Building
a home in Congo –
From
this point forward, I will be sharing with you the journey, in particular the stories of five women who are participating in
this project.
The
average price for a well-built, mud-brick house in Aru, DRC is about $1,000.
Not bad, right? There is no running water, but you can reach it easily enough
at a distance. The ways to the well are always filled with neighbors, friends
and family exchanging hardships, prayer and laughter. Together you will fill the
days’ buckets for cooking and washing. There is no electricity, but dinner by candlelight
always sets the mood. Perhaps there is a low-burning lantern in the background
for reading after dinner. The rooms will be small, but you spend most of the day
enjoying the beauty of the village and of course, you are preoccupied with
work, study and running errands in town. Sundays are reserved to rejoice in the
sublimity of la vie (life).
My
final weeks in the DRC were filled with complete happiness and absolute
sadness. I went to Africa expecting to save others. When I left, I knew that
Africa had saved me. Giving back to those who offered me nothing less than life
itself is all I can ever hope to do.
So…after
a handful of flights home to the U.S. contemplating ideas and several late nights enjoying
the red wine I had been deprived of for so long, I moved to the next stage of internet
research, long periods of solitude and way too much time day-dreaming when I
should have been more proactively finding gainful employment. Eventually, I
hammered out a business plan and called it TOTONGA BOMOI which means Build Our Future in Lingala. Today (a year
later) BOMOI BAGS is in full-swing!
Mission Statement
CONNECT ¨ SERVE
¨
INSPIRE
Connect women in the United States and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Enable Congolese women to serve and
provide for their families and communities.
Be inspired to make a difference in the
lives of women across the world.
Most
importantly – I will tell you how you can purchase BOMOI BAGS!
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