Hope

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

— Desmond Tutu

We welcome the arrival of Newton’s new child and congratulate him and his wife, Marie, on their beautiful daughter.

She is the embodiment of hope for the next generation that will reap the benefits of all the hard work happening on the ground in Kandale. The newest member of the community was born at night under the light powered by the solar panel installed by Dr. Klontz in 2018. The government in Kinshasa has lifted the travel bans for the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the incidence of the Corona virus is negligible. As a result of this decree, school has resumed and the engineers have been able to once again travel from Kinshasa to Kikwit and on to Kandale.

The people have gathered for the benediction by Reverend Mputu Ernest to bless the space and the new construction.

Now that the rainy season has returned to the DRC, there is ample water available to utilize all the materials that have been stored up in anticipation, the bricks, the crushed stones, the sand and the many hands eager to get to work. Many volunteers continue to break rocks while others are filling up demijohns from the water tanks purchased with donations by the members of Saint Mark Church.

The foundations for the two blocks of seven primary school classrooms, has been completed and the construction of the walls has begun. The cost for the project still requires $56,000 to bring it to conclusion.

As it stands the results from the National exams have improved significantly this year as a result of the quality of education and the conditions under which the students are learning.

In the above caption the first bricks have been placed upon the foundation. To the right is the young couple, accompanied by Rev. Ernest, who have been hired to oversee the girl’s dormitory and to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Colette will be leaving for Kandale on November 29th. She spent last weekend working with the youth group of Saint Mark Church assembling care packages for RKF’s Girl to Girl Kit initiative to help girls in Kandale stay in school. The kits include uniforms, sheets, solar lights, school bags, hygiene kits, hand mirrors, flip-flops and pens. The intention is for the youths at Saint Mark Church to have a real connection to the girls in Kandale. Days for Girls has donated 50 reusable hygiene kits toward the initiative.

As always we wish to thank Newton for all his photos and keeping Kandale in our hearts and thoughts. The REVE Kandale Foundation purchased a new phone for Newton so he can keep us informed about all the activities in Kandale.

When Colette visits her home village of Kandale there is always an incredible amount of organizing and communicating that needs to be done. On one of Colette’s visits to Kandale, she became aware of a former ‘mentor’, Jeanne, from when she was a youth in school. Jeanne Lusambu had been a source of inspiration for her and she was surprised to find that Jeanne suffered a mental breakdown and was having a great deal of difficulty taking care of the most basic aspects of life and fitting into the community.

There is no awareness in Kandale for mental illness or social services to support people like Jeanne. Like many girls in Kandale, she dropped out of school due to lack of financial support after her father passed away. Years later when her mother passed, she was never able to find her place in the community. Many members of Kandale have made sure that she has had food to eat, but it was never enough to provide her with a purpose. Colette made a request to the Coordinator of Kandale that Jeanne was to be given work at the Foundation. It took Jeanne a long time to realize that she was now a member of the REVE Kandale Foundation, and little by little, with a small stipend, she has become a stalwart member of the community where she is valued and respected.

With Lessons Under Way

As we await a return to normalcy due to the pandemic and the subsequent quarantine, the construction of the new classrooms awaits the arrival of the engineers. This has been on hold since April. The bricks, the cement, the pulverized stones, the enthusiastic hands, and strong backs, all rest in anticipation of this new endeavor. 

For this Communiqué we wish to present a reflection from a REVE Kandale Board member and former Peace Corps Volunteer, Peter Lane, Class of ’82 -’84.

For the past four years it has been my pleasure to serve on the board of directors of the REVE Kandale Foundation. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kandale for two years teaching English to high school students at the Institute Gufua-Gubila and Lycee Gina Gisanga. Now, almost 40 years later, (has it really been that long?!), I am proud to join with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, many individuals from Congo and Kandale who live around the world, local members of REVE Kandale, and many friends and family to support education and conservation projects in Kandale. Our goal: help community members achieve their goal of giving Kandale’s children a high quality education in a safe and nurturing environment.

I celebrated my 22nd birthday the day before I left home for Peace Corps. I had no idea what an adventure I was in for and how it would forever change my life. After ten weeks of teacher and language training in Bukavu in Eastern DRC, I arrived in Kandale where I was immediately welcomed with open arms. Initially I was a little anxious, but thanks to my new “postmate” Greg Ramm,

(who had already completed a year teaching in Kandale), my fellow teachers and the many eager students, they helped to make the transition an easy one. Well, truth be told…a glass of palm wine every once in a while – an important social tradition – also helped.

