Playstations, guinea pigs and septic tanks
DRC Blog | 19th November 2007
War Child's field director in Democratic Republic of Congo learns that septic tanks and Playstations are vital tools for progress for children who live and work on the streets in Kinshasa.
Another week gone by. Time disappears. You start Monday ready for a fight – and suddenly its Friday, and you’ve done 60% of your task list and a hundred other bits and pieces.
I visited two of the centres today. It’s been a while since I did. I seem to spend most of my time in the office. It is really good to see the differences: we got shown round mattresses, broken games of baby-foot, TVs, a kitchen and the water cistern. It is amazing what you learn. We got lectures on drainage ditches and septic tanks, growing peanuts, rearing guinea pigs for food and how to make a profit from a cassava mill. And you rapidly become an expert in all of the above.
Best though was the boys in one of the centres playing computer games. Brilliant. The centre is not well equipped: they don’t have enough food and the staff aren’t paid enough, but the boys have a Playstation. Same as boys anywhere. It clearly has been a huge success – keeps them off the streets and playing happily in teams What next? Wii? – all the rage in the Kinshasa ex-pat community.
This though always makes me question development structures. You have money for budget lines from donors. We can therefore support several centres with all sorts of training and rehab. However, we can’t support another centre with this money. This means that the children are getting sick because we can’t pay for toilet repairs. It sounds crazy, but it’s the way it is. How does one include “rebuilding toilets and the septic tank” under “training to support project management” on the other side of town?
Hey ho. At least its an improvement on where they were. . .
I visited DRC as a journalist with Warchild a couple of years ago, so it's good to hear these personal updates. Following the country in the news only gives half the picture.
I am from South Africa, now working in the US. Green and environmental issues are at the heart of almost every debate here in the US and the west in general. I have been arguing in my blog, http://henkc.livejournal.com/#asset-henkc-615 that the environment is an option, and not a given center of attention. Keep it up and remind the world what matters - is what matters local.