Espoir Goma for Girls Update

As a reminder, Espoir Goma for Girls is one of the organizations that we in Peace Corps Friends of DR Congo support, thanks to your generous donations.

Connie went over to DRC for the first time in 1988 with the Canadian Baptist Overseas Mission Board. As she lives in/near Goma, we had asked her for an on-the-ground view of what is happening in her region near Boma.  Her email is below.

"To give you an idea about Ebola, we were at a wedding yesterday here in Goma. Lots of hugging and kissing, no social distancing, just washing hands when we came in (more related to the meal than Ebola) and generally business as usual. No one taking temperatures.  We are very thankful that Goma has been essentially spared. The epicentre is still the area surrounding Bunia and points west and north in Ituri Province. 

Banks are still closed, so people go over to Gisenyi to get money. There are no new Congolese francs, so the ones circulating are filthy and falling apart. 

The fact that funding by USAID has disappeared meant that most NGOs had to cut their staff, so those solid salaries have disappeared. I worked with Tearfund for two years and they have now lost 75% of their funding. So, money has dried up all over the place and people are struggling to eat, let alone keep their kids in school and pay for whatever else comes up in life, like health care. 

Back to Ebola, the fact that the spread is west into areas such as Kisangani is worrying. These folks have not had the training that those in Ituri and North Kivu have had, in previous outbreaks. I was working with Medair during the last outbreak and our medical specialists emphasized that there is no room for half measures. PPE must be worn properly, messaging must be clear and so on. 

Yes, we are still active with Espoir Goma. Our youngest daughter was at Lac Vert Thursday and distributed 70 menstrual hygiene kits through a local NGO which trains unemployed women in income generating skills. I will attach a few photos. We continue to rely on gifts to support our work, so if you ever decided to help us again it would be most welcome. 

Reach out anytime with any questions you think of. Despite all this, the DRC is still a wonderful place, full of dynamic people with hopes and dreams. I am privileged to live my life here. "

Slide show of three photos.

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