Final Congo Update - August 22, 2014

Field Update – August 22, 2014

Well, it’s hard to believe that 5 months have gone by already here in Bukavu and that this is my last update from the field! It has been a crazy mix of busy and laid-back here from day 1 but I think in the end I can say that we have accomplished a lot since I got here and Channel’s work on the ground continues to build upon itself and the work of its partners, which is encouraging.

For me in particular this last week has involved a lot of wrapping up of half-finished items. I finally put the finishing touches on our IRS 501c3 application, got some final prices on things we are still trying to get for the shipping container, finished putting together some medical forms for Dr Imani in Kavumu, and spent a lot of time making the rounds and bidding farewells. This last activity has definitely taken the most amount of time, which it always seems to. And I find you can’t start too early. If you try and say good bye to people more than 7 days before you leave, they will almost inevitably insist that you come again to say goodbye closer to the date, which makes it tough when there’s a lot of people involved! But I’m getting there.

The Pastor at the church that I’ve been attending here with Dominique had a baby last week and that was exciting. Here is a picture of little Beniah which means “God builds”, a particularly apt name in a country in the midst of pulling itself out of the ravages of poverty and war:

This week, one of Panzi Foundation’s other partners, the International Centre for Advanced Research and Training (ICART) held its first ever research symposium at Maison Dorcas. It is going on here as I type this and it seems to be a huge success so far! Scientific minds from Congo and all over the world have gathered here to present and discuss health and food security issues and innovations. Dominique and I were able to make ourselves useful during the symposium registration time, during which each participant received one of these nifty handmade ICART bags full of abstracts written by the symposium presenters:

Hopefully the symposium will help to inspire the doctors and other scientists who participated and spark some new development-oriented research initiatives in this part of the world. 

One incredibly sad yet inspiring part of the symposium was Dr. Mukwege’s presentation of his new system for classifying sexual-violence related trauma to the bodies of children under 5. That’s right, he’s treated so many cases of fistula over the years that he has developed an expertise and a whole new system for classifying the trauma done to the organs of rape victims under 5 years old. Here you can see two slides from his presentation. They are in French and indicate that of the thousands of cases of rape trauma that he has treated over the years, 3100 were people 18 years old and under, of which 171 were children under the age of 5.

Dr. Mukwege and his team are truly amazing people doing a much needed work in this part of the world, but as the ICART research symposium demonstrated, their work has and will continue to influence the work of doctors and other health professionals all over the world, which is awesome and neat to have been a small part of these last 5 months.

Well, I’ll wrap this post up here by saying it’s been an excellent experience to have worked with Channel Initiative on the ground in Bukavu these last 5 months. Getting to see how Channel implicates itself in the empowerment of communities here (including the local communities, the developmental aid community, and the Panzi community), has been an education in and of itself and an exercise in adaptability! I am sad to be leaving the work on the ground here at this point, but look forward to seeing where the work in the DRC with Channel Initiative goes in the next few months. 

P.S. Update September 30, 2014

My sincere apologies for the lateness of the last two updates on my blog. They had been written and uploaded while I was still in Congo, but didn't get published unfortunately. Well, now you can see what my last couple of weeks there involved. 

I arrived home in Toronto just at the end of August and was there for about 3 days before moving back to Quebec City where I am now. I am doing a masters degree in Law at Laval University to hopefully improve my French to the point where I could work with young offenders and kids in care with CAS here in Quebec once I have finished. If not, I imagine I will be heading back to Ontario next summer to work there instead. We shall see! Either way, I am looking forward to being back in Canada for a while and putting my passport away for a few months :) It has been an amazing year, but I am looking forward to a little less international excitement for a little while at least. 

Thanks so much for being a part of my little journeys. I have really appreciated all your prayers, encouragement, and support through it all. Now that I am back from my year+ abroad, I will retire my e-mail updates, but will still be updating the blog from time to time if something newsworthy comes up... 

All the best,

Genna.

Field Update - August 17, 2014

Great news! Dr. Imani and the MSD team (Medecins au Service des Demunies) were able to open the new Afya Bora Medical Clinic at Kavumu this past week! It seemed to be a great success and the community was clearly excited about the opening.

As part of the grand opening Dr. Imani and his team provided free consultations for the first three days so when we were there it was quite packed.

The solar panels from the solar suitcase I brought back from WeCareSolar had been installed on the roof by Dr. Racine. You can just see them there at the top left of this picture.

