Au Retour

The car arrived on Saturday to take Colette back to Kinshasa and finally home. It was difficult to leave after so much incredible progress.

The match ended with two Kiboba teams, Zemba Kiboba and Kiboba village fiercely competing for the win. Traditionally these two towns do not communicate with each other, but the positive atmosphere of the games brought them together in celebration.

Zemba Kiboba was the winner with Kiboba Village in second place and Musemvu on the other side of the Kwilu River, in third. As Colette describes it, 'It was a beautiful tournament.' The match was sponsored by Dwight Short in recognition of his aunt, Lodema Short or Mama Kanemu, who was a missionary near Kandale. Two former students of Mama Kanemu, Reverend Ernest Mputu Kimbonja and a teacher at Institute Gufwa Gubila called Leyogi Supa, presented the trophies and medals to the winning teams. For the final match the teams put on special jerseys provided by Kick for Nick, 'lemon' and 'aqua'.

On Saturday, Merveille organized a staff meeting and invited the referees in celebration. There was much to discuss in between the delicious food and beverages provided. One of the big accomplishments was the creation of a Committee for the Tournament and Youth Development.

A picture is worth a thousand words

The new program, Ami Du Livre, continues to draw in young people and their curiosity. One of the recent developments from coloring in the images and researching the subject, was the investigation of rainbows and their origin. One of the adults present, was taught that rainbows were very rare and magical snakes. What new stories will be discovered as this program continues?

Colette is always practical and never one to waste an opportunity. She took advantage of the vehicle's early arrival to collect cow dung and fertilize the garden, sponsored by Clint and Carl, before she left. The garden is growing beautifully.

Colette is spending the night in Kikwit and will leave for Kinshasa in the morning. We wish her a safe journey home.

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Lessons Learned

This Bird's Eye View of the School grounds has been captured by REVE Kandale's intrepid photographer, Newton, who risked life and limb to climb the nearby palm tree to capture the new classrooms and enthusiastic students.

Yes, the football match continues on at a feverish pace, but the learning also continues enthusiastically at the Mutli-Purpose Center with the program known at Ami du Livre. One of the teachers, Mr. Ajita, is leading the program and has invited 24 girls and 24 boys from the primary school through 10th grade to participate. During one of the recent events, students chose an image to color which lead to a verbal presentation of their subject and then an opportunity to research the subject for a more in-depth understanding of the topic. Students were asked to create stories based on their research. It is a very popular activity with the young people.

Presently there is a break in the action on the football field. The first round has been completed and of the 18 teams that started, there are 8 teams left. Three sectors are represented, one team from Gungu, two teams from Kobo and five teams from Kandale of which one is from the other side of the Kwilu River. All of the teams are incredibly skilled and it is impossible to determine who will make it to the quarter finals.

"Butterflies are everywhere. Local people are excited because this type of butterfly is bringing back the long lost caterpillars called Mambimbi." In the early morning Colette hears the sounds of many birds. The townsfolk say the bird calls are from lost birds that are finding their way home. It is millet season and the grinders have been working non-stop.

The borehole continues to provide water for the time being, but it will be turned off in the near future as the infrastructure for the well has not yet been procured.

REVE Kandale seeks your help to raise funds for a permanent pump, solar panels, and a distribution network. As always we are grateful for your support in the ongoing work in Kandale. There is a tremendous amount to be thankful for. We wish to extend our thanks to Newton for all his help in taking the photos included the last several Communiqués. Colette returns to the US in a week and we wish her a safe journey home. Kwenda mbote, Mama!!!

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The Games Continue

The Games have been in full swing with 18 teams fiercely competing. The community is once again fully engaged in the passion of football. It has been two years since the last competition when everything went on hold due to COVID. Many elements have brought the return of the games. Obviously it was the excitement of the community to see the games return, but it was also a result of the ABCD meetings that ignited the idea of bringing opportunities to Kandale.