It would be impossible to share all my experiences and their impact on my life in a relatively short blog post. But I hope the few reflections below give you a glimpse into what life was like for me in Kandale and what a special community it is.

• I was teaching one morning early in my service when the mud brick wall behind me at the front of the classroom disintegrated. Students screamed and shouted, “Monsieur Peter! Monsieur Peter!” while running out the door into the courtyard. The wall was repaired and several new classrooms were built, but even those have since fallen into disrepair. Today, the need for safe and comfortable classrooms is as great as ever!

• I became good friends with the Prefets (principals) at the two schools where I taught and I found them to be very kind and generous individuals.  They led their schools with integrity and reverence for the value of an solid education. Prefet Mangala is now in a leadership position with the regional district.  Prefet Konda still teaches and is currently serving as the REVE Kandale local coordinator. My reve (“dream”) is to one day shake their hands again and share a glass of palm wine.

• Many, many people in Kandale played a role in bringing so much joy and learning to my life while I was there…everyone who attended “l’ecole de soir” to learn a bit of English, my friends who started a rabbit raising project with me, everyone who participated in many very spirited games of backgammon including an annual tournament to see who was “le champignon de back” (a play on words that literally translates as “the mushroom of backgammon”), and my good friend Papa Djocko who taught me the local language (or tried anyway) and always put a call out if there was something we needed.

The truth is it takes a village to raise not only a child, but to also take care of a Peace Corps Volunteer. To this day I am honored and humbled by all those in Kandale who watched over me—a wide-eyed young man—while I was in Kandale. I am now fortunate many years later to be able to give back to the community that gave so much to me. Thank you to everyone who is joining me in this effort.

As the caterpillar season has come to a close, the students completed their National Exams on September 10th.  Unfortunately, with the delay of the exams there will be some confusion about what grades students will be attending and as the results return there may be some changes ahead. 

With the onset of the rainy season the many volunteers are busy during salongo planting grasses and other decorative plants to beautify the grounds of the REVE Kandale compound. Kisalu ya mbote Bamama ye Batata.

and I almost forgot...

New baby piglets!!!, a testament to all the hard work, care and planning to make this new venture a success.

As always we wish to thank Newton for all his photos and keeping Kandale in our hearts and thoughts.

Recently St. Leonard's Church in Sandbridge, England held a virtual Flower Festival to celebrate the work in Kandale. Please read the letter below and access the imbedded link below to see all the wonderful arrangements.

Dear Colette,

I don't know if you had time yet to look at the virtual Flower Festival on the church website (https://www.sandridgechurch.org.uk/virtual-flower-festival/), but I thought you might like to see

the display we put together to celebrate Reve Kandale. Feel free to share however you wish.

Best wishes

Christine Nutton

Back To School: Kandale Style

The students have recently returned to the hallowed institution of learning, but not for learning per se. Due to the pandemic all the National exams were canceled in the spring and it is only now in August that they have been able to organize the student exams.  Teachers and staff have been working tirelessly to equip all members of the school community with masks. Some 11 adults took up the task to make over 250 masks. The masks were sewn with materials left over from the Days For Girls' Rockville Chapter. Now that the masks have been completed, the teachers and staff have been busy oiling the sewing machines and tightening the belts to prepare for the students National exams on September 5th. We wish them luck.

This is not the best time for the students to take their exams as it is also the time to collect that valuable crop known as caterpillars.  Yum!!! It is a highly sought after delicacy from Kikwit to Kinshasa and thousands of individuals are mobilized to collect this bounty while it is in abundance. For the members of Kandale it is a 100 mile journey that can take almost a week to make. In large part it is the younger members of the community that make this trek under the guidance of several adult chaperones. Often times many neighboring communities will make the journey together for safety. These young caterpillar pickers will be away from home for at least a month. There is a very high incentive to make this journey as it can pay for their tuition, uniforms, and books for school; and with any luck provide some extra money for basic necessities. In anticipation of the journey, mothers work very hard pounding millet to make fufu to sustain their children for the weeks ahead.

