wfn.org | LWI FEATURE: "We Have to Be There for People"

["Frank Imhoff" <frank_imhoff@elca.org>]

FEATURE: "We Have to Be There for People" 
LWF Responds to Needs of People Trapped by Cycle of Conflict, Poverty

KISANGANI, Democratic Republic of Congo/GENEVA, 18 August 2004 (LWI) -
Ask anyone in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
to describe the situation in her or his country, and almost to a person
the response would be the same: "Very complicated. Very complex."

It is this complexity that continues to bedevil DRC - those engaged in
brokering peace, and those responding to the needs of people trapped by
a disastrous cycle of conflict, displacement, poverty and fear. The
complicated web of political allegiances and intrigue, lack of social
infrastructure to support communities, and years of violence and
instability have left whole regions of eastern DRC mired in conflict. 

Compounding matters even more is the inaccessibility of vast areas,
except to the most determined. "This is a place where distance is not
measured in kilometers," says Emile Mpanya of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) Goma office, "but in
how long it takes to get there. Some places can only be reached by
plane. Others only by motorcycle. It makes our work [with beneficiaries]
very difficult." The LWF's relief and rehabilitation efforts in eastern
DRC are part of the DWS Rwanda/DRC country program. 

Rural areas in eastern DRC comprise a patchwork of villages tucked into
large stretches of forests. But there is nothing pastoral or idyllic
about these small villages. Instead, they are home to the poorest of the
poor, people who, on the face of it, seem to have been forgotten by the
world.

Curable Diseases Continue to Claim Lives

And the people's needs are enormous. In North and South Kivu, and
Oriental Province, treatable and curable diseases and ailments -
diarrhea, measles and malaria - continue to claim lives. It is a region
where in some places people are considered wealthy if they own as much
as a bar of soap. In Oriental Province, in village after village,
clusters of children too weak to stand, thin to the point of being
emaciated or bloated from malnutrition, watch silently as their mothers
explain to aid workers the pain of not being able to feed their
children. 

The LWF is among organizations that continue to tackle what seem like
insurmountable odds. And always, it is a race against time - to save a
child's life, get a pregnant woman to a hospital, provide care to the
elderly - an endless list. And it is becoming harder to assist people in
eastern DRC. The fighting that erupted mid-this year between rival
factions of the recently integrated Congolese army in South Kivu's
capital Bukavu, saw many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pulling
out of the strife-torn area, several thousand people fleeing to
neighboring Rwanda, and many more remaining trapped in their homes,
hospitals or other compounds in the town. Rwanda sealed its border with
the DRC for close to a month, allowing only refugees to cross to safety.
The constant movement of troops and renegade soldiers has added to the
general sense of insecurity.

"People Have Suffered so Much in this Country, Starting a 'War' Now Is a
'Crime'" 

These developments occur against a background of rising tensions as the
transitional government formed after five years of fighting prepares to
co-opt and deploy an integrated civilian and military administration
throughout the national territory. 

An NGO worker (name withheld) describing the situation at the Panzi
Hospital in Bukavu, where several hundred patients, staff and visitors
were stranded at the height of the clashes between renegade soldiers and
government troops, said the conflict amounted to nothing more than a
crime. "People have suffered so much in this country. To start a 'war'
now, that is a crime."

But, this is not the only story. Whereas war and the suffering that
invariably accompany conflict make the news, what remains untold are the
quiet stories of courage and compassion, kindness and commitment,
solidarity and great strength - of people going about their daily lives
under the most difficult of circumstances. 

In Tuha Camp, a small community near Beni in North Kivu, that formed
when people fled the conflict in Ituri district a year ago, assistance
in the form of seeds, agricultural tools and other non-food items, has
been minimal. The effect, however, has been profound. Every spare patch
of ground is being cultivated. Tuha Camp is a busy and productive place.
Elie Molo, who heads agricultural activities in the camp says, "If
people are more healthy, it is because of the food and the interest and
devotion you showed us," referring to assistance from the local churches
and LWF/DWS. They "are much closer to us and see how we suffer, and
understand that we need to be self-sufficient by all means." 

The little aid given in this instance has translated into a deep-seated
change in people's lives. Here, where a year ago there was nothing,
hope, however small, is alive again. But people have not lost sight of
reality: they fear returning to Ituri because of their safety, and that
they will somehow be completely forgotten and abandoned. 

For Mpanya, it is crucial to be "there" for people. Even if the funding
for appeals is low, even if the assistance is often piecemeal, the
LWF/DWS staff person says it matters. "We have done big jobs with small
teams and little money." 

He recounts a personal moment of despair years ago as a humanitarian aid
worker when faced with some difficult choices in assisting people.
"Someone told me that even if the little bit we do seems to be nothing
but a drop in the ocean, it is often that one drop that fills it for
that individual you are helping." A simple truth perhaps, but one that
continues to inspire Mpanya. (963 words)

(Edited from the original feature by Callie Long, communications
officer, ACT International Coordinating Office. The LWF is a founding
member of ACT, the Geneva-based global alliance of churches and their
related agencies responding to emergencies worldwide.)

[The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million of the almost 66
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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