Rebuilding yet again
after rebels destroy centre -
October 2004:
There has
been ongoing war in Congo since 1998. Maud
has grown used to the damage and destruction
caused by rebels. When she got back to her
mission station in the Autumn of 2004 she
found it to be complete devastation. Buildings
had
been
looted and many were burnt to the ground.
Maud’s time on this visit
was largely spent re-building, re-roofing
and re-equipping the station.
The most major piece of work was to get the
airstrip useable again as it had become completely
overgrown with trees.
Maud feels a strong desire to keep going
back to Africa to help the people she’s
been working with over the past number of
years and knows that they depend upon her
to keep bringing in the supplies. She feels
a great sense of appreciation from those
she’s helped and says they are a very
loving people. She says that as long as she
has the energy to do so, she’ll keep
going back.
In Congo no-one speaks English. Because Congo
was a Belgian colony, French is the national
language. The next most used is Swahili – an
east African trade language. There are of course
many other tribal languages still in current
use. Maud speaks both Swahili and French but
explains that some of the Congo Swahili contains
French words, whereas Swahili from Kenya would
contain English words…
Maud suggests that if it weren’t for
the war, Congo could be a tourist destination.
It should, she says, have wonderful Safari
parks just like Kenya. “It’s all
been destroyed by the rebels. Even the animals
have been eaten. A lot of the parklands have
reverted back to forests.”
Maud is aware that people who donate money
to charities may have concerns that not all
of their money actually finds its way to those
in the most need. For this reason she delivers
the aid herself and oversees how all donated
money is spent and ensures that things are
done efficiently and with minimal waste. Local
resources should be used as much as possible.
She has, for example, helped to build the hospital
in Congo with home-made bricks and has helped
the people to cut down trees and do their own
building work, thus saving money. She also
points to the direct training that she can
give to nurses and midwives, all of which represents
a very efficient use of resources.
AIDS has increased massively in Africa over
the past ten years, particularly in the Congo
as a result of the rebels with AIDS carrying
out rape on a large scale. Maud’s hospital
treats many people with AIDS but, since they
cannot afford the more expensive drugs, the
best they can offer is to treat the symptoms
only. Most of those infected die, either in
the hospital or at home in their own villages
if they prefer. Maud says it’s heartbreaking
to go back to Africa each time to find that
some of the people she left behind are no longer
there. Maud tells here how one of their nurses
developed AIDS and in turn his wife and daughter
developed it. All three died in Maud’s
hospital.
Maud hopes to return to Congo in the Autumn
(2005). Having repaired the damage caused
by the war during her last visit, this time
she’s
hoping to build a medical paediatric ward.
Maud is extremely grateful to the people
of Northern Ireland for their generosity in
giving
financial support to her projects in Congo.
Maud
hopes to return again to Congo in the Autumn
of 2005. We will update this site as her diary
of events unfolds.
Do please feel free to respond
to this article. Just
fill
in the
form
below...
YOUR RESPONSES...
E.J - July '08
I thank you for allowing Jesus Christ to use you in such powerful way. I know in the name of Jesus, God will continue giving you the strength to continue. It is a dream of mine that one day I can become a full time missionary to children in Haiti. I want to open a boarding school. I yearn for my time to come, till then I praise His name for people like you around the world.
Thank you and see you in Heaven
|
print version
POST
A COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE 