Like any gold rush or in this case, bug rush, the road is fraught with a variety of characters, many who seek to profit from the labors and inexperience of the young entrepreneurs who are eager to support their family and their academic future. Buyers from Idiofa offer to provide materials up front such as soap, salt and pots and pans with the intention of full payment upon return. Unfortunately due to inflation, the agreed upon price usually increases markedly in the month they are gone. There are others on site who offer to buy the caterpillars, but they set the price, and transporting the caterpillars the hundred miles back creates other challenges. Once they arrive at the harvest location the young people form groups of five or more with several going out to collect the caterpillars while others dry the caterpillars over gentle fires. Many will accept dried fish or makayabu, a dried cod, as payment as it will hold its value upon return, unlike cash.  This is a scenario seen all around the world. The wild areas planted in Kandale almost ten years ago are now seeing the return of the caterpillars, but it is only a drop in the bucket by comparison. With the return of the caterpillars to the village, REVE Kandale is continuing to see a ‘return’ on a its commitment to the agricultural development of the community. Look for more Communiqués about palm grubs and termites in the near future...just kidding.

Here is a video from Youtube that demonstrate the harvesting of the caterpillars in DR of Congo although it is a little different for the people of Kandale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEYnyID77ac

Another way that students contribute to their tuition is by carrying rocks to school. As seen in the picture below, all the students are wearing masks and supporting the rocks on their heads while Newton takes their picture. “C’mon Newton. Hurry up! These rocks are heavy!” These rocks will go toward the construction of the new primary classrooms.

Recently a neighboring Chief, Chef Musoso, from Kondo County went on the radio in Gungu to incite the members of his community to look toward Kandale and aspire to create a thriving community like Kandale. The work in Kandale is inspiring the whole region!

As always we wish to thank Newton for all his photos and keeping Kandale in our hearts and thoughts.

Colette wants to extend her deepest gratitude toward those who responded to the recent fundraising appeal. With the new contributions and all the previous donations, REVE Kandale has raised enough money to start building the foundations for the seven primary school classrooms. As soon as the engineers are given the go ahead to venture beyond Kinshasa, the work can begin.

The Work of Many Hands

Lukalo* is a Kipende word that best translates as ‘making an investment’. But like most expressions the origins of a word represents a deeper cultural understanding, and for the Pende people, a way of life that goes back hundreds and hundreds of years. In its contemporary form it refers to several individuals combining their funds to make a greater purchase. The members of REVE Kandale receive a stipend to maintain the various projects that have been developed. This past month many members have chosen to combine their stipends into the purchase of several pigs. In some ways this ‘lukalo’ can be seen as a type of cultural microfinancing.  Animal husbandry is not new to this region, but this purchase is another step toward self-sufficiency. One can find goats and pigs, chickens, ducks, guinea fowl and many years ago, rabbits and guinea pigs when the Mennonite missionaries were present. Cows are not common, but if this venture with the pigs is successful, then cows may be next.

With the arrival of the pigs, the new owners enthusiastically created a ‘luxury’ pen of bamboo and crafted new food troughs from a few bags of damaged cement. The tree nursery, which has been temporarily repurposed into a garden, provides the pigs with left over vegetables and leafy greens in addition to the many fruits available from the orchard, including mangoes and avocados.

Salongo in the Congo means community work and for REVE Kandale, Friday is the day for Salongo.  Very recently the remaining 95 classroom desks were delivered from Kikwit to Kandale in a big truck which also carried building materials such as cement, lumber, and metal rebar. With the onset of the dry season fresh new banks of sand have been revealed along the near shore. The community took advantage of the truck's arrival to go down to the bank of the Kwilu river and load it up with sand and stones that will be used to lay the foundation for an additional 7 classrooms n 2020.

Newton has been instrumental in rallying the young community to collect sand and rocks. These young people are not paid to do this work, but they acknowledge all the progress that is happening in their community and understand that this is their way to ‘pay it forward’. Their contributions will pay off 10 fold in the years to come. The truck will save them hundreds of hours of labor as they will not need to carry the sand on bikes or on their shoulders the 4 kilometers uphill to the school. The sand and rocks have been delivered to the village and now the arduous work begins of breaking the rocks into small pieces to combine with the cement and sand to very specific measurements.

The young women shown here are doing their part for Salongo and carrying rocks. Another woman is busy in the nursery planting ‘Obama’ cassava tubers which is highly valued as it is very productive. Young men are collecting grasses to maintain the roofs of the six tukuls. The tukuls are used to house visitors such as when the REVE Kandale board members and Dr. Karl Klontz and David Whitford visited in 2018.

