New roofs appearing in Tshikaji!

We have some exciting new developments to share related to the rebuilding efforts in Tshikaji village. We described earlier about the tornado and the initial response by the CPC (click the links to view). In January, the CPC Tshikaji response committee began the most dramatic step of distributing new roof sheeting and building homes for people whose homes had been destroyed. A grant was given by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) towards the rebuilding of homes in Tshikaji. The committee started by verifying the housing status of all the families who had been recorded on a list of people with destroyed or damaged homes. Then, those families were classified into 3 categories: 1) 70 families who needed replacement roof sheeting, 2) 40 families who had their home severely or completely damaged, and would have a complete roof rebuilt, and 3) 7 widows or families whose home had been destroyed completely and who are severely poor, and would have  complete house built.

 

On Saturday, January 15, we attended the initial distribution of roof sheeting. There was much excitement as those families on the list came to collect 15 iron sheets each. Chief Kamenge from Tshikaji participated in the distribution, as well as Pastor Mboyamba, the legal representative for CPC. We were impressed at all the preparation the committee had done to make it a quick and efficient process.

The following week, builders came to Tshikaji and began building complete roofs for the families in the second category, whose homes had been destroyed. If some or all of the walls had been destroyed, the family would have to find or make the bricks for the walls. The most expensive part of a house is the roof, especially if it has the metal roof sheeting. It is also one of the most important ways that a health can protect the health of the family, by protecting from the rain, which is why this was chosen as the way to make a significant contribution towards their rebuilding efforts.

 

Last week, in early February, I interviewed Joseph Kalonji, whose house was destroyed in the tornado. Tatu Kalonji teaches English in 2 of the secondary schools in Tshikaji, and if you have visited Tshikaji he may have helped you as translator. On the day of the storm, he was not in Tshikaji, because during the school break he transports goods a distance of 200km on his bicycle to earn some extra money. His wife was attending a funeral, and his 3 children were at choir practice at the church. His wife and children returned to the house that evening to find the roof completely blown off, part of their walls destroyed, and their possessions strewn all over the area. They learned afterward that the roof of a neighbor nearly 200 meters away had been lifted the tornado and crashed into his roof, which knocked it off. This was a powerful storm! His table was broken, many of his books were ruined by the rain, and other possessions were lost in the severe wind or stolen when they were scattered. They collected the possessions that they could, and went to stay with Joseph’s mother. Some of his other siblings live near his mother also, so with some rearranging they were able to make a room his family. That is where they have stayed for the last 5 months, since their home was destroyed.

Joseph Kalonji shows me his precious English Dictionary – 
damaged from the rain, but rescued from the debris.

Joseph is a deacon at the IMCK parish of CPC, and has been a significant help to the committee through all the stages of responding to this crisis. He was on the list of those who would have a complete roof built. He had just started to build a frame and thatched roof when he heard that he would receive a roof with metal sheeting. This has proved a tremendous benefit for him for 2 reasons: a metal roof is much more durable and long-lasting than a thatched roof, and 2nd, the size of the new house will be slightly larger than his previous house.

Joseph had just started to build the thatched roof on the left, when
he received the metal roof on the right through the support of PDA.

This project has been a great demonstration to us of generosity and cooperation between the church in Congo and the church in the U.S. A big thank you to PDA for their generous contribution to this significant effort! If you attend a PC(USA) church, did you know that one-third of the “One Great Hour of Sharing” offering on Easter Sunday is given to PDA? We encourage you to support this strategic way that the church responds to environmental disasters both near and far…and sometimes those that are not headline news! You can also contribute directly towards their support of Tshikaji here, and note that the contribution is for Tshikaji.

Standing with the suffering (Recovery in Tshikaji)

Several weeks ago we wrote about the devastating storm in Tshikaji. A tornado swept through Tshikaji on August 29 of this year and destroyed or severely damaged more than 100 homes. The CPC church in the village was destroyed when a pillar broke and the roof came crashing down. They acted quickly to meet the most urgent needs in the community, and we want to share some of these signs of hope!

From left, Pastor Jonas (in blue), Pastor Mboyamba, Pastor Kazadi,
and Pastor Simon Kabue, giving instructions before the
tarps are distributed to people in the community.

