Postcard from Bukavu, part 3: Marie Jeanne's Peace Village

In this letter, Marie Jeanne describes the effects of the war on the women in the group: Here in our country, rape is an odious act. A rape victim feels humiliated and so does her entire family. That's why men, unable to stand this shame, often leave, go far away from the family and become strangers. Meanwhile, the woman suffers alone, trying to support the children by herself. To escape the scorn of people in her village, these women prefer to come live in the city where no one gossips about their situation. Take the case of Justine, who lives with a child born of rape, and forced by maternal love to demonstrate great affection to him. She already had four children so now with this baby they are five. We found a cabin with two rooms and a living room, that's where Justine lives with her little family. We have several such cases. We have a case of two young, inexperienced 14-year-old girls who now have babies. Each one has her story, but it takes nerves of steel to listen to them and hear what they went through during their time as hostages. We have managed to send them to school. But often they have no education, because in the villages boys are sent to school more than girls. That's why we try even harder to give the girls in our program some schooling. Justine has the "Baccalaureat." She is 27. Next year I must register her for classes in university, maybe she'll study Law so that she can defend women's rights. With our modest soap and bead-making business, and sometimes working as household helpers, we are able to help our poor women regain their dignity and personnality in spite of their suffering. We enable them. Sister Georgette lives 2000 km away from our town. But she comes to Bukavu from time to time, she helps sell our products and gives us advice. Your contribution: 1. Prayer, 2. Your advice, 3. See if it is possible to find people willing to sponsor us, especially these young girls. 4. If possible, send us your postal address so we can send you the cards to sell. If you have alternatives you may also suggest them. You ask what my projects are for the future. My husband had found my cardmaking really good, so we had a plan, inspired by a Rwandan brother, to create a Peace Village where every woman will be accepted and welcomed, with their children born of rape and rejected by society, without regard to tribe or race (there are little ones of mixed race here, fathered by U.N. peacekeepers, who are also orphans). About my school: I have 500 students, boys and girls, rich and poor. The rich ones help me send the poor ones to school for free. They live side by side as brothers. I have limited means, so I only have the kindergarten and primary school. I would love to open a high school for girls, with boarding. I am now building another school because we've run out of space. In each classroom we have 40 to 50 children. About me: I have 5 biological and 3 adopted children. My oldest is 20, she is in 2nd year of medical school. The second is in first year of medical school. The third is a boy, in first year of secondary school. 4 and 5 are also boys, one is 10 and the other 8. (This letter was originally written in preparation for an interview by Sunapee, New Hampshire, high school student, Jennifer Coverdale, who interviewed Marie Jeanne in February 09 for a school project. My translation.)

Postcard from Bukavu, part 2: Protect life

Another wonderful piece of banana-leaf art made by the women of "Nikinge". EVEN IF EVIL SEEMS TO BE WINNING, GOD HAS THE LAST WORD:COURAGE. Translation of the letter in the first photo of my last post: Madame Odile, We thank you very much for selling the cards and for the support that you keep giving us. We received the clothes, and on top of that the extra money, the "300$" God bless you. We used to do hard labor in spite of ("operations" crossed out) the scars of the operations we underwent here. But for now we no longer carry sand, dirt and rubble for construction. Our load has been lightened by the work we do now. We are less tired and our health improves. God bless you. We the mamans of Bukavu. Our treasurer will give you a report. In the name of all the mamans, Marie-Jeanne Busingizi When she thanks me for selling the cards, she's referring to cards I sold for them at a bazaar last December(some of you dear readers got them at Christmas). The back of that letter has the report, written by Sr. Georgette: The $300 were used as follows: $200: in the cashbox of the "Nikinge" group of raped women, for: (1) capital for the soap supplies whose after-sale profits are used by each, i.e. self-help income. (2) capital for the materials for making the cards, bead crafts and clothes for the same self-help. $100: Used for the immediate needs of women I met and listened to, when they came to share their stories with me. A total of 14 women were present, so vulnerable and so destroyed. Eleven were absent that day for health reasons (surgery, incontinence... hunger, etc) Thank you, Petite Maman, for being for each of these women, who are physically far away yet so close to you, sister, friend, mother, listener, solidarity, love in Christ, who is the source and meaning of any encounter. Good Feast of Pentecost ! (signed) Georgette FMM In yesterday's post I edited out all the "how great Odile is" parts, but today I'm simply giving you the whole thing, unedited, to show you kind of gratitude always displayed over the least bit of attention and assistance. I also wanted to witness to the extraordinary, selfless, deeply personal work done by thousands upon thousands of religious sisters like Soeur Georgette. It is of them, and the religious brothers and priests, that people should think when they hear the words "Catholic Church" (not of the relatively few priests who have given the Church a bad name. It is because these latter are an exception that the Church was so ill-equipped to deal with them. But that's another topic). The "Nikinge" group chose this name because, as Marie Jeanne tells me in yet another letter, "Our logo shows a woman with a child on her back and a hoe in her hands, and the word NIKINGE, which means 'Protect me', that is, protect women. Women give life and nourish it, so it's in everyone's interest to protect them." Amen. Protect life.

