Jungle pygmies and a Congolese baby named Howard…

We have spent the last 2 days venturing deep into the jungles of Congo (west not east so away from the Ugandan rebels you'll be pleased to hear) to visit the pygmy populations that live in small settlements far away from the main towns and cities. These pygmies are the indigenous people of Congo. They traditionally live in small tents made from palm leaves and cook over small fires out in the open. They are nomadic people that rely on the land for everything they need - even using roots and plants instead of medication for treating illness. The amazing thing about them is how small they are. Even the tallest men in the village only come up to my shoulders and the women and children are much smaller than that. It's the first time that I have ever felt like a giant. Visiting them and their villages felt something like stepping into the Shire and visiting the hobbits from Lord of the Rings - an absolutely incredible experience. As they have moves closer to towns over recent years, the team that I am working with here and other partner organisations have been working with them to build mud huts from them to live in instead of their palm leaf tents and also bring them basic items such as salt, soap and clothes. 

I was very happy to spend some of my own money on these items as a gift for allowing me to visit their village and I also took some clothes for the children - many of whom were running around naked and also some clothes for the men. For those of you that didn't know, I lost my father very suddenly last year. Words cannot possibly explain what that felt like or what the last few months have been like for me and my family but when it came to sorting through Dad's clothes, my sister Jo decided that we really wanted to give all his cold weather gear to the homeless in the UK and his summer clothes should come with me to Africa to be given to those in need here. There was something so apt about giving my dad's clothes to a group of people who are so at one with nature, who do not conform to normality but who are happy being surrounded by nature, covered in mud, scruffy hair and rotten teeth. There was something about these people that reminded my so much of my dad and I'm glad I found the right people to donate his clothes to. 

On the way back from the pygmies we stopped off an orphanage and a clinic far from Beni. There were 10 children and 3 staff members living in a 2 bedroom orphanage in just 5 beds, none of which had mosquito nets. They had almost no food left so off we went to the market again although market is not the best description for the half a dozen scrappy looking wooden huts that were selling what food they had in the town. I bought all the rice I could get my hands on and some beans and bananas to take back to the orphanage and promised them mosquito nets when they arrive from Nairobi.

At the clinic there were 3 women who had recently given birth in what could only be described as wooden shacks and I was asked to give them each a name. As I was busy doing that I suddenly saw a heavily pregnant woman run past into the shack next to me, heard a huge moan, the cry of a baby and the next moment she walked out carrying her newborn baby - absolutely crazy. No medications, no midwife just the woman and a man with a mop and bucket. This is having babies African style. I was told that her baby needed a name too so as he was a boy I gave him the best name I could think of… Howard, after my dad.

Working 9 to 5... Congo style!

It has been a busy few days in Beni. The team that I am working with here, REACH Italia, have a full itinerary for me to visit as many orphanages, schools and clinics as I can before I leave for Bunia on Monday. It turns out that there are 4 orphanages in Beni that have between 16 - 28 children each, some as young as 4 month old babies up to 16 year olds. There are also lots of schools and clinics that support these orphans and other vulnerable children.

On Wednesday after writing my last update we spent the afternoon visiting 2 of these orphanages and a few different schools and clinics. One of the orphanages is one that my friend Kathryn from America has visited before which is run by an incredible woman called Mamma Noella and the other is run by a sister from the catholic church. The 2 orphanages are very different. The one supported by the church has mosquito nets, the children are well dressed and seem happy and healthy. They have lots of beds in a big, clean building and there is a clinic on site. Most of the funds for this orphanage come from a catholic church. It was lovely to get the chance to visit this orphanage as the children were so happy and they all ran at me and jumped all over me which was a nice change as many of the children in the Congo (as well as the adults) don't seem to know what to make of me and even when I say "Jambo" to them and smile they just stare at me or worse, they run away! 

The other orphanage was very different. It currently has 18 children sleeping in a house with only 7 beds. No bed nets, very little food and some of the chidden are clearly not in the best health - the youngest seem dazed, unhappy and just sit very quietly. Maybe they were just scared of me too! One of the little girls has a medical condition that prevents her from being able to stand although she is able to sit by herself. This was very distressing to see and I asked if she had been seen at the clinic and was told that she had but that she needed to go to the hospital but that cost money which they don't have. Mamma Noella is doing incredible work here with very little funding although these children clearly need as much help as we can provide.

So the next day we spent the morning in the market. I spent over $120 on 100kg of cassava for them to make bread, 30kg of rice, 20kg of beans, 10 litres of cooking oil, 3 tins of milk powder for the babies and about 100 bananas as well as some soap for washing. On the way to deliver this to Mamma Noella we visited 2 other orphanages. One is run by another amazing woman called Mamma Monique who looks after 26 children. 14 young children that live in her house and 12 older children that live in a house next door. Her children seemed happy and healthy although the bedrooms were all in a terrible state - 2 or 3 children to a bed and all needing new mattresses and mosquito nets. The other orphanage run by an old man called Siwako and his wife Margaret is similar in that there are often 2, 3 or even 4 children sharing a bed, many don't have mosquito nets and some children even sleep on blankets on the floor. Luckily I have over 100 nets coming from Nairobi soon so I can give some to each of the orphanages and I'm trying to find a way to get cheaper mattresses as I was quoted $25 per mattress at the market this morning which is crazy as they are literally a 2 inch strip of foam covered in a thin cloth.

