The travel of compassion

by Walumpumpu Mwema (Kenya)

I didn't expect to find Congo Democratic Rep

When I finished my undergraduate program, I had traveled with family members to my very rural native village in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The village was called Shabunda. I went there to examine and understand the conditions of my family’s life. It’s a village over three hundred and fifty square kilometers with no road. Living conditions were difficult because there was no water, electricity, the mobile network. In short, women should wake up very early in the morning to draw water, write letters to communicate with those in town and use the lights for lighting at night. For two weeks, my living conditions were the same as those of villagers. To wash we would have to go to the river, we ate only at night not because of poverty but by the fact that women should be in the fields. All the women in the village brought food to a place where all the men in the village gathered because the men ate together, as did the women and children. During the day it was boring because everyone should go to the fields, fishing or hunting wild animals but the evenings were quite fun. The fact that we didn't have telephones, we paid more attention to others Each evening we discussed serious matters; we were talking about society, looking for a common ground in case of difference; village problems and others. Regarding studies, the village did not have a university, secondary and primary school to be bartered, in addition it is the students who should cultivate the teachers' fields and build their houses in terms of reimbursement of school fees. The women got married from the age of 14 after agreement between the two families. The divorce rate was too low due to the fact that culture does not allow it but also women's rights are not considered. The trip had some special moments, like visiting a school in another village. The children were very friendly and also happy to see me. I sat on the floor in the classroom. There were no chairs and tables. The children sang a few songs and then their teacher told me about the education system there. The teacher was very intelligent and qualified. He showed me how he teaches kids math. She later told me that she was embarrassed and thought that her job was not meaningful. She admired the village school teacher who had sacrificed a lot to support education in the village. The children at the school were lively and cheerful. Our group played with them for a long time. The following days, we went to a few villagers. What had impressed me during these trips was that we should walk 45km a day and wherever we slept we were given food and we were accommodated for free. After a while my skin had completely changed due to the itching and some insects and finally I had malaria which had complicated everything because the hospitals had deficiencies in drugs. Right after my health was restored I decided to go back to town to join my family and to find the means of transport we would have to walk 90km on foot. It was a beautiful village in a good environment. People make a living from hunting, fishing and farming. The villager is suffering from the fact that they do not have access to drinking water, medical care, infrastructure and electricity. In addition to all these problems, there is also the case of insecurity because the rebels often attack these villages, steal their property and rape women. I had carried these villages to my heart and wished that others would have come to discover how these villagers count each gift with joy.