Konda, the Coordinator of REVE Kandale, is holding the REVE Kandale Foundation meeting where members are practicing responsible social distancing. The important topic being discussed is the accounting of bricks per bags of cement. Konda is persistent in making sure that the materials are used wisely. In the middle caption the members are counting the bricks to ensure they are making efficient use of this limited resource. So far they have made 30,000 bricks in preparation for the construction of the seven new classrooms.

Merveille Mahele Gilatulu is the assistant to the coordinator. She and Konda have printed up membership cards, as seen in the middle caption, with the intention of raising $300 a month. Konda has been traveling far and wide to promote these cards as well as using the radio in Gungu to broadcast the message to a larger audience. It costs $20 to become a member and about 50 cents for the cost of the card. As a member you can vote in the general assembly, receive a special discount on water purchases, the sale of future pig meat and produce, and any other REVE Kandale sponsored activities such as making photocopies. Membership is viewed as a badge of honor. It demonstrates that you are investing in the future of the community.

* According to Colette, ‘lukalo’ also has a biblical reference. Lukalo means rib in kipende. When God created Adam in the Book of Genesis, Adam was alone. In Genesis 2:18, “the Lord God said, it is not good for man to live alone”. He induced a deep sleep upon Adam and took out a rib and with it he made Eve, the woman and his companion. The interesting thing is that they had the same privileges to the garden of eden. This is the spirit of ‘lukalo’.

The REVE Kandale Foundation wishes to welcome our two newest Board Members:

Christelle Tshiala Kazadi is from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. She graduated from Berea College in 2016 with degrees in Business Administration (Finance concentration) and Economics. She is currently working with the International Food Policy Research Institute as a Budgets and Contracts Analyst. Christelle lives in Washington, DC and is fluent in English, French and Lingala.  

Rebecca (Becky) Jordan is an Occupational Therapist with more than 30 years experience in disability-focused work in Thailand, Cambodia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Jordan and the United States. Becky was a Peace Corps volunteer in the former Zaire in Bandundu from 1981-1983. She has a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and recently returned to North Carolina to work with children with special needs in public schools. Becky lives in Durham, N.C.

We sincerely want to thank all of you who have donated to our campaign and have made an important contribution to the continuing work in Kandale and the growing Education Center. The members of REVE Kandale hope that you and your family stay happy and healthy during these very difficult times.

In these difficult times, can you help those in need?

We would like to begin this appeal for funds by extending the best wishes and prayers of our friends in Kandale to you and everyone in the United States and in Canada. Kandale is in a very remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but they are able to follow the news and know about the severe impact of the corona virus here.

We at REVE Kandale Foundation join in those wishes and hope you all are safe. We are continually amazed at the compassion and generosity of the Kandale community. It is a community based largely on subsistence farming, where heads of families struggle to put food on the table and pay all the costs associated with educating their children. Yet, in the midst of their daily struggles, they have room in their hearts to empathize with those of us affected by the global pandemic.

We are equally amazed at the generous support our donors have provided over the years. Your help has allowed us to accomplish so much, as we point out in our latest video.

You probably know from our October 2019 Communiqué from Kandale that one of the school blocks at Institute Gufwa-Gubila collapsed in the torrential rains, sending 300 students to study under the trees or double-up in already overcrowded classrooms at other schools.

We know these are difficult times. Many of you may have lost a family member, a loved one, or a friend. Or you may be among the tens of millions who find themselves suddenly out of work.

Yet, we would like you to know that if you are able to give, the people of Kandale still need your help.

We are close to being able to start work on the foundation for seven new classrooms, but we are not yet at the point where we can complete the building. Your support will bring us closer to reaching that goal.

We are all in this together. Stay well and stay safe. That is the message our friends in Kandale wanted us to pass along to you.

Make a Donation Today

$20

Buy a bag of cement

For Friends and Family

Words cannot express our sincerest wishes for the health and well-being for you and your family members in this very difficult and challenging time. In times like this we all have come to know the value of friends and family. As of this week, the corona virus has not reached the village of Kandale, and there is no travel ban outside of Kinshasa, the capital. Life continues, but as a general precaution there is no school, no shaking of hands, no meetings of more than 10 individuals, and no church services.

