HALFWAY DONE
So, I came to the Congo to close down a project. This is not an easy place to work, as relief aid has inspired some behaviors in the local population that makes them the victims, entitled to handouts. This goes further in that if you make a contract with them, they don’t feel obliged to live up to their end of the bargain. That, at least, is what I found in Bunia amongst the various ethnicities present. It seems a little different here in Bukavu, where the predominant ethnicity is Lache. But the people in the office are very good at hiding and avoiding certain procedures or responsibilities. They are quite personable. It reminds of a time in Guatemala, when someone asked me about my secretary and her performance on the job. I said she was a nice person. He asked again, emphasizing her capability as a secretary, and all I could respond was, “She’s a nice person.” For example, I (an American) would correct her (a Guatemalan) Spanish grammar. But she was a nice person, really.

Getting back to this project, it goes against all my development principles, mostly because nobody has thought beyond the handout phase. “Development” is an ongoing process that is never finished, and not a goal in itself. It’s about learning, reflecting, adapting, experiencing, and repeating the process using the newly gained learning. Here, the staff say that an “impact” has been achieved when a market has been finished. Personally, I define “impact” as a sustainable change in behaviors and / or systems. The presence of a market does not guarantee that people will use it or benefit from it. Infrastructure on its own does not move.

But an amusing aspect of this project was that I have NEVER seen or touched as much money as I have in these few weeks. I inherited the little wooden desk with over $63,000 in cash in the drawer. On some days, I disbursed over $10,000. Oh well, just a tool in the administration, that’s what I am. But I guess I am good at it because the director asked me to oversee another project, this time in Kindu, and if I was already thinking of extending my time here.

I really miss my wife. I’m heading home (Antalaha, Madagascar) at the start of May, as agreed. Back to the waste left behind by Cyclone Gafilo, which hit Antalaha with gusts over 260 Km/hr on March 7, just a week after I left.