Three Sunday mornings ago I was woken up by a phone call. The other end was quiet, and I suspected it was a marketing call. Yes, I still have a land line. For some reason I hesitated and then Colette began to speak. I hadn’t heard from Colette in over a month since she left for the Congo, and it was great to hear her voice once again. Without her stories, the Communiqué has been silent. We only had a few minutes to talk and Colette was brimming with optimism about all the changes going on in Kandale. It is always great to receive new images from Newton, but to see it and experience it, especially as someone who grew up in that village, it is a thing of wonder.
A few days later I spoke with her husband, Greg, and he indicated that she was able to receive texts, so I sent her a text, but to no avail. Then I downloaded WhatsApp on to my smart phone and sent her a message. This past Thursday night my phone came alive with images from Newton. Again the connection was not great but he was able to send me a variety of images and videos. In addition Greg sent me several of her photos, and a video. The walls of the school reaching up into the sky are quite a sight, and to see them aligned with the Caritas classrooms, it is evident that an educational complex is no longer a dream, but a growing reality.
Other areas of growth are evident with the 10-year-old forest and sanctuary on the REVE compound. According to Colette people are coming in from the surrounding areas to see this wild area. Many people have come from neighboring towns to look for specific medicinal leaves and herbs that have become difficult to find. The forests are so protected that even a very dangerous, but unaggressive, Gaboon viper is left alone to hunt for rodents. The forest is giving back, and there is a renewed respect for what has been lost.
The photos above have been captured from a short video included below, that demonstrates the wiring of a rebar support for the school construction, and the presence of several women working side by side with the men.
As Bob Dylan once wrote, “The times they are a changing.” This is very true for our political system here in the United States, but it also holds true for the all the new development on the ground in Kandale. The contract with the engineers mandated that local individuals would be hired to do the lion’s share of the construction of the new school classrooms. Our desire is that the local workers will be trained in the various aspects of construction with the notion that they would then be able to apply their skills toward other building projects whether locally or regionally. In addition the engineers were also required to hire women as part of the labor force. The fact that women are working side by side with men is breaking new ground, yes, a pun, in the Kandale community. While it is common knowledge that women work exceedingly hard to feed and clothe their families, they are now moving away from these traditional roles and it is drawing a lot of attention far and wide in the community.
The students are still quarantining although there are no cases of Covid-19 in Kandale at this time. Lastly Colette wanted to tell me how beautiful the new donated periodic table looked in the multipurpose education center. As always we hope that you are all well and staying safe. We look forward to Colette's safe return in the weeks ahead.
