"Visit to Kaziba Orphanage & Hospital,..on a Road from Hell!"

Sept. 3, 2012, Monday:  "A Visit to Kaziba Orphanage & Hospital,..on a Road from Hell!"

     Back in Bukavu, I got up around 7am.  About 9am a man came with a Land Cruiser to take Kathy & me to see an Orphanage called Kaziba Orphanage & Hospital.  Before we went Downcountry, we had met the Director, Mr. Flavien, & promised him we would come visit his place when we returned from Downcountry.  Since I'm involved with Buyamba Orphanage & God Cares Schools in Kampala, Uganda,....I particularly wanted to visit & compare the two..... and, to see what I could learn about this ministry, too.

     Kaziba Orphanage & Hospital, Congo, has about 60 kids in residence,..from newborns to 6 years old.  At age 6 the Orphanage does all it can do to get the kids placed for adoption,-or into the hands of foster parents.  It was started many years ago by Norwegian missionaries, & is now run entirely by Africans.  Many supporters of these kids are European/American,..& other nationalities.   The kids are often from families torn apart or killed by the many wars, uprisings, AIDS/HIV,........or just 'unwanted',....HOW SAD!

"Dorm room, 4 beds, 4kids in ea. bed(sideways)=16 kids!"

Brand 'new' baby born last nite, mother died in childbirth..

They love their "bumbo" chairs!!,..

Dorm room for the toddlers,....

     The "road" we took in the Land Cruiser was the WORST 'road' I had seen YET! (Notice, I did NOT say it was worse than the "paths" we had traversed downcountry on motorbikes,- thru the jungle!  That is a whole different thing!).   The Kaziba 'road' of 35 mountainous, rocky miles,..took us 3 hours by Land Cruiser!!  Bone jarring, mud, rocks, one way hairpin turns, landslides,....just to give you a picture of the 'road'!!  Also, this one is used by HUGE trucks carrying red mud bricks back to town,.& most often, the HUGE loads are capped at the top by many, many people, riding up there!   One wondered what in the world the people would hold onto,.-we could not find any evidence there WAS ANYTHING to hold onto.  I mean, those trucks may have been 3-4 stories high!!!  Our driver was cautious, and I really don't think that we ever travelled over 10 mph, due to the roughness/mud, trucks, & meeting people on foot.  The driver would sound the horn every time we approached a 'blind' corner,..of which there were about 5 million:-)!!!  

     In addition, we came across at least two of the huge trucks which had slid off the road & into the ditch.  On one occasion, the truck was blocking the road!  Another truck came to off load the first one,..& since we were on a one-way stretch, we had to back up a ways before we could fit by,......"'What's that drop on our side of the road???,....DON'T ASK!!!"  To sum up the 'road',..it was so bad that by the time we arrived at Kaziba, we had a broken shock absorber on the Land Cruiser.   Believe it or not,..in the middle of NOWHERE, someone fixed it while we toured the Orphanage & Hospital!  Don't know if they 'fixed it',..or just took it off,..anyway, it quit clanking under the truck.

Hydro electric plant built by Norwegian missionaries..

Dam over river to power the hydro plant,..

     The Kaziba post is very well organized, has 3 African doctors @ the hospital,..and good places for the kids to live.  Also, they have a huge working hydro-electric plant built by the Norwegians many years ago!!  It boggles the mind that the soldiers have not come & destroyed it as they did the one Downcountry at Station Katchungu!  Who knows why they haven't,??????,....... Anyway, Flavien & his folks @ Kaziba have electricity from the Plant!  He & his wife fed us lunch, & then we left about 2:15pm in order to get back to Bukavu & the apt. before dark.  Several sections of the road go thru places it would NOT be good to be out in a car as white people, after dark!  Flavien came with us, along with another relative who needed a ride.  Along the way we came upon two  trucks stopped,..with a mob of African young men fighting hand & fist,..or with poles/sticks,...all over the fact that someone had broken seven bottles of whatever the trucks were carrying!  Flavien knew some of the combatants, & we stopped to see if he could broker a 'peace deal'.  After a bit,- realizing it was a fruitless effort,- we drove away,....(Kathy & I breathed a sigh of relief!).

     We reached some of the worst areas of Bukavu just @ 5:30pm,..twilight time.  Roads were teeming with thousands of people on foot,....so thick that cars could barely make it through.  FINALLY, we arrived at the apt. @ 6:15pm,..almost full dark.  Kathy & I were absolutely BEAT,..from the pummeling we took on that road,..and some of the 'dangerous moments' we had survived as well.  We had peanut butter & jelly sandwiches & some cheese for dinner.  Again, no lights, no water,.......

     A man from the Balega church came to see us in the evening.  He talked & talked for an hour & a half.  He knows passable English,..so we could all communicate. He ended with a passionate plea for me to tell my kids & grandkids back in the States to come to Congo & work with the Balega!  (Now that's a TOUGH SELL,......!!!).

     I fell into bed about 9pm,....but WHOOPS!,..Songa came by to practice his English again.  I got up & talked with him for maybe 20 minutes,..& since I was falling asleep(rude),..I said goodnight & went back to bed.....

     Tomorrow would be the last day before my FLY DAY out of Africa,......if there were as many surprises as there were on Monday,..I'd certainly be caught up on my 'surprise quota',.............

     Stay tuned,......
Rogers/Banuamazai