Sep 24
Here is the second post sent by Byron from Congo:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
We flew from Kinshasa to Gemena today. This time it was a direct flight that took about 1½ hours. The difficulty is that it only happens once a week. We could fly up with MAF (Missionary Air Fellowship) but that costs $2,000 each or more. The only other option for getting to Gemena is by boat, but that can take weeks and may not be safe. There are no flights to other places to which we regularly go. Getting to and departing from Gemena must be carefully planned.
Saturday, we’ll drive from Gemena to Karawa. In the past, that 50 miles has been a five-hour trip in a four-wheel drive vehicle. The road is being reconstructed and I’m told that it now takes about 2½ hours. Thanks to the European Union for financing this work!
Question of the day: When will another airline begin flying to Gemena so that timing is not so critical?
Tagged with: Congo • development • transportation
Jun 26
In the area of the Congo where we work, nearly everyone is engaged in subsistence agriculture. To generate cash income, markets and transport must be available to enable farmers to sell their excess production. Today, that is difficult because the roads are very bad, there are few trucks and few warehouses, and there is little capital to buy trucks, build warehouses, and buy the produce. Few people know much about the markets in Kinshasa, which are more lucrative.
When the U.S. West was being settled, such situations must have been common. Somehow, the settlers built roads that enabled them to reach railroads that were built with European and East Coast money. Many of the roads in places such as Kansas were built by local people before the advent of motorized equipment. In the Congo equipment is available to build roads, but there appears to be no systemic plan to maintain them. Consequently, they soon deteriorate into a series of mud holes during the rainy season. Such roads are nearly impassable for trucks and thus prevent farmers from selling their surplus.
How might we stimulate people to maintain roads to enable goods to reach cities and ports?
Tagged with: Congo • transportation
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