by Robert Frost
Read Robert Frost Poem
Colette was supposed to have left for the DR Congo in mid April and she had planned on staying for 8
weeks as there was a lot of work to do, but with the way things are in the world right now, this has had to be postponed. Colette was invited to attend a seminar organized by the Africa Leadership Coaching Network which is a ministry of the Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM). AIMM works in partnership with the Mennonite Church of Congo to develop leadership through spiritual transformation. This was the third module of a series of seminars entitled, "Building Transformative Communities in the Congo.” The seminar was scheduled to take place in Mukedi, where a soccer rematch between the youth of Kandale and the youth of Mukedi was to have taken place.
There was also the REVE Kandale general assembly to elect a new coordinator. This meeting has been postponed as well as all the other gatherings.
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Colette has been coordinating the collection of a variety of materials to bring with her including 300 reusable hygiene kits from Days for Girls, for the young women in Kandale. These kits provide them a sense of confidence in their daily lives. She would also be bringing soccer jerseys donated by Kick for Nick in preparation for this year’s match with the athletes in Mukedi. Reading glasses of various magnifications are highly sought after by the readers in the community, especially the church leadership who struggle to read the bible for their sermons. Even several kalimbas or gibinji (in Kipende), are to be included, in order to foster the musical sensibilities of the young musicians in the village.
Colette had many goals for her visit. Among them was to pick up 250 chairs designed and built by the renowned Jesuits Vocational School in Kikwit, 220 km north of Kandale. These chairs, purchased with funds from the U.S. Embassy in DRC, have been constructed with an armrest work area for students to take notes. Two engineers were to join her on her visit to Kandale. One engineer would be evaluating the grounds in anticipation of laying the foundation for the seven new classrooms that will soon be under construction. The second engineer would be starting to train the young people as masons, carpenters, and welders in preparation for the labor that would be needed to construct the new classrooms. This training is part of REVE Kandale's local capacity building program. Twenty young girls and boys will be trained.
Also on her agenda was to repair the light in the maternity center. At present, the panels are not operational due to technical problems, but Dr. Klontz has pledged to replace them once travel permits.
Very recently Colette has been in communication with a young man, Newton Kazongo Nyingu, from Kandale, who has just finished his studies in Kikwit but decided to return to Kandale and work as part of the REVE Kandale team on the ground in charge of the Library, IT and Communication. We are already getting daily images and updates of the activities in Kandale. The return of Newton is a big win in our effort to reduce the rural exodus and keep Kandale’s families strong and the community vibrant.
In the spring we plant...
Or rather in the case of Equatorial Africa and Kandale specifically, it is approaching the end of the rainy season and Robert Minzadi has been busy preparing the nursery. He has continued his work through organizing the local community and teaching them how to plant and care for saplings that will be introduced through out the community. Women who volunteered for this project have been given a garden plot within the nursery and seeds to grow vegetables that would not succeed outside of the nursery.
Les Souvenirs de Kandale - I am saddened to announce that Papa Jacques Mashinyi Kipoy, a member of REVE Kandale team on the ground, died suddenly this month in Kandale. He was a champion of tree planting and environmental protection, one of REVE Kandale program areas. His compound in Kandale is full of all sorts of local fruit trees that he has planted over the years. Papa Mashinyi who was also an elder in church, was responsible for the youth ministry. We mourn his loss and thank God for the time He has allowed all of us to meet Papa Mashinyi and for the contribution Papa Mashinyi made to heal his community in Kandale by planting trees and leading the REVE Kandale's campaign against bushfire and abusive logging of trees. RIP mon Papa.