In September, with support from Myers Park Presbyterian Church (NC) and First Presbyterian Yuma (AZ), tarps were distributed to all of the 100 families whose homes had been damaged, as well as to the 6 churches of different denominations whose roofs had been destroyed. The chief of the village participated by personally handing each recipient their tarp, and we were moved to see the gratitude on some of the faces. The tornado was indiscriminate – some people who had metal roofs and brick homes had their roofs blown off, while other mud houses with thatch roofs remained intact. Elder Tangila of the IMCK CPC church in Tshikaji expressed his thanks afterward to one of the CPC committee members, “Thank you for these tarps! Now my children and I can sleep safely.”

This woman from the Lubi II CPC church
joyfully receives her tarp from Chief Kamenge

The Lubi II church meets under the new tarp, next
to their building where the roof had fallen. Bob is preaching.

The following week, at the end of September, with the support of PC(USA), CPC was able to purchase seeds and school kits to distribute in the community. The tornado struck just at the beginning of rainy season, when residents were preparing to plant their fields. When houses were damaged or destroyed, their seed was destroyed as well in the rain and storm. Seeds for planting beans and ground nuts were distributed to all of the families. Two women from the Lubi II CPC church expressed their thanks afterward to a church leader “We did not have hope of planting our fields this year. The seeds you gave us give us hope!” In addition, school-kits containing a back-pack, notebooks, pencils, and pens were distributed to children whose homes were damaged so that they could return to school. Tshikaji, an impoverished village that was overwhelmed and discouraged by this tornado, is finding encouragement and hope in these tangible gifts from the church.

Elder Mutoke of the IMCK CPC church (photo above) spoke as a representative of the village, expressing thanks for the help the church has provided. “We are very happy for the help that has been given to us by our friends in the US. We know that what these friends have done for us is what they do for many people around the world who are in the same situation as we are. They share with those who are in need. We are certainly in a time of suffering but the help that they have given is very significant. Therefore we pray for them that God would bless them and give them more. We express our gratitude to them and say to them, ‘Thank you.’”

A young boy receives his backpack and school supplies.

The rebuilding process is still a long journey, and life is still hard for members of the community. This is rainy season, and many people’s roofs are still spread on the ground. But small signs of hope help people to persevere. The next goal the church is looking toward is rebuilding the Lubi II parish which was destroyed. Already, gifts from several churches and individuals have provided 20% of the needed funds. Please e-mail us if you would like to know more about the rebuilding process. If you or your church would like to contribute financially, you can do so through the Evangelism Department of the CPC, and designate the gift for “Tshikaji church rebuilding”. We want to stand with our brothers and sisters who are discouraged, and affirm with them that we are members with them of one family, the body of Christ.

Paul writes to the Corinthian believers, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9: 12).

Tornado in Tshikaji!

About 2 weeks ago, we spontaneously took a break from Kananga for 2 days and ‘escaped’ to Tshikaji. This village, 15 km south of Kananga, is the site of the CPC’s primary hospital in the Kasai region. A hydro-electric dam provides constant power and running water for the hospital and the connected institutions, and therefore it provides some welcome comforts for us! We arrived in Tshikaji mid-day on Monday, needing some time alone and refreshment, and discovered that the village of Tshikaji was in a state of shock and devastation. 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. 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.

The Lubi II church in Tshikaji. The roof has completely fallen.

Last week we walked through the village of Tshikaji with some pastors from the region. 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. 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.

Mama Kanku, a member of the IMCK Presbyterian Church in Tshikaji.
Her house completely crumpled to the ground, but the small kitchen-house
beside it remained intact. The structure made of palm-fronds in the background is
their latrine, which perhaps demonstrates the economic vulnerability of the community.

This adobe-brick house completed crumpled (foreground). Mama Tshiela Mulumba and her husband had
just stepped outside the house when it fell. They attend the Lubi II CPC church in
Tshikaji, and are among the ‘destitute poor’ that are given assistance by the church.

The church leadership of the CPC recognizes the impact of this destruction on an already vulnerable community. They are looking for ways to respond to the urgent needs in this community and encourage the church in Tshikaji. A plan has been created to provide support for the most urgent needs of food security, school support, and shelter. Financial assistance has been applied for from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and we are praying for others who will contribute to the rebuilding efforts.

If you would like to contribute towards the rebuilding of the 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 donate through PC(USA) at this site: Evangelism Department. Please pray for protection and provision for the people of this community as they seek to rebuild their lives!