But just because the virus has not made it to Kandale, that doesn’t mean the village is free from misunderstandings and rumors. The first rumor to come on the heels of the global pandemic is that a student who was studying in France had returned to Gungu, 25 miles north of Kandale, and that he was sequestered somewhere in the town. People were concerned that he might have brought the virus with him.

This was found to be untrue. Others have been communicating with the outside world to ascertain if there is a vaccine. For many individuals in the region there is the belief that if you wrap yourself up in ‘bitter’ leaves, the leaves of orange and mangos, for example, it will help purge the virus. Or taking a tea of this concoction will also work. The markets in Kinshasa are full of these leaves. There is also the belief that malaria medication will work. Other impromptu remedies include marijuana and eucalyptus leaves. There is also the belief that if you find a human hair in the bible, that piece of hair could keep you and your family from harm if you put the hair in a glass of water and drink it. The reality is that without masks and ventilators, people are resorting to God and prayer.

Work continues in Kandale despite the difficulties of receiving goods from Kikwit or Kinshasa. Robert Minzadi has been sequestered in Kinshasa, and all the work that has been done to create a tree nursery has been repurposed by the local women. They have been utilizing all the rich beds to plant vegetables. 

....a forest grows

REVE Kandale has been working hard to improve the firebreaks to protect the ‘wild’ area from seasonal fires. In the above left photo from 2011, the women are working hard to clear a road to access what has now become the educational center of Kandale . In the photo on the right, one can see how the forest has grown, and at the end of the road is the new Multi-Purpose Education Center. This wild area has come to bear fruit, sort of, as the villagers have been collecting the many termites that have appeared in large numbers. The caterpillars as well continue to thrive much to delight of the Kandale community.

The desks for the Multi-Purpose Center were delivered last week fresh from Kikwit, and REVE Kandale took advantage of the arrival of the truck to collect sand and more clay from the river for making bricks. With a recent rain, the water tanks are full and the production of bricks continues in anticipation of the new school construction. Soon the dry season will begin, and collecting water will become challenging so Kandale is fortunate to have a reserve. This water will also help to maintain the vegetables in the garden.

And just like the newly planted nursery, the arrival of Newton from Kikwit has brought a new dynamic energy to the community.  In just four weeks his contributions have been numerous.

Kazongo Nyingu, nicknamed “Newton” due to his love of math and physics, is a young man from Kandale who moved to Kikwit to further his education. He graduated last year with a nursing degree. Newton got into nursing by default. Like many youths in Kandale he lacked opportunity to follow the trade of his dream, which is IT and computer training. Early this year, Newton willingly left his new job in Kikwit and volunteered to join our team in Kandale, where he could put to full use his skills and potential in the area of IT and computers. He plans to use the 10 laptops donated by Pfizer to train other youths in Kandale in IT and computer use. His presence as part of REVE Kandale leadership is already having a huge impact with the younger members. More of these young people are getting involved in REVE Kandale activities besides collecting soccer balls. Under Newton’s leadership REVE has mobilized youth, women and area villages to expedite the work of brickmaking and constructing firebreaks to protect the 12.5-hectare forest. With his small personal mobile phone, Newton is REVE Kandale's eyes on the ground, as he is able to send daily updates and photos of the activities in Kandale via Facebook messenger. His new boss, Konda Louis Nyigisa, the REVE Kandale interim coordinator, is extremely impressed with this young man. it usually takes weeks, perhaps a month, to purchase anything from Kikwit, the nearest city, and transport it to Kandale. But recently Newton was able to hire a motorcycle, do all the shopping for office goods in Kikwit, and get back to Kandale in just four days. Newton is now the fourth young graduate to leave city life to return to work in Kandale. This is a big WIN for REVE Kandale in our effort to reverse the high rate of rural exodus, which is impacting negatively on the livelihood of villages across DR Congo.  

Last week we heard from Newton that the night guard was bitten by a snake while walking his rounds with no gum boots or flashlight. Thankfully, Newton was working late nearby at the Multi-Purpose Education Center, which is equipped with solar-powered lights. Using his nursing training skills, he was able to provide timely treatment to the watchman. The watchman is feeling better now. Oye Newton!!!

The Road Not Taken

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.

Please click on the link below to read our new Annual Report-2019 here:
Read RKF Annual Report-2019 

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.

