My field office in Kinshasa

Today has been a hot and sweaty day in Kinshasa. The sun has burnt the dry dirt and the rain that fell yesterday has vanished into thin air. We dedicated the morning to discussions about the possibilities of starting a solar cell import firm. The business would also import all the accessories needed for solar power production. Tuto has hands-on experiences of setting up solar installations, and he has some well-developed ideas of how to organize a sales organization. We juggled ideas and I think the mix of our experiences will lead to something fruitful. Tuto is delighted with the product we have found. It is very simple and has a reasonable price. During two evenings, I have used one of the sample lamps we brought and it provided a very good task lighting. Tonight there was a power failure, and we took our supper in the light of a solar cell lamp. When Julienne arrived around nine o´clock, she claimed that our household was the only one in this part of town that still had lights.

The afternoon was spent doing desk work. Yapeco and Tuto went to town and brought back some roasted peanuts and bananas for snacks. We still have a lot of calculations to do, to make it all more down-to-earth. We plan to cover the Kinshasa and Bas-Congo area. Yapeco will work with the western part. Tomorrow we will continue developing the plans.

Today, Emma has been doing the cooking. We had tea and baguettes for breakfast, potatoes, maniok, meat and vegetables for dinner and pineapple for dessert. In the evening we had porridge with powdered milk and baguettes. All the food is prepared on a small stove resembling a pot out on the terrace. The saucepan is standing directly on the charcoal. Water is fetched in buckets from a well in the yard. The lodger cousin assisted Emma in the kitchen. Even though Emma obtained her law degree last autumn at one of the universities in Kinshasa, she can´t find a job.

Swedish Embassy

This time we had a special feeling about going to Congo, partly because we are more familiar to the Congolese circumstances, partly because of January being a record fundraising month. To take part in turning loans and donations to practical entrepreneurship – that feels great. But we also feel a great responsibility handling the money of others. We started the day with porridge and eggs. To the porridge we had a mixture of powdered milk and water. As a matter of fact, it tasted just fine. We went to the Swedish Embassy for a meeting at 9.30 with the ambassador, Mette Sunnergren. We introduced Matadi Support Group to her with the help of a power point presentation. She shared some of her own experiences with us and we added them to ours. This is the fourth time we visit the Embassy, and it´s starting to feel like home.

Then we visited Marie France, District Superintendent, but also the pastor of one of Kinshasa´s many churches, Bandalungwa. She is also a gifted entrepreneur. She got a business loan to start a café close to her former place of work, the Kiamvu Church in Matadi. Much of the equipment was already procured and she was just about to open when she was ordered to move to Kinshasa. The move made it impossible for her to realize her business plan. Instead she opened a shop where she sells textile fabrics among other things. There are some photos from her place below in the slideshow. She still thinks about starting a café though, and is now looking for a suitable location, a location where a lot of potential customers pass by. She has kept the equipment she had bought for the café in Matadi.

After our educational visit we went to Nzo Binati, where the Swedih Mission Church and Diakonia have moved their offices. We had a chat with Nsimba Andersson, SMC´s representative. We gave him our presentation of MSG. Nzo Binati has been thoroughly renovated since last time. Roof and flooring are brand new, and the walls have got a new coat of paint. It is still a building site – the last parts are being finished right now.

By three o´clock in the afternoon we were back. Emma and Julienne had prepared dinner consisting of chicken, potatoes, rice and vegetables. After dinner, Julienne went to her brother´s home. They were having a vigil over his deceased daughter, and the funeral were going to take place the following day. Julienne would stay there over the night, because of the long distance to home.

We have used the afternoon to discuss business ideas concerning import of solar cells with Tuto and Yapeco. In addition to that, I have done some paperwork. During the evening it started to rain. It´s easy to keep a check on the raining as the tin roof serve both as roof and ceiling. The rain is much longed-for. It hasn´t been raining since the beginning of December here in Bas-Congo. It is a catastrophe when it comes to crops. After the sowing in October, there must be rain if it´s going to be any harvest in February.

Säker transport

I got up at 3.30 in the morning, had a shower and breakfasted on porridge with blackcurrant jam. The last stuff was packed in the second suitcase, and off we went. The temperature was low, -7°C. The first stop was at Bernt´s in Borås, where we arrived at 5.00. Then Hugo, our MSG transport manager, drove us to Landvetter Airport. The airplane took off at 6.55 and by 8.30 we landed in Brussels. To our disappointment, there was no flight meal served. Considering the fact that the flight fare had been reduced with as much as 3 000 SEK compared to last time, we had some understanding for the lack of food. We bought sandwiches and coffee in Brussels, for 234 SEK.