After visiting all these places came the fun part and around 4pm we went back to Mamma Noella's place and delivered the food supplies. I also gave her some mosquito nets so the children wouldn't catch malaria when they are sleeping and I gave them some of the clothes, shoes and toys that had been donated in the UK. This was definitely the best part of my trip so far. Seeing her face and the faces of the children when we gave them all these basic items was absolutely incredible and the reason why I put this project together in the first place. I also gave her and an older girl some head scarves and jewellery and she was so grateful. She just kept saying thank you, thank you, thank you and that I was a gift from God. Such an amazing day. The best part for me may have been giving the children the teddy bears and other cuddly toys that people donated as they were so excited by them and they just kept cuddling them! Normally it wouldn't be worth the cost to bring them as excess baggage but I took bigger boxes that were already at maximum weight with school supplies and filled them to the brim with stuffed toys. I'm so glad I had that idea now!

After Mamma Noella's we went back to Mamma Monique's and gave them some food and clothes too which was great. The children were so happy with their new T-shirts and shorts etc. Finally we went to the pharmacy and I spent $100 on medication for a clinic that had some children who were ill with malaria but couldn't afford treatment. Although this wasn't part of the original plan to help orphans I just couldn't stand by and watch these children suffer so I paid for this from my personal contribution. 

Today we spent the day in a town called Oicha which was home to thousands of refugees from Bunia during the war in 2002 - 2006 and now has a group of Ugandan rebel soldiers living in the jungles nearby. Conflict in the area has left many people dead and there are now more than 400 orphans in the town. REACH Italia work with a local group here that support these orphans and widows of the war and I arrived to find at least 300, maybe more women and children in a huge church who sang for me as I walked up the isle to the front - an utterly amazing and incredibly emotional experience.

Most of the orphans live with and are supported by grandparents or other family members. There is 1 orphanage in the town that looks after the babies until they can be placed with family members. There were 5 babies living there when we visited today, looked after by Mamma Saambili but without any money she had very little food and almost no milk formula for the babies. So off we went to the market again where I gave her some money to buy basic items such as maize, beans, rice, oil, sugar and fish and I spent $60 off my personal money on 6 tins of baby formula. It is so difficult to only buy this much and know that before long they will need more but I'm also aware that there are many other orphans that need helping right now.

All in all it's been an incredibly busy few days in Beni - generally we're on the road at 9am and rarely back before 5pm but it has been well worth it to finally get to deliver supplies to the orphanages and deliver medication to sick children. It's so nice to have finally settled in and get into a bit of a routine for the work I'm doing here. Everyone is so lovely I've already forgotten that this is supposed to be one of the most dangerous places in Africa until I see a big UN tank drive past and then I remember! I have my own driver, Joseph, who drives me everywhere (while listening to the best music collection ever including his 'Best of Celine Dion' CD!! I make him come and eat dinner with me which I share with him along with a beer as it feels weird to eat and drink alone while he waits in the truck, plus it is a good excuse for me to practice my french. During the day I also have a translator that comes everywhere with me called Elvis and I always share my breakfast with him in the morning and some biscuits at lunch time otherwise he doesn't eat all day.

Well that's about it for my little adventure so far. I'm exhausted both physically and emotionally but I am safe and happy and really enjoying what we are achieving here. Here is a photo of the twin babies at Mamma Saambili's orphanage that I bought the milk for...

... Hello Congo!

So after a crazy 3 days of travelling I finally made it to the Congo yesterday! I'm so happy to have actually made it this far and even more happy to report that all 12 of my boxes made the journey too!

On Sunday I had a lovely flight on BA to Entebbe - got upgraded to first class and spent the day sipping champagne in what was effectively a big bed! But then on Monday we had a nightmare day travelling to the DRC border because of various problems with the pick up truck (puncture, brakes and then the exhaust fell off) and multiple police road blocks (including being interrogated about my trip and supplies) so didn't make the border by 6pm when it closed so I had to stay in a random village overnight (not the best night sleep I've ever had!). Luckily I was fine and met Kakule and some of his friends at the border the next morning and they got me through ok. I got stopped by the DGM and had to pay $50 to get all the boxes through but was relieved they didn't ask for more.

From the border it was a bumpy 2 hour drive over unpaved roads through some of the most beautiful mountains & jungles I've ever seen. We made it to Beni where Kakule lives early afternoon and he took me straight to a hospital and a church where they support 50 local children with Aids & HIV. I was not exactly ready for this having spent the last 3 days travelling so was a bit shocked. In the end I gave them each something from by box of little toys and a $20 donation to the church.

