Butoke Update, January 2006
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
We are at
the end of January 2006. January has been so full of important activities in
the communities and with our international partners, that it passed in a wink.
Here in
Kasai, January is a month of continuing harvest and also of preparing and
launching the secondary season. The season of the witches continues with a high
frequency of disease as well as high mortality. The unrest in society in
general and in the schools finds expression in civil servant strikes that were
lifted as a census of civil servants is to take place and teachers strikes that
took off for a third time, in riot police chasing street traders and stealing
their goods followed by crying and shouting, even some reckless counter attacks
and marches.
The ongoing
harvest is especially of peanuts, which were sown in September. Most beans and
other crops have been harvested by now. For our associations it has meant hard
work, a test of their ability to share with equity and in peace, a time of joy
and chanting and dancing, but also a deception of some that what they
considered big fields and big harvests when divided over all the participants
are still quite modest. We are still working on getting the full statistics of
the harvests but the overall impression is one a frank success, especially as
the mixed feelings about overall potential and individual benefit correctly
seem to stimulate people to think of working greater surfaces per person
involved.
The
preparation of the secondary season is fully engaged and many associations are
ready to sow beans and plant cassava. We have received two grants for this
season as well as having had a return of investment in seeds. The first grant
of USD 12500 comes through Help the Aged Canada, the second comes through
Africa Inland Mission and is of $15000 and aims at giving us a head start for
the 2006 main season by creating seed farms now.
We have even more than before strengthened the social dimension of our food
security action by challenging all associations to integrate people over 55 in
their membership as well as include some women in their leadership. Most seem
to accept with good graces , even though especially the inclusion of older
people found a little resistance and will need careful follow-up. We estimate
there are about 100ha of associative fields ready. Sowing will start soon.
Hopes and enthusiasm are high as people want to surpass their performance of
last season.
Almost more
importantly, we have just received a grant which challenges us to make this a
head start season by initiating 25ha of seed farms for beans and multiplication
of ameliorated cassava.We are assured of AIM’s contribution to this and await
ADRA’s response These seed farms will render Butoke independent of the market
for bean seeds and permit the selection of better performing seeds and
therefore of productivity of the fields. The plans of multiplication of
ameliorated cassava has given high hopes as it could permit to introduce a
variety which - where soil fertility exists because of clay, green manure an
mixed culture with beans - gives 5 times the usual harvest. This would be an
enormous improvement even if unfortunately it would only be applicable where
conditions are favourable. A complication is that what we have been offered as cuttings
so far comes from fields infected with mosaic virus. So Jean continues to
explore different sources hoping to locate the best possible source of the best
possible variety. We need your prayers that we succeed.
We continue
to try to save medical emergencies as well as pray we will be enabled to start
meaningful preventive activities (see an overview of our health activities on
the web site of butoke)
Internationally
this month was marked by continuing explorations and negotiations with AIM and
CIDA to obtain a grant from the Innovation Fund that will launch a major food
security project for 2 years. AIM is considering the possibility of extending
the partnership beyond this project as the goal and objectives of Butoke and
AIM seem very similar. We are excited at the prospect and really hope and pray
that the partnership will be fruitful.
We
received an improvised 2 day visit of
the team of ADRA Congo led by Mr Robert Britton. We were able to introduce them
to different Butoke activities: food security, nutrition centre, habitat and
some of the handicapped people. Everywhere activities were in full swing as
they are every day, people working at solving problems. They found associations
in the fields harvesting and participated in the festive mood, chanting and
dancing. We had the evening hours to share impressions and reflections and
dream what all might be possible given the necessary resources. Also Robert
tried to understand why his experience here is so different from his experience
elsewhere in Congo. We feel it is due to the hope we have been able to bring
through consistent faithful action and witness, he thinks Kasai is simply more
hopeful. Who knows? it might be both as we have seen definite changes over
time.
The next
international visit is already announced for end of March by an AIM team led by
Mr John Brown. We are looking forward to it and hope that by that time CIDA
will have decided whether to provide a grant to AIM and Butoke to undertake a
two-year major food security project. But as already mentioned the AIM
partnership can go much further, so we hope and pray.
Whatever
suffering has been lessened or prevented by Butoke sponsored actions are so
many seeds of hope. If we can continue to rekindle hope, there is a promise of
societal healing and that is what we are all working towards. Our ADRA visitors
pointed out that in Congo in their own experience and that of other big
agencies theft and trickeries are common daily experiences. We have had some
but comparatively infrequently and small scale. So maybe we are well on the
way…if we stay faithful and continue to respond to Kasai people’s needs. Thanks
for you support
Cecile,
Jean and Lazare