At 5 AM the church bell rings in the center of Kandale. The pastor is bidding his flock to come for the early morning mass. For Colette this is a seminal memory, a constant in her many years of growing up in Kandale and now a constant for when she returns. Despite living in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband, her heart tells her she is home. With all the challenges of transportation and all the work that awaits her, her spirit is renewed once again. The morning is sacred as the sun will be up soon. The birds are filling the tree branches with their musical presence and Chaud-Chaud has not yet started to sweep under the bamboo trees. Colette remains under the warm covers and takes time to imagine the day. She is avoiding the cold bath that awaits her.
As with all her trips to DRC it is a journey of many steps. Plans are laid out well in advance, and still the Congo intercedes. On her last visit the technician from Uganda indicated that he was unable to bring the inverter on the flight to Kinshasa. This required an extensive search for another source for an inverter in Kinshasa. Unfortunately, the one that was purchased was not designed for the current produced by the solar panels. Now three months later, the correct inverter is on the truck and heading to Kandale along with several new solar panels to upgrade the existing ones, a second backup grinder that recently cleared customs, batteries to store the energy and two local technicians who were hired to do a water feasibility study. In addition, Colette met with John Fumana the Executive Coordinator of Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM) for Africa. Matt Kunga is the facilitator for the second module of ABCD and will be traveling to Kandale very soon to present the training on Community Centered Development (CCD).
With a stopover in Kikwit, Colette was able to check in on the progress of the metal frame window construction at ITPK for the Kandale primary school. The order was placed in May and they are close to being finished. Colette also stopped by a convent to inspect a water drilling project just outside of Kikwit. One of the technicians who implemented that project would be making the trip to Kandale and conduct an assessment for drilling for water.
Upon arrival in Kandale, the second grinder was installed along with the converter. In the early afternoon the shade begins to creep in on the solar panels and reduce the power capacity, so it was determined to run the grinders from 9 until 2. At 1:30 PM, the operator sounds the whistle to warn that the grinder will close soon. Individuals were trained in the operation of the grinders and in no time, there was a long line of people eager to grind their millet and cassava, and chafe the rice.
A system was developed in that the local team leader, Merveille, would inspect the grain to ensure there were no stones or metal inadvertently mixed in with the grain. These items would seriously damage the mechanisms inside the grinder. They would then receive a red stamp to present to the grinders. Time quickly ran out before everyone was able to grind their grains before 2PM. Those who were unable to grind on that day were given receipts for the following day. Colette was amazed by the cooperative spirit from everyone involved.
Women also claim that the quality of flour from the new grinder is much better. People are very enthusiastic about the new grinders as they used to have to go to a local diesel grinder miles away and there was no guarantee that after making the journey, there would be enough fuel to grind the grains. It was even rumored that the local diesel-grinder had a secret compartment inside the grinder that held back a large portion of the flour, only to have it resold at the market later. Pounding the grains into flour by hand is one of the more labor-intensive jobs that the women of the community do, that and carrying water up from the spring. With the new grinders, women now have more time available to invest in other projects or spend time with their families.
Shortly after the grinders were up and running, the long-awaited metal window frames and glass, arrived by truck in Kandale, 5 months after the order was placed. There was a delay due to the challenges of transferring money to Congo through Western Union which has proven to be the only way to go. Including the window frames and glass, the truck was loaded up with cement, wood and other construction materials. The truck was unpacked, and local masons began laying out the frames for installation in the primary school. They delivered a total of 113 window frames, 56 for the top, 49 for the lower windows and 2 for each side of the two buildings. The frames were specifically designed to protect the glass and deter potential thieves. Once the local masons finish fitting the metal frame, a specialist will come from Kikwit to fit in the glass. With the installation of the windows the classrooms are one step away from being completed. All that remains is to paint the two buildings.
We are grateful to our donors both big and small for giving the children of Kandale a safe and protective learning environment.
