Make a Difference
Around the globe, in Goma, DR Congo, the people of North and South Kivu are living with daily insecurity. It has been well documented that women's bodies continue to bear a huge part of the cost of the ongoing war in Congo. Dr. Stephen Lewis recently spoke at the VDay event in New Orleans about the situation and its impact on women.
I'm in Los Angeles at the moment, in a beautiful peaceful setting. Here in the USA, we consider $4 for a gallon of gasoline to be intolerable. It costs around $8 a gallon in Goma. It's hard to be precise because much is sold in liter bottles and poured into your tank from yellow jerry cans, one liter at the time. There are some gas stations, but if the electricity is off, they can't pump gas. Food costs are rising in Goma as well. And fistula patients still come in by car, by bus, or by plane to be repaired at HEAL Africa. Then they have to return. Not only fistula patients, but also war wounded, and children with congenital malformations. The good news is that there is medical help available for them at HEAL Africa. The bad news is that the money is running out to keep providing care.
It's hard to believe how fragmented life is in this world. It's also amazing that people in Goma can read the websites we have at our fingertips. There are vast differences, and there are fewer than there used to be. We are much more closely linked than we realize.
What can one person do to make a difference?
You could spend $10 on a bed net (and installation) for a family that will protect the children from malaria in a room for a year. You could donate $350 to cover the surgical costs for a woman's fistula repair. You can pay $250 to repair one child's cleft palate or clubfoot. You could contribute to programs that build, run, and staff a safe house in a village, where women can gather, spend the night in safety, or come and learn new skills. Your contribution can train someone in counseling skills or to become a medical nurse or doctor in Congo, plant a nursery to re-forest stripped hills, teach a woman to grow vegetables in addition to corn. Or, you could have a nice meal in a restaurant...
What will you do?
Judy Anderson, Executive Director, HEAL Africa USA