Everything is interconnected. Now that the well has been dug and the water is readily available, the thousands of people who are visiting the mission can quench their thirst, whether for the tournament, for the school and new classrooms, for medical care, or for other business opportunities like the internet connection at the REVE Kandale office. The two grinders are now fully installed and the people of the village have been grinding flour to prepare dishes for the hungry crowds. The local team has been trained in operating the grinders and also to perform routine repairs on the mechanics controlling the solar panels.

Other activities continue in Kandale such as the regular meetings of "Ami du Livre". This will be showcased in the next Communiqué. It is a busy time in Kandale, filled with many positive changes. Thank you for your support in making all these programs successful.

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Let The Games Begin

Communication continues in the form of photos.

 Colette has shared that, last Sunday there was a great celebration at church about the water. They also announced that starting this past Monday, there would be a charge for the water: FC200 per bidon (that's 5 cents). Colette reports there's been no slow down in people coming for water. 

Also the grinder is in constant use and the back up is ready to go.  They need one more junction box to enable both grinders to function simultaneously. Training on grinder maintenance is complete, and solar training is almost complete.  

The ABCD training has ended, which will dramatically reduce the level of activity and number of people around.

The tournament begins today, May 21st. We wish all the teams success!

We will continue to update you as we receive more information from Colette.

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Refinement

Now that water has been divined, Colette continues
to report the newest events happening in Kandale,

"ABCD training went really well. We started on May 1 and concluded yesterday on May 10. Some participants from Kalonda, Kinshasa, and Aten Idiofa left yesterday evening but others from Mukedi, Kamayala , Kahemba and Ndjoko Punda will leave today. Exams d’état started so we had to continue the training under the shade of the mavu tree in the REVE Kandale compound so students could use the multipurpose center."

"To tell the truth the students and delegate felt like they own the multipurpose center. They just came and occupied the building without asking us if we were done students looked so happy and proud of the conditions in which they take their exams. As usual I always hear from those delegates who comes here for the first time and how impressed they are with the multipurpose center and tukuls. Unfortunately the tukuls were full so there was no room for the delegates."

"People are coming from far away 7-12km on bicycles or motorcycles to fetch water. They are calling it water of life. it is amazing. Solar training continues. It was extended to allow time to buy the right circuit breakers in Kinshasa. Overall it is going well. The training on composting and continuing gardening is still going on well. I will send photos. I brought in Newton to help with photos and he’s doing a fantastic job. Without him we would not have managed. He camped out all night long with the drilling team until they found water at 3.59am and he took photos."

"Paint job started today May 14, 2023. James from Uganda wrote, he has arrived safely home. Tournament starts on May 20. The teams are excited. We are cutting down from 22 to 16 teams."

 

We will continue to update you as we receive more information from Colette.

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Eureka!!!

With the drill operational, Colette has sent these words and images,

"We have successfully drilled a borehole and water has been flowing out of ground since 3.50am. It is amazing! The church is organizing a special gathering to dedicate the borehole to God almighty who makes everything possible. People from neighboring villages came even earlier than those at the mission, to see it. "

"The most moving testimonies was my father. He has not taken a bath in quite a few years due to water crisis. He is in his 90s and has become unable to go to the river. Today he came over and ask to draw a bucket of water. He took a full bath and was happy. It made me cry."

 

John Sullivan, a REVE Kandale Board Member, created this video montage of the celebration happening in Kandale. It is glorious!!! Enjoy!!!

 

https://vimeo.com/824189112

 

We will continue to update you as we receive more information from Colette.

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The Arrival of the Drill

Colette has arrived safely in Kandale. She has hit the ground running.

She writes in a text:

"It has been very busy. The roads are very bad so the truck with the drilling equipment was delayed. Thankfully, it arrived yesterday and work has begun this morning.”

The training for the grinding mills and solar panels is going very well. The technician from Burkina Faso is excellent. There is high self esteem among the staff being trained. They have learned how to disassemble and reassemble the grinder as well as operate it efficiently. It is beautiful to see. 

