Baraza

Hi Everyone. This is Dipesh again…. Yes, I’m still in the Congo

Getting around in DR Congo is no easy task for the majority of people. We are fortunate to have the support of a free European Commission flight that takes you to major areas around the country. Most roads are virtually inaccessible and when there are roads, what should only take 2 hours could take the entire day. To make things worse, there is virtually no public transport beyond the urban areas. How people move around bewilders me and gives me even more respect for the Congolese.

We took off from Goma on a small plane destined for a town in the north called Beni. We drove to Mutsora which takes about 2 hours where WildlifeDirect.org has established a base camp at the Northern Sector Virunga Park Headquarters. I am told that this is one of the most densely populated areas in the world where tens of thousands of people have resettled alongside the park boundaries having escaped the constant civil unrest in deeper rural areas. The land is fertile and green and the view is beyond dreams. As you drive along a dusty road, the range of Ruwenzoris, the Mountains of the Moon, start to appear in the east and there are streams of makeshift houses and children smiling and shouting. It reminded me so much of western Kenya which was once part of the Congo belt – the only difference was the alarming amount of soldiers every few kilometres.

As we approached Mutsora, that tropical humidity settled in as the Congo forest began to show itself in its full majesty. We drove into the Park headquarters where I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful reconstructed buildings which ICCN, ZLS and WildlifeDirect.org had been instrumental in supporting. And just above us hidden in the clouds was the snow capped Mount Ruwengori, Africa’s third highest peak.

Speechless, I was greeted by Ephrem who manages the projects for WLD and Kizito who oversees logistics and finances in the camp and of course Antoine, the notorious cook. We walked down closer to the omniscient sound of the river and small tents appeared through the cracks in the trees. We were virtually in the middle of nowhere and a group of dedicated conservationists are permanently based here. This is the only way that concerned organisations can ensure the protection of Virunga’s magnificent biodiversity – by being right next to it.

The primary reason for coming to Mutsora was to look into ways that we might be able to support the schools further. As you know, classrooms in two schools are nearing construction thanks to funding from the EC and support of SODERU (please see Manioc Blog for more detail). The previous classrooms are on their last leg barely holding off from crumbling down as the children sit squeezed under a jaded roof. Once again, my own life stared straight at me. The children smiled and laughed; raised their hands determined to answer questions.

I had long conversations with the teachers to explore initiating extra-curricular environmental and conservation clubs which they were very keen to get going. In addition, we looked at the lack of financial and resource support and how they manage. Teachers receive approximately $30 a month and students are supposed to pay $3 a month school fees but for most even this is too much.

Many might turn around and accuse me of sensationalising Africa and reinforcing all the stereotypes. I am Kenyan and situations like this are unfortunately all too familiar. But the bottom line is that no one deserves to live in these conditions, and if we claim to be global citizens, then it is our responsibility to help facilitate improving less fortunate lives and places. WLD will be launching an educational support campaign very soon and I personally hope to lead a fundraising campaign that will help provide basic necessities but in the long term we also hope to show that no matter how little people have, they still have so much to offer and teach all of us. So watch this space…