After that they showed me where I will be staying which is in a room in a secure complex (armed guard at the gate) in the same building as their offices. I'm mostly happy staying there although I have to admit that I freaked out a bit last night when I heard a lot of chanting outside and couldn't turn on the light because the electricity had stopped working so I just sat there with my torch on wondering what the hell was going on thinking that maybe a rebel group had come in the dead of night! They told me this morning that it was people singing and praying!

Last night we went out for dinner at a restaurant in Beni which was nice and has good food (Beef & chips) cooked by a lovely Congolese woman. You don't order - you just get the dish of the day. This morning I was taken for breakfast at another place and had tea, toast & jam, fruit and an omelette and then went to the shop to buy water, coke and biscuits for lunch so I think I will be ok food-wise!

Today we have come to the UN offices to meet them and use their internet which is good. We talked to the head guy about safety and security and he says that Beni is safe, so is Bunia and Goma and the places in between which is good. He told us a couple of places that aren't safe at the moment but we won't be going anywhere near there. 

This afternoon and the next few days we will travel around meeting children at schools and clinics etc as Beni doesn't have an orphanage. The locals all seem nice but mostly they just stare and call me Muzungo (white person!). The guys I'm working with are great though and are really looking after me which is good.

So it's been an adventure so far but I think the worst part is over. I'm just so happy to be here and be able to start meeting the orphans and helping them as best I can.

Goodbye England...

Well the big day has finally arrived and I'm off to the Congo! I'm currently sat in the BA departure lounge at Terminal 5 after a crazy morning loading all the boxes into the van, driving to Heathrow and then begging BA to take them all without charging me any more money! Luckily I got the nicest woman on the check in desk and even though almost all my bags were overweight she didn't charge me a penny more!

Now it's time for me to board the flight so here are a few photos to keep you entertained until I arrive in DRC in a couple of days time. Fingers crossed my full day driving through Uganda tomorrow is enjoyable but relatively uneventful!

Will send more updates soon! :-)

I'm going to the Congo tomorrow!

Apologies for the lack of blogging over the last couple of days but I've been so busy getting all the final preparations sorted for my trip to the Congo - mostly packing up all 12 boxes of supplies - as well as spending as much time as I could seeing family and friends before I left that I just haven't had time to write.

So it's now 11.30pm and I've finally finished packing! I'm so exhausted I can't wait to go to sleep because I need to be up at 7am to load the van and hit the road. My mum and sis are kindly driving me to Heathrow where my flight to Entebbe leaves at midday.

I can't believe I'm actually going to the Congo tomorrow! I think my brain has sort of blocked it out to keep me from totally freaking out. At the moment I'm about 90% excited and 10% the most scared I have ever been but that fear is the buzz of adventure and I absolutely love it! :-)

Thanks again for all the support and for all the messages wishing me well on the project and a safe return home. I'll be in touch as much as I can while I'm out there so you can all see the massive difference that your donations have made to the orphans in DRC.

See you all in a few weeks xx

The fundraising is over... THANK YOU for all your donations!

The fundraising is finally over and I am absolutely over the moon to announce that I have exceeded my original target by a whopping £350 giving Mission Congo a grand total of £3,350!

I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to the Mission Congo project. Everyone keeps telling me how well I've done but it is all down to the generosity of the 84 people who kindly donated some hard earned pennies to a good cause. I promise to put all that money to good use!

I would also like to say thank you to those people who have donated clothes, shoes and toys for the little ones, jewellery and scarves for the ladies, ties and caps for the men, digital cameras and even a laptop (thanks Sis!).

I also need to say thank you to the companies that have very kindly donated school exercise books, pencils, crayons and bed nets as well as Durbin House who have arranged for me to receive thousands of pounds of medical supplies at about 10% of the normal cost.

I have so many supplies to take that I had to call BA today to increase my baggage allowance as I now have 12 boxes to take!

Only 3 sleeps to go. So excited now! :-)

Bed nets, jewellery and space-ship style medicine boxes!

After a successful day in Bristol where I not only managed to pick up the digital cameras and print off all the photos of sponsors but also get a magical injection in my hip which has taken away the pain that I've been in for the last 2 years (woo hoo!), I arrived back from Oxford to even more deliveries including;

A stash of 30 bed nets (to keep me going until the main box of 100 arrive in Goma from Nairobi):

A large donation of jewellery for the women in DRC from one of my sister's work colleagues (thanks Christine!):

as well as a selection of items from Amazon including, most importantly, a French pocket dictionary!

I also went through all the boxes of school books and medical supplies that arrived yesterday only to find that one of them resembled something like a strange box-shaped space-ship. Once I'd opened the outer metallic shell, I found an inner lair with another metallic box in the centre which was surrounded by ice packs.

According to the instructions, this internal box needs to remain in the fridge until the morning of my departure when it can be re-packed and surrounded by the ice packs which will keep the medicines cold for 96 hours while I travel to London, fly to Entebbe, drive to the DRC border and then travel to Beni. Fingers crossed we don't get any hold ups on the way!

You know that expression "There is nothing in my freezer but ice and vodka"? Well there is nothing in my fridge but medical supplies! :-)