Like many places across the globe, Kandale has been inundated with rain and flooding. The cisterns are full, but it is not potable water unless you filter it and boil it. People still need to make the trek down to the spring for drinking water. Unfortunately, the path has become treacherous due to the trail being washed out and becoming muddy. Large tree roots are now exposed and the sand near the water source has turned into quicksand. The community has been doing an excellent job organizing itself and trying to shore up the path. The head preacher called everyone together to plead with them not to let their children descend into the valley.
Presently there are no immediate solutions. Other access to water is 5 – 8 kilometers away in neighboring villages and there is some discussion about using bicycles in a ‘bicycle’ brigade to carry water from those towns. However, the challenge in making this happen, is finding enough bicycles locally to hire and to negotiate an affordable fee with bicycle owners to make it affordable for everyone, especially elderly people with no income.
Presently there are no immediate solutions. Other access to water is 5 – 8 kilometers away in neighboring villages and there is some discussion about using bicycles in a ‘bicycle’ brigade to carry water from those towns. However, the challenge in making this happen, is finding enough bicycles locally to hire and to negotiate an affordable fee with bicycle owners to make it affordable for everyone, especially elderly people with no income.
The REVE Kandale Board has been meeting and discussing the need for providing a stable source of drinking water for the community. It is presently the number one concern. They are communicating with other organizations with expertise in water projects such as Water Mission to determine the best approach to drill and create a system to withdraw the water. All these plans take a great deal of time and money to organize and enact.
Recently Colette has organized a reading, writing and basic mathematics course for people who never had the opportunity to attend school. The group is called ‘AMI DU LIVRE’ or Book Lovers. The group meets to look at books in the library and play vocabulary hunting games as a way to promote reading and a love of books. This is a way to normalize reading which has not been part of the general culture. Market Day has created the desire for people to be able to read and write price tags, to take orders, to make plans, and to learn how to tally up the day’s earnings.
In a town with five languages, Kipende, Kikongo, French, Kilunda, and Lingala, it is important to return to basic language skills. It is Colette’s intention for people to gather in the evenings and practice these basic math and language skills. There have been several meetings so far, one of which Colette attended via Zoom. The third module of ABCD is focusing on microfinance and together with these lessons, the community will become more empowered.