They had also begun putting the medicines from Collaboration Sante Internationale to good use as well at the little pharmacy.

There is still a significant list of needs for the clinic that need to be addressed. For instance, these curtains separating the reception area from the patients are not adequate to provide privacy or to prevent infection. They really need the resources to build proper walls to separate the spaces.

There are still important medicines that the pharmacy does not have in order to provide a full range of care to pregnant women among other things. Dr. Imani is also in need of various pieces of gynecological supplies and equipment in order to do his consultations.

Also, the “fence” that was built around the clinic in order to allow them the security necessary to be able to open is woefully inadequate. With the valuable medicines and equipment being housed in the building, it is very worrisome to not have proper fencing around the perimeter.

But one of the biggest needs at the centre at this point is water. There have been problems connecting the centre to the community water source because of a dispute with some of the people from the surrounding area. Without access to an adequate supply of clean water, the clinic will have serious problems maintaining a good level of hygiene and preventing the spread of infection. This a huge need which we are brainstorming over at the moment.

But despite the challenges, Dr. Imani and his team as well as us at Channel Initiative are really excited about the opening of the clinic and are confident that the MSD team will be able to surmount the challenges encountered in providing dignified care to this community.

Congratulations Dr. Imani and MSD!

Field Update - August 3, 2014

Field Update August 3, 2014

Well this has been a very eventful week! First of all, my missionary friend Christina came to visit me from Zambia and I had a great time showing her Bukavu and Panzi. It was a fun week, but unfortunately I did not take many pictures while she was here. But she did do a nice cameo in one of the little videos we tried to shoot last week, so that might make an appearance later on…

For most of the week we were working on various office things: fund-finding, shipping container logistics, legal paper work,etc. But at the end of the week we got to go back up to Kavumu to help Dr. Imani and the MSD team to get the village clinic ready for its grand opening (hopefully next week!).

Most of the day was spent moving beds and other items from one room to another in order to get the flow and room plan just right.

Some of the heavier equipment was a little more challenging to move…

But in the end it all got moved.

It was awesome to be able to watch Dr. Imani and Dr. Racine explore the Solar Suitcase donated by WeCareSolar. The look of glee on their faces at the level of lighting provided by the Suitcase’s accessories was well worth the crazy hassle I went through to get this thing through Canadian customs last month.

Both Dr. Imani and Dr. Racine were also really excited by the different medications that were donated by Collaboration Sante Internationle in Quebec City.

There was some frustration having to do with the shelves for the pharmacy not being ready when we arrived. Without them it was very difficult for Dr. Imani and Dr. Racine to finish the setup and inventory of their pharmaceuticals. We got to go with them to see the carpenter who was working on them.

After we were done setting up we had a outdoor meeting to discuss logistics and pray together for the opening of the clinic.

The folks in the community seem very pleased with the impending opening of this clinic. Everywhere we walked Dr. Imani ran into people who wanted to greet him and discuss the clinic. As a maternal health specialist, he seems particularly popular with the ladies, young and old.

And to top it all off at the end of  the day, Dominique and I got to ride motorcycles back to Bukavu at the end of the day through the beautiful countryside – an excellent day.

Field Update July 27, 2014

Update from the Field (and elsewhere!) – July 27, 2014

Well, it has been a crazy three weeks but very productive!

At the end of June I returned to Canada from Bukavu for 7 days in order to attend a wedding. But while I was there I was able to spend 2 days in Quebec City in order to pick up this sweet suitcase of donated medicines from Collaboration Santé Internationale!

These medicines will be used to help Dr. Imani and the Afya Bora clinic open their doors to the public in Kavumu in the near future.

I was also able to drive to the New York border to pick up this Solar Suitcase donated to us by WeCareSolar

I had a lot of trouble bringing it back across the US/Canada border, but eventually was able to sweet-talk my way through. I had absolutely no problem bringing it back with me to Congo though, despite crossing three country borders in the process.

Unfortunately, the last donated item that I was hoping to bring back with me did not arrive to Toronto in time for me to bring it back with me. It made it to Canada a few days after I arrived in Burundi. But we’ll find a way to get it here, eventually.

The suitcase will also be used at the Afya Bora clinic so things are really moving and shaking with the clinic plans. There’s still a lot left to do before Afya Bora can open its doors, but its really neat to see the pieces falling into place.

