with a baby in tow) to earn income as well as serve the community.
We are grateful that you are sharing in the multi-layered stories of community in Congo. Please help us grow our reach, and thus our impact on the ground – share these stories with a friend or colleague, and why it strikes a chord in your own story.
In gratitude,
Rebecca Snavely
Executive Director, Action Kivu