The environment team is also doing well. They are preparing the soil and site for composting. There are many moving pieces. I have loads of photos to send but the internet is slow. Everyone needs water but rain has not fallen."

 

We will continue to update you as we receive information from Colette.

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The First Week in Kinshasa

Colette arrived safe and enthusiastic in Kinshasa. Here is her first email:

Greetings from boiling hot Kinshasa.

Here are some photos of the trip. I spent yesterday and today shopping. I am almost done. We bought everything for environment and gardening projects and all teacher’s kits and supplies for ABCD training. Meantime, the printer copier arrived from France and my mother went to the shipping agency to collect it (see photo of printer being carried on the head). It is very hot. Tomorrow I got to go out again to buy batteries and solar panels needed for solar energy training. Both Burkina Faso and Uganda technicians will arrive on Friday. We will do minor shopping and pack cars to leave on Saturday morning. All is going well.

This is the 30th Communiqué. The intentions of the Communiqué are to keep our community informed of the great progress being done in Kandale. Thank you for your generous donations and support. Matondo Mingi !!! (Thanks a lot!!!). We wish Colette great success on the next arduous leg of her journey.

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Looking Forward

Colette left for the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday. As she anticipated, the journey has required the organization of a ‘million’ different elements from simple things like mosquito repellant, vaccines, reading glasses, and transferring files onto a drive… to the coordination of a very large itinerary with many moving parts. She has been preoccupied to say the least. Colette will be there for two months. In keeping with its commitment to provide fresh water for the community, REVE Kandale will be coordinating the drilling of a borehole for water. A team from Uganda will arrive and supervise a Congolese drilling company that will be drilling the borehole. Once the borehole has been completed the team will determine the availability of water, the flow rate and at what depth they can find a reliable source. With that information in hand, they will plan for the second phase, to begin developing the infrastructure including the size of the pump, the storage tanks, and the distribution point.

ABCD training will recommence with the second half of Community Centered Development and then proceed on to the final part, Entrepreneurship. Members from the distant cities, Idiofa and Kahemba are expected to attend. There will be solar panel training to educate individuals on basic repairs and maintenance of the growing array of solar panels. A team from Burkina Faso will be arriving to bring the second flour grinder online with the solar panels. In addition, there will be training on how to use and maintain the flour grinders.   Colette has packed many teachers’ kits to help teachers organize their lessons and improve the quality of education. Each kit contains a lesson planner, several pens, reading glasses, (if needed), chalk, an extra notepad, a gradebook, a ruler, and a small bag.  Another important item on the list is to finish painting the primary school.

Of great excitement for the community will be the return of the regional soccer tournament. 22 teams will be competing this year. The event will take place from May 20th to June 10th.  The first phase of the tournament required committee members to travel to the many teams that had participated in the previous tournament. During those meetings they asked for feedback about the last tournament and if they would be interested in participating again.   All the teams were very enthusiastic.  One of the major suggestions was to improve the field. This will require the organizing of the community to relevel the field. Another important part of the tournament will be to train 8 coaches to officiate the event. They need to be fully educated about FIFA rules. Prior to the match there will be a very important meeting in Kandale with the representatives from each team. They will discuss the upcoming event and what the expectations will be for the tournament. They will be apprised of the rules and the schedule for the matches. Many of the teams are from villages with very limited resources so many of them will not have uniforms or even athletic shoes. REVE Kandale wants to again thank Kick for Nick and Dwight Short for helping to fund this event.

For Colette the next two months will go by very quickly. It looks like it is going to be a very productive visit. Kwenda mbote, Mama.

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Water Water Everywhere

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.

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WOMEN LED

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Congo faces many challenges, but the community of Kandale has come together to chart a course for a better future. The community has the will, the energy, the desire, and the passion to achieve results. The lives of their children depend on it. There are many ways you can stay informed and help children in Kandale receive a quality education.
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