Jan 28

Response to Newsweek Congo Article

Congo health, News 1 Comment »

The Feb. 1 issue of Newsweek included a short article titled “Battling for Good Health in Congo,” which I thought needed a response. Here is the message I just emailed to Letters to the Editor. See what you think:

Mr. Sheridan, citing a study by Andrew Mack, names the Democratic Republic of Congo as an example of a country where NGO’s have worked “public health miracles” in the wake of war. While those of us who are currently doing medical and development work in Congo are thankful for every resource and every improvement in the health of the people, the article’s upbeat tone calls for a look at some hard realities:

The average life expectancy in Congo is 47 years (WHO 2008). Only 46% of the people have access to safe water (UNDP 2007), and 74% are not getting their daily food needs (World Bank 2007). Of children age 5 and under, 21% are acutely malnourished and 44% are chronically malnourished (stunted growth) (WHO website accessed 1/28/10).

IRIN news reported (12/22/09) that “the Democratic Republic of Congo is still among the worst countries in the world to be pregnant, despite a nationwide push to improve maternal, infant and childhood mortality rates.” The maternal mortality rate is 1,100 out of 100,000 (WHO 2009). UNICEF (1/7/10) estimates that “Congolese children under the age of five suffer at least six bouts of malaria each year. More than 90,000 children die of malaria each year.”

As for treated bed nets to prevent malaria (cited positively by Mr. Sheridan), it is true that UNICEF has been distributing these nets in the past year–5.5 million (UNICEF 10/1/09). But as of 2007 only 1% of Congo’s children slept under treated nets (WHO pub. 2009), so many more nets are still needed. Then there are the many women and girls violently raped in acts of war, the children forced to join militias, and the country’s medical infrastructure badly damaged as militias rampaged through much of the country.

In other words, the D.R. Congo still needs much assistance from the developed world. Four times as poor as Haiti, the people have no means to fix these problems themselves. “Battling for Good Health in Congo” is still a steep uphill fight; and money, volunteers, and other resources are still needed.

Sally

sally.johnson@paulcarlson.org

Tagged with: • • •
Jan 07

Congo: Battered Family Syndrome?

Congo history and society No Comments »

I’ve come to think of the Congo as a vast battered family.

There seems to be a kind of systemic dysfunction throughout the country. Is that a fair statement? If you’ve been part of any ongoing work in Congo, you’ve probably found the same thing we have: much of what we Westerners think of as essential accountability is just not assumed there as it is here. The country has been ranked second to last on earth for running a business.

And then there’s the violence. The senseless, relentless violence.

We have the good fortune to know and work with some really capable people in Congo. We continue learning a lot from our many Congolese friends, in many ways. I don’t mean, in what I say here, to underestimate or disrespect all that is good in them and so many other Congolese people. Nor do I mean to treat the Congolese as children. Adults are victims of domestic violence too.

But look at it: For at least the past 125 years, everyone who has had power over the people of Congo has abused them to one degree or another. From brutal King Leopold’s personal domination through the long Belgian colonial period (marked by the abuse of apartheid and conscripted labor, and a neglect to give the Congolese any experience in governing or other economic, professional, and societal skills they would need). From an independence in 1960 that they were completely unprepared to stabilize, through continuing unrest capped off with the civil wars beginning in 1996 and the violence that persists in places today.

Whether a colonial or national government or local warlords, there has always been somebody beating on the Congolese people. Even today, the Congolese army that is supposed to be protecting the people from the militias has itself been widely accused of wanton rape  and killing. Meanwhile, the wealth that accrues from the lucrative mines in the southeast never eases the lives of ordinary citizens, going rather to line silk pockets and fuel militia massacres.

Now: A battered family is menaced by physical violence. Check. The abuser dominates their life, leaving them powerless in essential ways. Check. And beneath the visible damage, they suffer neglect and deprivation. Check

And the effects of all this? I ran this whole image past Byron (Miller, our executive director), and he responded by asking, “So what does this mean for how we work with the people?”

If this framework holds any water — if it does– then what does it mean for us who seek to work with the people of Congo to help them build better lives? I’ve got just one possible answer right now, but I’m going to save that for another post. Meanwhile, we would welcome any insights you may have — on that or on the appropriateness of the image itself.

By Sally Johnson

sally.johnson@paulcarlson.org

Tagged with: • •
preload preload preload