Every Day is Sunday

The Democratic Republic of Congo doesn’t get a lot of tourists – and for good reason.  More than 5 million people have died in the DRC since 1998 as a result of war and other armed struggles.  As if that weren’t bad enough, the DRC serves as a haven for some of the most dangerous groups in East Africa – both the Hutu rebel groups from Rwanda and Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army are hiding in the DRC.  Because of the conflict and lack of tourism, we’ve heard fellow travelers refer to the DRC as the “last frontier.”

DRC may be a conflict area, but the city of Goma is a safe place to visit thanks to a large and very visible U.N. peacekeeping mission.  It seemed like more than half of all vehicles on the road in Goma were U.N. vehicles.

It wasn’t just our sense of adventure that lured us to the DRC.  We went to visit HEAL, a U.S.-based organization that supports a holistic care hospital in Goma.

Crossing into the DRC can be a little tricky.  Sometimes the process can take hours.  Other times DRC immigration officers will demand that you to leave your passport at the immigration office for the duration of your stay.  We were warned by some HEAL employees to not leave our passports at the immigration office under any circumstances.  We noticed a few people being hassled at the border, but we crossed without issue.

The first thing we noticed was how swiftly the chaos of the DRC overtook the orderliness of Rwanda.  Paved roads turned into dirt.  Nobody observed the rules of the road because there were no rules.  Just steps from the border, men holding huge stacks of money made black market currency exchanges by the side of the road. 

Just past the black currency market, we found the HEAL hospital.   

The hospital treats both men and women, but the majority of HEAL patients were victims of domestic violence or rape.  Like many in the Congo, the rape victims at HEAL were ostracized by their communities and forced to leave their villages.  It was difficult to see the emotion and physical pain in their eyes.  But HEAL has set up an impressive holistic program to help get these women back on their feet.  Not only does HEAL provide medical care, but also enrolls the women in a program to teach them sewing and other seamstress skills.   The program gives them a chance to become self-sufficient and the ability to live on their own.

We stopped into the Arts center to do some shopping.  We couldn’t leave without buying one of their beautiful handbags.

As we toured the grounds, we learned that HEAL owes part of its success to its local Congolese administrators and staff.   By hiring Congolese and paying local salaries instead of western salaries, HEAL keeps their overhead costs low and can direct more money to provide actual health care.  The time we spent at HEAL confirmed our belief that hiring local staff to run aid programs is one of the best ways to ensure the sustainability of an aid program.

On our way out of the Congo, we stopped off for a beer on the banks of Lake Kivu.  It was a thrill to visit the DRC, but it wasn’t until we were leaving that we were finally able to relax our nerves and enjoy the natural beauty of the “last frontier”.