A New Perspective

It is a perspective from 300 miles out in space. This past fall Google Earth captured new images of
Kandale and the photos demonstrate all the changes on the ground just in the past two years. To better view what is happening on the ground, go to:

https://earth.google.com/web/@-6.04633159,19.34565527,792.54766027a,702.1720014d,35y,0h,0t,0r

All the new structures are identified in the map below:

A. The first block of classrooms built for the primary school. 

B. 12 acres of fruit trees and medicinal trees. 

C. The Multi-Purpose Building which houses the Sewing Program, the Library, a National Examinations space, and REVE Kandale Office space. The building is also used for community meetings. In October, 2019, two 5,000 liter poly tanks were installed at the multi-purpose building as part of our rainwater catchment system.

D. The church. 

E. The CARITAS Idiofa, World Bank funded primary school classrooms, office buildings and latrines. 

F. The Hospital and Maternity Facility, (where Mama Charlotte works). 

G. The two newly rehabilitated girls’ dormitories are located south of the Multi Purpose Building.

In the projected map for 2020, just above, the site of the new classrooms has been indicated in light blue: the four classrooms will be built just north of the present primary classrooms and the three classrooms will be in between. Hopefully when the Google Earth satellite updates the images of Kandale, these structures will be completed and brimming with enthusiastic students.

The other light blue rectangle toward the bottom, is where Robert Minzadi has begun work on a 60m X 25m nursery with the help of the local REVE Kandale team and members of Kandale community. The site that the nursery is being built on has been protected against bushfires and general agriculture for the past 10 years as part of the REVE Kandale environmental protection campaign, and as a result the soil has become very fertile. Local women, participating in the project, have been given seeds and are being trained as to how to plant a successful garden. The women will be able to keep the vegetables that they grow and in addition, part of the harvest will be given to REVE Kandale to share with the elderly and vulnerable members of the community. Once the soil is established, new funds will be designated for the purchase of saplings to supplement the present orchard including coconut palms, historic orange and mango trees, and the trees that brings caterpillars.

Absent from the map above are the two former high schools, 1 and 2 in the red squares. (1) collapsed in 2017 and (2) during Colette’s last visit in October 2019. Both came down in a serious thunderstorm.

For this Communiqué we are very excited to introduce Konda Nyigisa Louis. He is the gentle giant of all that is good with REVE Kandale. Konda studied with the Jesuits and as Prefet for Kandale, he set an excellent example for the many young people under his care. Colette describes him as a very poised and even-tempered man who never gets upset, very important qualities when working with bureaucracies. Konda is a passionate reader and the main impetus behind creating the library. When Colette was growing up in Kandale, books were in short supply. In school she had to copy word by word from the only textbook the teacher had, but Konda brought books to their imagination. Every summer they looked forward to having Konda visit from Kikwit . He would tell glowing stories about the books he had read and the fascinating things that were happening in places like Paris, Oslo, and New York. One story could last a month because Konda adapted the story to their own life in Kandale, and the children’s imaginations would travel to all these places, on a train, on a plane or maybe spend the night in a hotel next to a bandit. 

Konda was the first coordinator of many of the projects that have taken place in Kandale. He has been the original team leader for the 20 REVE Kandale staff members and the brains behind all the project logistics. He was instrumental in building the first six classes in Kandale. In addition, he travelled to Kikwit and Kinshasa to coordinate the purchase and transport of the poly tanks and the materials needed for the installation. More recently he coordinated the transport of the cement from outside Gungu to Kandale when the truck broke down. Not bad for a man who will be 69 this fall. Konda is an invaluable member of REVE Kandale and our progress is a testament to his graciousness and his tenacity.

and now introducing a new feature: Colette's Corner

Sunday February 16th, Colette and Greg were invited by Roland Frenck to spend the morning with Reverend Neill Morgan and the Parish members of Darnestown Presbyterian Church, which has supported RKF since 2017. After an initial meeting and presentation to the Mission Ministry Team, Colette and Greg were invited to attend the worship wherein they were given a very generous check of $3,000. After the ceremony Colette and Greg met the many members of the congregation who had contributed to the building of the schools. Colette sends many many thanks to Roland Frenck, Jan Summers, the Rev. Neill Morgan and DPC congregation as a whole for the opportunity to share a wonderful morning together and for extending your love, your hospitality and your generosity to her and the community in Congo. The $3000 from DPC will buy 200 additional bags of cement on top of the 450 we have already purchased toward building of the seven new classrooms.

