Goats for children affected by HIV/AIDS

Working on the Democratic Republic of the Congo is complicated on so many levels. Different languages and cultures throughout this vast country are only two of the things that many many organizations skip over Congo when looking at places to start projects. Poor infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, Internet, etc), loose laws, extreme poverty, wars....the list goes on and on. Yet, Congo is a country where AFCA has decided to set roots in hopes of helping families break out of the cycle of poverty.

It has been frustrating to meet never-ending roadblocks and to feel that we are simply not doing enough and that the poverty is just so rampant, that it will never, ever be surpassed. It is easy to doubt yourself and your work when you feel you aren't making headway. And then you meet someone like Mr. W. A small man with a large family and an even larger smile.

His son calls him to tell him we've arrived for a spot visit and he asks that we sit and wait for him. He is in his large field, working, and will be home in a couple of hours. Since "a couple of hours" in Congo can mean many, many hours, we tell him we'll return in the evening. Seven hours later, we are back and sit waiting for a while until he makes it home from the field. He is tired but you can hear the pride in his voice as he tells is of his goats and his peanut fields. He talks about cassava, corn and palm trees. I see palm wine being made on one side of his house and the makings of "mungwa ya ba Koko" (salt for grandparents) on the other side - his is made of a different part of the palm tree and is quite tasty. He also makes palm oil and he sells all these things, earning money here and there.

His three AFCA goats have grown into a beautiful herd and he currently has three pregnant ones who will give birth in August. He has been such a good stewart of his gifts, that he has been asked to be the keeper of veterinary medicine for the rest of the AFCA families in the area so that all are protected from diarrhea, which can kill a goat quickly.

His peanut farm also started out as a donation of seeds by AFCA and has turned into quite the large endeavor.  So large, in fact, that he asks for a loan to hire workers to help him plant the next season of peanut. We talk about this for a while and soon, he is signing a receipt for a $75 loan, payable in one year and with the contingency that he save some of his proceeds so he can hire extra labor next year. With a smile as wide as the sea, he reaches out his hand and we shake.

And just like that, I am reminded that our work is good and valuable and life-changing. With every child in the household attending school and with full bellies, Mr. W knows that their future is brighter than his was before AFCA came around. His parting words are, " May the God we pray to bless you and keep you".

What else could a girl want?

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.