It was nice to be home in Canada for a few days, but honestly, Toronto is hot and humid in July and I was aching to get back to the lovely Bukavu weather the moment I stepped out of the airport ;) It was a great trip through, and a lot got done. Now that I’m back in Bukavu, there’s a lot left to do during the final six weeks of my time here. We’ve got to find funding for our container, the medical supplies for Kavumu and Mwenga, and get the 501c3 application off to the IRS asap so that we can  get our status straightened out. 

The past week has been pretty busy, but unfortunately I don’t have as many photos as usual of what we’ve been up to.

The week started off with a great meeting of the staff at Panzi Hospital and Panzi Foundation. Dr. Mukwege gathered us all together to explain the One-Stop Centre model at the Panzi Hospital that Channel Initiative is trying to replicate on a smaller scale for smaller health centres in the region. It was really interesting to hear Dr. Mukwege talk about the overarching vision for enabling sexual violence survivors to receive all their care in one place through a unified organization. Representatives from the medical, psychological, legal, socio-economical, logistical and maintenance arms of the foundation/hospital were able to explain to the rest what their function is and how that function fits in with the overall goal of making available a high-quality package of health and restoration to the survivors of sexual violence in this community.

After the official parts of the meeting, members from the different arms of the Foundation’s work, including Channel Initiative, were able to meet more informally in groups in order to discuss ideas and plans.

We at Channel Initiative are always looking for opportunities to liaise with the community – especially when it comes to brainstorming and discussing ideas with both local and international actors involved in the same local empowerment work that we are working on. On Sunday at Church we met an American Psychologist who is a specialist in trauma-informed care – an area of medical/psychological care provision that we are hoping to make a part of the one-stop centre model. So of course Dominique took the opportunity to toss ideas back and forth with her on our walk home.

Other than that its been more e-mails, inquiries with regards to possible partnerships, and planning. Lots to do in my last few weeks in Bukavu, I’m trying to make the most of it!

Field Update - June 23, 2014

This past week seemed to just fly by for some reason and I guess its that speed with which things seem to be going that makes it really hard to believe that this is the beginning of my 13^th week here in the field! So much to do, so (apparently) little time…

I spent the vast majority of last week battling with the video footage we took of Dr. Imani in order to get it ready to upload for the International Day of the Young Doctor (June 20^th). It was a nightmare because the translation took forever and my computer chose this week to express its personal vendetta against me by crashing every single time I tried to open the movie editing software. Talk about “Rise of the Machines”…Thankfully, our good friend Sarah Fluck came to my rescue at just the right moment. On Wednesday she spent her evening with me editing the video footage on her Mac and we were able to upload after two further days of attempts on the internet! You can see the finished product here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bm_k7V7_k8

This week Dr. Mukwege came back from London where he had been attending Angelina Jolie’s Conference to end sexual violence. The hospital is definitely a different place when he's not around! But when he came back he convened a meeting of all staff out in the nursing building behind the hospital. So this is us heading out there on Wednesday morning:

It was a really interesting meeting as Dr. Mukwege took time to really get all the staff thinking about their respective roles in the overall vision and mission of the hospital. He wanted them to think of themselves as indispensible and as a vital part of what is going on around them at the hospital, no matter what their individual tasks were. And he just has a way of putting things that really draws one into his way of thinking about things. It was very interesting to be there for the meeting.

This week we are focussed on grant proposals and I am also trying to solidify donations of medical supplies that I hope to take back with me from Canada to Congo when I return next week. It'll be a whirlwind trip 7-day roundtrip so I'm hoping to make the most of it.

Field Update - June 15, 2014

This week marked a huge landmark for us ere at Channel – the IRS’s 501(c)3 form is finally ready to be submitted! I know that might not seem like a big deal… but after spending the last 7 months slogging through the IRS’s special brand of legalese, we are finally ready to submit our form in order to try and get a charitable tax status for Channel (i.e. Channel will be able to issue tax receipts for its donations). Very exciting stuff, and something I can’t wait to see accomplished down the road. The biggest hurdle is now out of the way – i.e. the filling out of the form. Now all we have to do is get it all printed out, somehow find enough money to pay the application fee to the IRS, and then wait while the men in the dark suits decide whether we’re worthy or whether they will, instead, send someone over to break our kneecaps or something… one never knows with the government.

