People's lives are transformed. Communities are transformed. Colette’s visit to Kandale this past spring was a tour de force. Upon her arrival, the engineers began drilling for water and found it at a depth of 120 m. The celebrations lasted days. The return of the soccer matches was a huge success for the whole region. Now school is back in session…and, yes, the caterpillars have returned in great number.
In a previous Communiqué, it was indicated that renting a pump and generator were only a temporary solution for providing water to the community. The intention being that a new campaign would raise funds for a permanent solution. The designated date to discontinue the pump was September 11th. Unfortunately the pump broke down several weeks ago. The pump has been running for 4 months straight and was not designed for this type of work. NOK Construction Team sent a new pump from Kinshasa to replace the defective one. However, the present generator was not designed for the parameters of the new pump so a new generator is now being sought.
The three cisterns had been filled twice a day and the local people and people from surrounding communities have been depending on it. For a modest fee one could fill up several bidons, (plastic jugs), of water. Teachers from local villages would arrive to teach in the morning and in the evening they would head home with several filled plastic bidons. In many ways access to a constant water supply has completely changed the dynamics of the community.
Now that the pump has been discontinued and the community awaits a more permanent solution, many basic activities have been suspended to accommodate this disruption. The lush gardens that have been providing fresh vegetables for the community have been reduced. The children are once again descending the treacherous valley to retrieve water every morning before school and every afternoon before they begin work on their homework. People are taking fewer baths. The hospital has had to reorganize the care they provide. There is less time in the day to share gossip with a friend or gather with one’s family.
It affects all aspects of life. Small businesses have been having a hard time and even the palm oil makers, ( featured below left and center), are frustrated, as their process requires a lot of water to refine the oil. Mama Patience Ajita, (featured above left), is president of the women's group in Kandale. She had a small business and bought vegetables from the REVE garden and prepared them with fufu to sell. The lack of water has forced her suspend her business. Fortunately the rainy season has begun and the cisterns are collecting the inconsistent rainfall on the roof of the Multi-Purpose Education Center. This water is insufficient for the community’s needs, but it will ameliorate the immediate difficulties.
For Colette this recent visit culminated in great discomfort to her lower back, brought on to a great extent by the roads in and out of Kandale. The persistent pain required medical intervention and she has been in recovery for the last several months. This new Communiqué is evidence that she is well on her way to a full recovery.
Several weeks ago the battery for the solar panels reached the end of its functionality. The battery provides electricity for the lights in the Multi-Purpose Education Center and powers the two office laptops and phones. Dr. Karl Klontz and Dr. Clint Kelly paid a technician to purchase 4 new batteries in Kikwit and transport them to Kandale on a motorcycle 220 km to replace the old ones.
On a final note we wish to welcome Prefet of Institut Gufwa Gubila, Gajama Lundeya. He is a graduate of Gufwa Gubila Institut and continued with his studies at University in Kikwit. He has been a Prefet for over 10 years. We wish him great success!
Here is a compelling video, prepared by
John Sullivan of The REVE Kandale Foundation Board, entitled
A GLASS HALF FULL