The Congo airplane, an Airbus, finally left Brussels 11.45 am after several delays due to passengers being turned away etcetera. On this flight, there were ample amounts of both refreshments and food. At 5.30 pm, after having covered a distance of 6 500 kilometers, we landed in Douala. At 7.00 pm, the last part of our journey started, and 8.35 pm, we had reached our destination Kinshasa after another 1 130 kilometers. When we had left the plane and got out on the tarmac, we heard a guy calling out our names, Bernt and Yngve. We followed the caller and were referred to the queue for diplomats and official visitors by the passport examination. From there, we went straight through customs check. Outside the arrival hall, Yapeco and José, the chauffeur of the police commissioner were waiting.

We rode police car to Nzo Binati where we met Tuto. He brought us to his house, where we will be staying until Sunday. It´s a simple house, but it is full of human warmth. The temperature that we measure in degrees is also high, but not extreme. It´s like a hot summer day in Sweden. Tuto lives here with his sister Emma and her son Merje who is 5 years old. A young cousin lives here as well. Because she wanted to stay in the school she had been attending, she moved in with her cousins when her family moved away. Julienne, Tuto and Emmas mother, has come from Nsanda due to the death of a niece and is also staying here. Bernt and I have a room of our own with a double bed. The windows are open, but we have a huge mosquito net to wrap around us. After supper, consisting of omelet, tea, coffee and sandwiches we went to bed by midnight.

The January 11 Group

Early in December, Bernt and I booked our fourth trip to Congo. We planned to depart on January 30. The time of departure were to coincide with the first harvest in Nsanda. One of our tasks in Congo this time will be to disburse loans to the January 11 group. The group has been waiting a year for their loans due to the priority of another project. We reckon that the sum of the loans for this group will be somewhere around 250 000 SEK. But the final sum of the loans won´t be confirmed until we have completed the training, gone through their cost estimates and had personal consultations with every one.

Early in January, the balance on our accounts in Congo and Sweden was about 85 000 SEK. We needed to bring in 165 000 SEK to be able to carry out our plans for the February visit to Congo. When we checked the accounts again on January 28, the balance had increased to 263 100 SEK. We board members are very grateful to our sponsors and to the trust and appreciation you show through your generous loans and donations. Never before have we received this much money in a single month. In many respects, it is the supply of money that governs our business. The loans to our entrepreneurs are a fundamental part of the three tools we work with – education, business loans and follow-ups.

No rain in Bas-Congo

Julienne Nyambudi

We came back to Nsanda Friday  January 20, and today we are in the fields to check farms. Peanuts and soy are wilted. It is a bit better with manioc, it can do if it rains soon. Everything is dry. It has not rained since the end of November. The situation is difficult for us. We find it hopeless. Welcome to the Congo!

Julienne Kukangisa

The October 10 Group

Year 2011 is now added to the history and I will do a brief summary of the past year. On January 8, Bernt and I travelled to the Congo for two weeks. In Kinshasa, we visited the Swedish Embassy. We then proceeded to Kimpese, stayed over at IME’s guest house and had some meetings with Emy Miantezila. Most of the time we were in Matadi. We followed up the training of the “October 10 Group” and wrote out all the documents for the loans which were then paid out on February 18. Total loan amount was 27 350 U.S. dollars. The instalment of these loans began on July 30 and broadly follows the plan that had been made.

The January 11 Group

For three days we trained a new group of ten entrepreneurs, called the “January 11 Group”, during two days of joint review and a day for individual talks. Their activities are various food production as growing grain, vegetables, poultry farm, pig farming, sewing clothing, car service and shops.They seek together loans of 51,000 U.S. dollars, we hope to be able to grant them 36,000 U.S. dollars. We have not managed to get together the money yet. We are looking for sponsors to lend or give us money so we can fulfil our mission.

The Nsanda Group

On June 3, Bernt and I went back for three weeks to the Congo. The first week we stayed in Kinshasa and worked with the training of twelve Congolese who want to work with the agricultural project Nsanda, many are graduates and nearly all have work in Kinshasa so we had to use Saturday and Sunday for training. Nsanda has become a collective project that we call the Nsanda Group. At our disposal, we have 315 hectares of land. The loan to the Nsanda Group was 16,550 U.S. dollars and was paid in connection with our journey. The first instalment takes place after the first harvest in February, 2012. We visited the Swedish Embassy and showed a Power Point presentation and reported on our activities. We also visited some friends in Kinshasa.