Other than that, the other interesting thing we did this week was scout out a possible spot for the coffee shop that Dominique is hoping to open up in Bukavu in order to bring in reliable cash for Channel Initiative projects. There’s really no decent place to find a cup of coffee around here and there seems to be a good amount of demand for it, so the prospects are good, its just a matter of finding the best strategic location. Could this be it perhaps??? We’re still thinking and praying about it, but it was fun to go out with our friend Wendy to see this place she had in mind for it.

Other than that I’ve been doing a lot of work editing a video interview that we did with Dr. Imani and other work relating to the medical supplies and possible partnerships.

That’s about it for news this week on my end!

Field Update June 6, 2014

This week has been an exciting one. In addition to the regular things that we do every week (i.e. advocating for funding and support for our programs, etc.), we used the fine weather and Dr. Imani’s availability in order to do a video interview of him explaining his vision of bringing free medical help to the most vulnerable groups in Kavumu and his vision for the DRC in general. He did really well during the interview, even though all the tiny cameras in his face must have been nerve-wracking.

Dr. Imani also explained to us about how he was behind the start of the V-Men group – he had wanted to start an organization of men who were concerned about sexual violence in the DRC and actively involved in advocating for the dignity and safety of women, so he started a group, which is now called V-Men.

Yesterday we had our first active field visit since I've been here. Dominique and I spent the night before packing up donated clean birth kits, re-usable sanitary pads, Neosporin, elastic bandages, and baby clothes to distribute to the patients to be seen by MSD’s mobile clinic.

Our destination -- Kabamba which is a ways past Kavumu. Its about a 2 hour drive from our house. We were there with Dr. Imani, three other doctors from his team, his administrator, and the staff at Kabamba.

When we got there we were greeted with singing -- Dr. Imani eventually got himself a shaker and joined right in with the ladies.

We were taken into the Church in order to have introductory speeches about who we were and what we were going to be doing in the area.

We were then brought to this little clinic where the consultations would take place. Each doctor had a room where they were either consulting or else dispensing medications. Dominique and I also had a room with our supplies. When one of the doctors saw a patient who might need one of the things that we brought, he would refer him or her to us. We did several dramatic demonstrations of how to use the sanitary pads and clean birth kits (I got to demonstrate giving birth at home several times on the floor…;).

During a lull in the program we also had a chance to play a video in Swahili about breast feeding techniques. Unfortunately we did not have a projector available this time, but it was a popular feature anyways, even the kids enjoyed it.

The clinic lasted all day, after which the community expressed its gratitude by adding these passengers to our trip home for Dr. Imani and his team.

The chickens were a little less impressed about the gift though, and complained about it from time to time verbally on the way home.

We had a little hitch in the plan when we got back to the van at the end of the clinic day when we found out that the battery in the van had died… but Dominique had fun entertaining the kids with some back and forth basic English conversations while we waited for them to find someone in the community to give us a boost.  

After we got the van running again we headed back home. Dr. Imani had seen some of tragic cases during the clinic which affected him deeply, but all in all he seemed encouraged by the turnout and results of the day. 


P.S.

The above post was written on Thursday June 6 but the week had a damper end to it. On Friday I got myself a bad bout of food poisoning which put me out for the rest of the weekend, but more importantly the worst part of the week was on our way home from work on Friday afternoon when we passed a small girl (between 4 and 6 years old) who had just been hit in the road by a van. The scene was awful and it was impossible to tell whether she had survived the impact. She was gathered up unceremoniously by a man in the street, slung over his shoulder and removed from the scene -- hopefully to the nearby medical clinic. Please pray for her and her family, as well as the woman who hit her with the van.


P.P.S.

Just had to share this. As you know, I live in the town of Bukavu in Eastern DRC on the Rwandan border. Right on this huge lake. If you go up the lake quite a ways, one gets to the next large town which is called Goma. I have not had a chance to get up there myself, but I'm told its a good place to visit. Like Bukavu, it seems a lot of expats are based out of Goma. They've got an active volcano up there and I hear the violence-situation is a little tenser up there than here. All that to say, Dominique shared this video with me this morning and I had to add it to this post. Hands-down the most inspirational thing I've seen in a long time -- not because its *yet another* remake of this fantastic but fad song, but because its a video made by people from Goma, in the town of Goma, starring the spirit of the Eastern DRC, i.e. showcasing the spirit of joy, recreation, resilience and artistic expression that exudes constantly from the pores of this community. The picture painted by the violent goings on in the DRC are grim and gloomy at best (Goma even more so than Bukavu), but as the old saying goes, you clearly can't keep a good man (or woman!) down. I hope you enjoy it as I did: