A letter from Bob and Kristi Rice in Congo
September 2010
Mamu Kanku, member of a CPC church in Tshikaji, stands in front of the remains of her house.
Last week we walked through the village of Tshikaji with two of the pastors from the village. We were surveying the damage to homes caused by a tornado and severe storm two weeks prior. The degree of devastation was appalling — so many roofs have been blown off and houses destroyed. In many cases, people continue to sleep in their homes in unsafe conditions. A small team of leaders in the CPC (Congolese Presbyterian Church) had been pulled together to determine how CPC could respond to the dire and urgent needs of people left homeless. We were impressed with how quickly the team came together, sacrificially gave their time to assess, discuss, and plan how to respond. Each member of this team has a close connection with the village of Tshikaji, so they are motivated to search for ways to help that will meet the most urgent needs and mitigate future repercussions.
We happened to be in Tshikaji the day after this storm. The village was in a state of shock, and we met a friend whose nephew had been killed by a falling house. Pastor Kabue, who serves a church in Tshikaji, was visibly moved as he showed us pictures of houses and churches that had been destroyed. The CPC church in the village was a solid stone structure with a metal roof that was built in 1982. The roof was completely blown off and the pillars broken, but a mud-brick house nearby remained intact. The metal roof of one family we know was blown more than 50 meters from his house. Most houses in the village are made of adobe-mud bricks and have thatched roofs. Because of the vulnerability of their homes and the severity of the wind, several people had taken refuge in the church. When the roof fell, the broken pillar hit a 9-month old child in the head and killed him. In the midst of grieving and trying to recover from the destruction of their homes, it is a further blow to the community to not have a church to gather and worship in.
Pastor Jonas and Gwenda Fletcher survey the damage to the CPC church in Tshikaji.
This village, 15 km south of Kananga, is the site of the CPC’s primary hospital in the Kasai region. A storm, which perhaps was a tornado, whipped through the village on Sunday evening, August 29. In just a few minutes, more than 130 homes were completely or partially destroyed. Six churches were also destroyed, and 2 schools received significant damage. Two young children were killed and more than 30 people received injuries that will take months to heal. More than 700 people are left homeless. The storm seems to have jumped around—some houses were destroyed but their neighbors were left untouched. Tornadoes are highly unusual in the Kasai region, but it does seem that is the best description of this storm.
Tshikaji is a region of subsistence agriculture, and most residents survive just by meeting daily needs — they do not have a cushion of resources to deal with disasters of this magnitude. To compound the challenge, this storm came just at the beginning of rainy season, when farmers are planting their fields and children return to school. This storm destroyed the seeds that many people were preparing to plant. Those left without roofs on their homes have to deal with frequent rains, which makes them vulnerable to sickness. Many children have been unable to return to school because their belongings were destroyed and all of the family resources are tied up in daily survival needs. We grieved to see the destruction in an area of such vulnerability.
Women of Tshikaji mourn the destruction of their church the morning after the storm.
We are grateful to be part of the church here, and part of the greater Body of Christ in the world that seeks to bear each other’s burdens and lift up those who are beaten down. Within a week this small team of leaders had been formed to coordinate the church’s response to physical needs. They met with the local chief and determined what efforts had been made by the United Nations, the Catholic Church, and other relief organizations. They consolidated a list of all the households in the village that had been affected, and the specific type of damage to their homes. UNICEF and a few other organizations coordinated to give jerry cans for water, blankets, and a small supply of seeds to those whose homes had been destroyed. The CPC created a plan to provide support for the most urgent needs of food security, school support, and shelter. This week tarps were purchased and some beans for planting with a gift from a couple of U.S. churches. We are excited for these to be distributed in a few days, and grateful that in a small way the church can help to relieve the suffering in Tshikaji. Our hope is that the CPC can also participate in the long-term needs of helping villagers rebuild homes.
If you would like to contribute toward the rebuilding of the CPC church or of responding to other urgent needs in the community, you can do so through the Evangelism Department of the CPC, and note in the comments/instructions box that it is for “Tshikaji.” You can give through PC(USA) at this site: Evangelism Department. If you would like more information about the specific needs related to a quick response and rebuilding the church, please let us know. Please pray for protection and provision for the people of this community as they seek to rebuild their lives!
Bob and Kristi Rice
