From the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France to the Central African Republic--World Water Day, March 22, 2012

Returning from the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France to the Central African Republic allowed me to contrast one of the most developed countries in the world with one of the least developed. (The CAR ranks ninth from the bottom of the list in the U.N.'s Human Development Index.)

 

How do I explain the CAR to people in France? The CAR is a place where everyone is a subsistence farmer in order to eat. Even people with salaried jobs are subsistence farmers because you never know if your salary will actually arrive at the end of the month. How do I explain France to people in the CAR who make less than a dollar a day, which usually has to go for school fees or meager health care?

 

Although the World Water Forum focused on the developing world, there seemed to be little interest in places like the CAR. It would be a slight misrepresentation to say that the conference was all about aid agencies and commercial companies in the developed world selling their assistance and products to the developing world. But that was clearly the focus of many. There were, however, others hidden in the corners that were interested in the poorest of the poor.

 

A major discussion at the Forum was whether water and other services should be provided at cost or at a subsidized price for the poor. The fiscal conservatives argue that subsidizing the price is not sustainable. They are probably correct, but in CAR, my project (PASE) has a difficult time convincing people of the benefits of drinking potable water. If people had to pay for potable water, only the elite in the village would consume it. I have been places where there is not a single latrine in the entire village. It is not a question of money; rather it is the difficulty of changing people's habits and behavior.

 

I don't want to sound depressing. There were many good things about the Forum. I met Kamal Kar, who started the concept of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) or http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/  I met a couple of old friends, including Michael Campana who has a blog entitled WaterWired or http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/  I met a new friend, David Zetland, who has a blog entitled Aguanomics or http://www.aguanomics.com/  I found a great resource in French about water in developing countries http://wikiwater.fr  and I discovered a couple of NGOs that are teaching manual drilling in Africa [EnterpriseWorks/VITA or http://www.enterpriseworks.org/ and and Practica Foundation or http://www.practica.org/  Lastly, I meet a number of people actively involved in fighting cholera, which has appeared in the CAR.

 

On this World Water Day 2012, it's good to remember that at least some people care about providing safe water to the and sanitation to those in places like CAR. If you're reading this blog, you're probably one of them. Thank you, for helping us reach those in greatest need!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Photo: Sign in Marseille, France announcing the 6th World Water Forum and stating that "140 countries are mobilizing for water solutions."

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

 

Maternal and Infant Health Care a Priority for Lutherans in the Central African Republic

Today, March 8, 2012 is International Women's Day–a good time to reflect on the needs of maternal and infant health care throughout the world. Maternal health is one of the most pressing issues in developing countries, where millions of women lack basic health care for themselves and their children.

 

Here in the Central African Republic, nearly 25 percent of children under five are acutely or severely malnourished, according to the UN Children's fund. One out of five children born in this country will not live to see their fifth birthday. The CAR has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 1,355 deaths per 100,000 live births. Women usually give birth at home in unsanitary conditions, with the help of family members or local birth attendants with little or no formal training. If there are any complications, the mother or child, or both, often die.

 

A bright spot in this sad picture is the Emmanuel Health Center, where a team of health-workers provide pre- and post-natal care, safe deliveries, and pediatric care, including treatment of malnourished infants and children. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR runs two such clinics: Emmanuel Health Center in Gallo in western CAR, and the Maternal and Infant Health Clinic in Bohong in northwestern CAR. The church also sponsors a community health program which sends health workers into villages to give vaccines, and provide pre-natal counseling and follow-up care for newborns and their mothers.

 

If you want to help, contact Rev. Twila Schock, Director for Global Mission Support, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631, Telephone: 773.380.2641, FAX: 773.380.2410, Twila.Schock@elca.org.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Photo: Mother and child at the Emmanuel Health Center in Gallo, CAR. The infant is being treated for severe malnutrition. He is nine months old, but weighs as much as a typical 2 to 3 month old.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

International Women’s Day Celebrated in Central African Republic

The Women's Synod of the Lutheran Church (EELRCA) hears about maternal health, malaria prevention, and the rights of women and children

 

The Women for Christ of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic held their national conference in Carnot, CAR, from February 21–26. Carnot is located in southwestern CAR in the heart of gold and diamond mining country, on the edge of the world's second largest rainforest.

 

Participants heard a presentation on maternal health and the importance of pre-natal care, as well as malaria prevention and treatment from Dr. Christa von Oertzen, German gynecologist and medical director of the Emmanuel Health Center, a Lutheran hospital located in Gallo, CAR. Malaria, the number one cause of death in the CAR, is especially dangerous for children under five years of age and pregnant women. In a symbolic gift from a group of six women visiting from the U.S., mosquito nets were presented to five pregnant women. One of the visitors commented: "If we had realized how great the need is, we would have brought a free net for each delegate!"

 

During another session, the region's district attorney spoke on women's and children's rights, emphasizing that everyone has the right to be free from violence and to receive adequate food. He also explained that women have the right to freedom of movement and association with their friends, and that children have the right to attend school and to be free from exploitation by forced labor or forced marriage. He cited cases of girls as young as thirteen being forced into marriage by their parents in exchange for money or goods.

 

The presentations were well-received by the delegates, who numbered some 250 women from all parts of CAR, along with the six American women who represented the U.S. partners of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR. Rev. Deborah Troester, Rev. Jackie Griffin, and Ms. Anne Langdji, members of ELCA's West Africa Team, also participated in the conference.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Photo: Marlene Arneson (Eastern North Dakota) and one of the youngest conference attendees. The other visitors from the States were Diann Bratlie (Eastern North Dakota), Deb Williams (Western North Dakota), Peggy Hahn and Lucia Morales (Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast), and Naomi Staruch (LPGM).

 

Deborah and Joe are ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

Internet comes to Baboua, Central African Republic

Thanks to an ELCA grant, we just installed a VSAT system that allows us broadband internet access. This will make a tremendous difference in our work, allowing us access to information and websites that we could not access with our old system. Nowadays many forms can only be filled out on-line. Many resources are only available on-line. Deborah has already found information on the internet that has helped her students at the seminary.

 

Many people think that everyone has broadband, but this is not so. The Central African Republic is on the other side of the digital divide, and that divide has only broadened during our four years in this country. Most Central Africans do not even have electricity or running water, much less access to the internet.

 

The closest places to get similar broadband access are in Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon (an hour to the west) or in Bouar (two hours to the east). But improved internet access makes a tremendous difference in a country where the Post Office is nearly nonfunctional and many villages don't have land-line or cell phone service. Thanks ELCA for your help. And thanks to all of you who contribute to ELCA-Global Mission!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Please note: With our new satellite system, we have new ELCA e-mail addresses: Joe.Troester@elca.org and Deborah.Troester@elca.org  While our old e-mail addresses still work, you can use our new elca.org addresses for official correspondence.

 

Photo: New VSAT antenna, recently installed in our front yard in Baboua, C. A. R.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.