march 1
so it's been a while, just wanted to check in....life here is beautiful,
grounded, home and still constantly new. all those struggles getting
here, and now i don't want to leave.
working with these women continues to be an entire life of itself: births
and deaths, sickness and true healing, new arrivals and going home, and
being together at every different hour of the day: all those early
morning chores, heat-of-the-day lessons, rainy afternoons stuck in the
church singing songs, social hour evenings, and worship at sunset. I've
started a new project to take down the each of their stories: just
interviews and photos. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with them yet,
but, for so many reasons, it just seems important that they be recorded.
Maybe that will finally be a use for my blog.
But just one.. this girl is seventeen, quiet now, but with teh most beautiful
voice. When her village was attacked, she was abducted by the Mai Mai,
raped and beaten. Apparently angry at her for crying, they tore out her eyes
and left her on the road. People from her village found her and tried to bring
her with them as they fled into the forest but she was unable to keep up, so
they abandoned her again. Eventually she was found and taken to one of the
docs counselors out at a rural clinic. From there, she was brought into the
hospital but there is nothing that can be done for her eyesight and she is also
almost deaf, from injuries to the head that got infected.
She has no idea whether any of her family survived and has been terrified to
leave docs, not knowing where she can go. but lyn, through the network of
services and people she works with here, has found a hotel owner who will pay
her to do basic kitchen chores and a room in a widow cooperative where she
can live; there are kids there that can bring her too and from work. Its so much
more than any other hospital would do for a patient and yet I still dread the day
when she'll leave this community of women who are all healing each other to
live on her own. I'm selfish, but i hate to have them leave; though the actual
goodbyes are always uplifting, with the whole tribe out singing and celebrating,
a mix of being happy for the woman who is leaving and, i think, the hope that it
brings them for themselves.
the goma student fund project is coming along beautifully. my connections with people
and places from my last visit haave helped me immeasurably and every step
just seems to be falling into place. feels charmed, or meant to be. more
on that soon.
politically, we had a little scare when the RCD (rwandan party that used
to occupy this area) pulled out of the transitional government. almost
comical to have jo aka. my dad, head of docs, senator, just a general
congolese "big vegetable," called away from dinner because one of the two
govenors of a town was using his personal army to defend an arms cash
from the other govenor. everyone is in duplicate here, as the organizing
theme of this transitional period is to let the past lie, invited
everyone to take part in writing the constitiution, and not oust anyone,
even as a new system is set up in its place. a UN presence combined with
a figurehead leader so far are managing to keep everyone in line, with
the hopes of having the second congolese democratic election (the first
being in 1960, with independence.) a new friend here is looking for the
funds to start a civil education program to prepare the community for
elections but where do you start when so many people can't read, most of
the country is inaccessible by road (there are fewer roads now than there
were in 1960), and there are over 200 political parties, all oriented
locally or tribally. but this guy is amazing and if he does manage to
put together a project, i've offered him the gsf school in the evenings
to hold his classes. its amazing the gravity of an open physical space
for events, trainings, programs, possibilities. (course, all the sfers
already know this: see fp, hol, the roadhouse..)