Postcard from Bukavu

We, the raped women...

Got a call two weeks ago from Sr. Georgette FMM (see Oct. 19, Nov. 27, and Dec 5, 2007 posts). She was going to the FMM mission in Bukavu and wanted to fill her suitcases with used clothing for the women under their care. The Embassy CLO, Megan Bard, helped me spread the word and two days later I delivered several boxes and bags. On an impulse I also gave Sr. Georgette the cash I had on hand, $300, for whatever needs she might find there. It's not every day one gets a chance to send hard cash to one of the world's most wretched ongoing humanitarian disasters. Bukavu is a town on the shore of Lake Kivu on the eastern border of Congo. Like its ill-fated sister, Goma, its recent history is bloody, and the violence continues. Google-news it for yourself. The DRC's own military are primary perpetrators, along with Rwandan Hutus still afraid to return to their country after the 1994 genocide, Rwandan and Congolese Tutsis who chased them into Congo, etc. The situation is extremely complex, and there are no good guys. But the genocide goes on in the Kivus. Not at the speed of the Rwanda genocide, but just as ferociously, and the numbers have now added up, over the fifteen years, to five million or more. But it remains unknown to most Westerners. Why? A U.N. human rights expert recently stated that "journalists who report on rights abuses in particular have been 'killed, threatened, tortured or arrested,' if they address issues such as sexual violence, impunity for crimes and the illegal exploitation of natural resources." (AFP) But back to Sr. Georgette: She spent 10 days there, counseling women. The photos she showed me were of a fabulously beautiful region. Green hills, volcanoes, still blue lakes, rushing rivers. And tragic human scenes: women and girls (she saw one 5 years old) raped, mutilated, and infected with HIV. And pregnant. But I'll let them speak for themselves. The first photo above is just the first page of a five-page letter they wrote to me to thank me for the capital injection into their little mutual aid association. $200 went to buy supplies and materials for the soap-making and card-making operations. $100 was distributed by Sr. Georgette to fourteen of the women for their most urgent needs. In DC, $100 wouldn't buy 14 women breakfast, but for these women it was manna from heaven. The woman in the photo is one of the 14 whose horrific stories Sr. Georgette listened to. But let me give it to you straight from their letter (my translation and editing): "We, the raped women, war-wounded and handicapped, we come to you through Maman Georgette, missionary Sister, to thank you for having thought of us... It's a great comfort to know that women from elsewhere think of us... We are very many, thousands of women raped and massacred. But the small group she helps is coming out of their disastrous situation little by little... We are happy today to see Sr. Georgette who listens to us one at a time, counsels us and encourages us to go on. We who have escaped our tormentors (Rwandan rebels and others) . This war looks like it's a war against women. [...] [something in Swahili] You can be our mouthpiece, our feet to take us where we cannot go. We send you. Go tell our sisters and brothers of our immense suffering [something in Swahili]. Let them call out loudly for our cause. In the east of Congo, behind the mountains, in the heart of the forest, women and children scream for help. They are killed, they are raped. They are mutilated with stones and axes. Firearms and sticks are used to rape us. There, behind the hills, life is destroyed. We are so far, no one can hear us. We die of our wounds, of illness, of exposure. Scream for us so that the war will end. We, the kidnapped who have escaped, we have left our sisters over there, and we know what they continue to suffer. There are 12-year-old girls, mothers... There are those who cannot continue to do hard labor any more; sometimes they are buried alive. We told Sr. Georgette everything, she'll tell you everything. We are comforted by your support. We are still strong, despite our handicaps caused by injuries. We will work. We will regain our dignity through work. When we work, we ourselves have noticed, we forget our worries for a while, because we're busy. Especially when we earn something for it. We start thinking less about our past in the forest with our persecutors." "In the morning we make bracelets, we learn to sew, we make cards and rosaries. In the afternoon, we sell the soaps Maman Marie-Jeanne lends us. That way we have a little food for our children. We hope to learn to do more, make progress. "LIVE" again! That's why we say to all men and women: "Nikinge, protect me." They sent me 17 of these exquisite cards, each hand-decorated with tiny slivers of dried banana leaves. Scanned some for you:

Hey, more next time. I've run out of time.