We have many exciting projects coming up: training new groups of entrepreneurs, develop family farms, start training for entrepreneurs in a gymnasium in Matadi, start production of wood stoves, start an import firm for solar cells that can generate power for lighting, cell phones, computers and TV.

On January 30 we will make our next trip to the Congo.

Do you support us in our work? Every dollar we receive goes to our projects. All development of our projects is based on that we can find people and businesses who want to support us.

We are also looking for volunteers to our various projects. Contact us for more information. We need help with both large and small projects.

If your company, club or circle of friends would like a visit from us, we would be happy to talk about what we are doing in Congo.

Now, we wish you all a Happy New Year with many exciting challenges.

For more information about our projects, please read our blogs and the other pages on our web site.

Samuel Nkailu

Following the ceremony as we celebrate the birth of Christ and the new year 2012 we wish from the Christian aid group, abbreviated GCSL, chairman Julienne Matila and myself to the Management Committee and to all members and sympathizers in Matadi Support Group, abbreviated MSG, best wishes of happiness, success, health and success in all the projects you will tackle in the year 2012, looming on the horizon.

We remain all speechless with gratitude for all the good deeds that GCSL is subject to on your part. We continue to praise the Lord God that he bless you abundantly also the coming year for you to achieve the goals he inspires you to.

Your participation in the realization of the Youth House in Matadi “Carrefour socioculturell”, where the power remains progressive is a source of blessing for the people of Matadi and the youth, who are the recipients of this facility, will remain engraved in our hearts.

For GCSL, this house and work to educate the entrepreneurs who start businesses do together not only GCSL active, but also and especially MSG. It has become an entirely new field of missionary among the Congolese youth. This youth growing up and living in diverse and indescribable socio economic deprivation require this kind of mission that contributes to the development of themselves and thus our country.

Our hottest desire is to see us go side by side and hand in hand until we reach the objectives of people and especially young people who believe in the future, creating new businesses and changes the lives of both our country and globally.

May God bless you all.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2012

For GCSL «Groupe Chrétien de soutien Libre»

General Coordinator
Samuel Nkailu-wa-Basilwa

Julienne Nyambudi

Thanks for all your mail. We are doing well now and the niece of my husband is now released from the hospital here in Luozi, so we had to go home today.

I can not wait to go to our new village Nsanda but we are waiting to see how the political atmosphere is developing until next week. It seems to be unrest here. The elections did not go as we expected. Many waited for a change of the scenery.

Good luck in Herrljunga. We hope that our Swedish friends understand that we want their support to change the living conditions here.

Tomorrow I will meet with the new contractors here in Luozi to share with them the concepts we are working for. After the meeting, I will send a list of the new entrepreneurs.

God’s richest blessings to you all.

Regards from CLEMENT

JULIENNE

Luthelo Muller. He is now working as boss for the bridge over the Congo River

The Elections in Congo became as I thought. Kabila is now the new president. For me, I am in majority. In our town Matadi, we were 170 parliament candidates and I believe to be one the three winners. We will get the result till 20 december.
God bless you too.

Muller Oscar Luthelo

The youth in Congo believes in the future

Thanks for the message, which really makes me see the appreciation and hope, of something that is moving forward and the greatness of my responsibility. Thank you!

We are now waiting for the proclamation of our President. Then we can go and deposit the money at the bank.

Here with us it is very nice weather with a temperature of approximately 29 degrees. It is really nice. My greetings to Jenny and Aron. If all goes well, we can meet in April 2012.

As for the elections, it’s working well here in Matadi with some small problems in two or three polling stations, but overall it looks to be fine. In Kinshasa, as we follow the news on the radio, there has been small outbreaks of unrest and cheating, but in Katanga has burned two Jeeps carrying ballot papers and some ballot boxes and there have been some who have been killed but the number has not been announced, and several have been injured. Tonight at 11pm, if no change occurs in the last minute, the head of the CENI proclaims the result. Then we will find out who will be our president in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We are waiting for you to land here. The entrepreneurs in group 2 ask me in a choir when our payout will take place.

I am confident that you will not miss to bring some dollars for our hotel. Thank you.

May the Almighty bless us abundantly. My dear greetings to all members of the MSG

Thank you! Your Ambassador

YAPECO