Colette will be travelling to Congo at the end of April to Congo, to take part in a Seminar organized by the Africa Leadership Coaching Network and to oversee the work in Kandale.

A Light in Kandale

In the spring of 2018 solar panels were installed in Kandale by Dr. Karl Klontz and David Whitford, who traveled to Congo with several REVE Kandale Foundation board members. Karl shipped the solar panels ahead of time to the capital Kinshasa. He and David, his neighbor from Bethesda, Md., bought batteries for the panels in Kinshasa and installed them at the newly built multi-purpose education center, and at the hospital maternity ward. This was part of their personal commitment to communities in need of electricity. Karl has done similar installations in six developing countries.

The solar panels provide power for lights to the multipurpose building that houses the library and the sewing program and provides a place for teachers and students to prepare lessons in the evening. Most importantly, they provide light in the evenings to the maternity center. Mama Mahele Charlotte Kakesa, or Mama Charlotte, has been the midwife in the Kandale community for over 10 years. Just in the past year there have been about 60 births with many of them occurring in the night. By her own testimony the single light bulb in the delivery room has significantly improved her ability to safely attend to expectant mothers in labor. As news of the light has spread, women have come from a hundred kilometers away to give birth under Mama Charlotte’s care. Prior to the light, a C-section was unthinkable, but nonetheless unavoidable, and had to be performed with only the light from a candle or burning twigs. Mama Charlotte is now able to attend to all of the births with the complete confidence that she is in charge of the sensitive needs of her patients. Such a simple improvement can make all the difference in the lives of the expecting mothers and their newborn children.

Watch an interview with Kandale midwife, Mama Charlotte here: vimeo.com/387146203

and another clip about the installation of the solar panels were installed and the first birth at the Infirmary under the new light. (2:10-3:05) vimeo.com/307474662

As the Communiqué continues to tell the story of Kandale, it is very important to introduce the members of Kandale and to celebrate their contribution to the work being done for the benefit of the community. This issue is dedicated to the hard work of Mama Charlotte Kakesa. Mama Charlotte came to Kandale from the town of Gungu ten years ago. She trained as a midwife and received her certificate at the missionary school in Kalonda in the former province of Kasai Occidental. She is also known for her beautiful singing voice as the leader of the Women’s Choir. Her reputation as a midwife extends far beyond the Kandale community. As a result of her tireless work at the 27ème CMCo Kandale, the Infirmary is regarded with great respect.

Two other important developments relate to the serious flooding during Christmas week. December is usually the time when peanuts are harvested and dried. Peanuts are regarded as an important cash crop for farmers in Kandale and often farmers will pay for their children’s tuition with peanuts due to their high value. Unfortunately due to the constant rain, it has been next to impossible to dry out the crop, resulting in most of the crop rotting. This means that during the spring planting season, women will have to buy seed peanuts elsewhere to plant the new crop. The constant rain has also had a significant impact on brick production, as the clay is too wet to combine with the cement and sand. However, the cement has not been affected by the rain due to proper storage. Many fishponds adjacent to the Kwilu River, which runs alongside Kandale, were destroyed as well.

On a positive note, Robert Kalaki Minzadi, a member of the Kandale community who is currently living in Kinshasa and specializes in tree planting, has recently visited Kandale. He conducted an evaluation of the tree-planting project that REVE Kandale started in 2010. He is interested in working with the members of the Kandale community and advising them on how to optimize the planting of native species and set up a tree nursery. While his visit was only a preliminary overview, he has many positive ideas, which include growing orange trees, coconut trees, and a variety of mango trees that no longer exist in Kandale. He plans to create small garden plots in the nursery for women to plant onions, tomatoes, and vegetables. Robert is a professional agronomist who has been hired by various organizations, including Hans Seidel Projet Ntsio and presently PIREDD MAI-NDOMBE. The Kandale community is very excited about the future possibilities.

Happy New Year!!!

As we look toward 2020, we want to look back, and acknowledge that life in Kandale is changing, for the better.

The Kwilu River valley is a land of promise

with a thriving community.

The change can be seen in all aspects of village life, but it is most evident in the lives of the children

in the new school buildings

and classrooms,

bringing the promise of a future

and real hope.

Thank you for making all of this possible. We look forward to your continued support as the REVE Kandale Foundation moves forward on our Campaign for 2020. 

We wish you a joyous and prosperous New Year.