Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Leketi, Congo
There are no condoms being sold in this village of 1500 people. Predictably, most of the people are children. Children flocking around the car to stare at the peculiar arrivals in the red car. Children staring at me sleeping in my tent. Children staring at me cooking pancakes and taking a poo. The chief asked me if I knew of an organization who would come to distribute condoms and to teach his villagers about safe sex. He lamented that the young girls were running off with just 'anybody.'
The chief of this village was a very kind man who let us camp on his yard while we waited for our tractor escort to pull a two wheel drive truck up a hill that its completely incompetent driver had managed to jack knife the truck on. We camped in Leketi for two days waiting for the tractor to arrive. We didn't really have a choice since the road would have been impassable alone.
The chief said his hospital had been washed away three years ago by heavy rains. Everyone we spoke to in the village lamented this tragedy. It seems that the government had once been able to open a hospital in this inaccessible and isolated place but that the recent war had made its repair impossible. The hospital would have to stay closed. Villagers would have to travel 100 kilometers to the nearest health center. The children being born were dying as quickly from curable diseases such as malaria. Rural health is simply too large of a goal for the besieged government. In this way, war affects every section of society, even if a battle is not being fought near.
Rural areas could seem safer than urban ones during the worst times of the war. But now after the fighting has finished, Leketi struggles even with basic necessities. Why? Because the road connecting it to the main highway hasn't been repaired in years (and certain two wheel drive vehicles have to be pulled 150 kilometers by a tractor to make it). The disrepair of the road drives the price of basic commodities up due to the cost of shipping. Leketi's only restaurant serves bushmeat caught from the surrounding forests and rotten eggs with sardines.
There are no condoms being sold in this village of 1500 people. Predictably, most of the people are children. Children flocking around the car to stare at the peculiar arrivals in the red car. Children staring at me sleeping in my tent. Children staring at me cooking pancakes and taking a poo. The chief asked me if I knew of an organization who would come to distribute condoms and to teach his villagers about safe sex. He lamented that the young girls were running off with just 'anybody.'
The chief of this village was a very kind man who let us camp on his yard while we waited for our tractor escort to pull a two wheel drive truck up a hill that its completely incompetent driver had managed to jack knife the truck on. We camped in Leketi for two days waiting for the tractor to arrive. We didn't really have a choice since the road would have been impassable alone.
The chief said his hospital had been washed away three years ago by heavy rains. Everyone we spoke to in the village lamented this tragedy. It seems that the government had once been able to open a hospital in this inaccessible and isolated place but that the recent war had made its repair impossible. The hospital would have to stay closed. Villagers would have to travel 100 kilometers to the nearest health center. The children being born were dying as quickly from curable diseases such as malaria. Rural health is simply too large of a goal for the besieged government. In this way, war affects every section of society, even if a battle is not being fought near.
Rural areas could seem safer than urban ones during the worst times of the war. But now after the fighting has finished, Leketi struggles even with basic necessities. Why? Because the road connecting it to the main highway hasn't been repaired in years (and certain two wheel drive vehicles have to be pulled 150 kilometers by a tractor to make it). The disrepair of the road drives the price of basic commodities up due to the cost of shipping. Leketi's only restaurant serves bushmeat caught from the surrounding forests and rotten eggs with sardines.
1 Comments:
Hi Tuuli - So good to hear from you! wow, you certainly have come along way - both physically and spiritually I imagine. I can't wait for the day that I can sit and pick your brain about all that you have seen.
My friend who is in Namibia is leaving today, however my dear friend in Cape Town would be more than happy to host you - I think I have sent you her email, but if you would like it again please email me.
I am wondering - have you heard anything about microbicides? They are very new, and are a female barrier method to preventing HIV and other STI's... very interesting, but of course receiving little funding - 'why prevent when you can treat for a higher cost..." anyway - I am forwarding a link to an article, although I imagine it will be really hard to download... Just wondering what the scoop is on them, and if you have heard anything about their trials... Here is the link: http://www.infoforhealth.org/inforeports/microbicides/microbicides.pdf
Stay safe,
Teresa Gariano
Post a Comment
My friend who is in Namibia is leaving today, however my dear friend in Cape Town would be more than happy to host you - I think I have sent you her email, but if you would like it again please email me.
I am wondering - have you heard anything about microbicides? They are very new, and are a female barrier method to preventing HIV and other STI's... very interesting, but of course receiving little funding - 'why prevent when you can treat for a higher cost..." anyway - I am forwarding a link to an article, although I imagine it will be really hard to download... Just wondering what the scoop is on them, and if you have heard anything about their trials... Here is the link: http://www.infoforhealth.org/inforeports/microbicides/microbicides.pdf
Stay safe,
Teresa Gariano
<< Home