4 months counting until elections

Pretty good summary in regards to the November 28 elections. What is that song? Hide your children, hide your money, hide your wife.. Props to the Indians and Uruguayans making a difference here. If Uruguay beats Paraguay in the Copa America final, there are going to be some crazy celebrations!

Analysis: Quagmire in east set to blight DRC elections

Photo: Aubrey Graham/IRIN

Attacks and confrontations in the Kivus have displaced more than 1.7 million civilians

GOMA, 22 July 2011 (IRIN) - More than three years ago, peace accordssigned in the South Kivu provincial capital, Goma, were supposed to signal the end of violence and displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, as the country heads for general elections in November, armed factions continue to destabilize the country. IRIN explores the sticking points in the protracted conflict, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians: 

Post-signing 
In January 2008, 22 armed groups from North and South Kivu provinces signed a peace accord in Goma that provided for an immediate ceasefire, the integration of armed groups into the Congolese army (FARDC) and an end to government support for foreign militias. The agreement followed a 2007 agreement between Rwanda and the DRC to demobilize Hutu militias who were wreaking havoc on the civilian population. 

In integrating combatants from various armed groups into the Congolese military, the accord supposedly laid the foundation for a new strategy for regional peace. But as the Pole Institute wrote: "The Goma peace accord was merely a signpost roughly pointing out the direction to be taken and distance to be covered. Everything else depended on the travellers’ choices and willingness to implement their agreement." 

Civilian protection 
The numbers of displaced from North and South Kivu are alarming. More than 1.7 million civilians were displaced due to attacks and armed confrontations as of 31 March 2011, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN Population Fund estimates 60 women suffer sexual violence each week. Other incidents, in which Congolese and foreign armed groups collect illegal taxes, loot, burn villages, and commit other atrocities, go uncounted. OCHA documented 142 attacks on humanitarian workers since the beginning of 2010. 

And yet since 1 July 2010, the region has officially been in a period of "stabilization", attested to by the changed name and mandate of the UN in the DRC, now the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). Its two priorities, spelled out in Security Council resolution 1925, are the “protection of civilians” and “stabilization and peace consolidation” in the DRC. 

Rwandans in the DRC 

The Forces démocratiques de liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) is a militia comprising Hutu extremists who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, as well as Hutu members of the former Rwandan army and other displaced Rwandan Hutus. The FDLR and its offshoots, among other rebel groups, "have been responsible for terrible atrocities in eastern Congo, including widespread and systematic sexual violence", according to the Enough Project. 

Photo: Les Neuhaus/IRIN

Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda

The FDLR is now believed to have about 1,000 men, from about 7,000 in 2008. Although their numbers have decreased, their presence continues to pose grave security problems. Their presence is also the raison d’être for Congolese rebel groups, including the National Congress for the Defence of People (CNDP) led by Tutsi Laurent Nkunda, who was arrested in January under an international warrant and is now under house arrest in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

Despite the Amani Leo and Amani ya Kweli operations jointly mounted against the FDLR by the former UN mission, MONUC, and the Congolese military in 2010, the group continues to perpetrate abuses in South Kivu Province. Operations Amani ya Kweli (“Certain Peace”) I and II began against the FDLR in May and June 2011. 

Integration 

An agreement signed on 23 March 2009 revived the integration of the CNDP into the Congolese army, and the transformation of the group’s political wing into an official political party. But the presence of ex-CNDP members in key military and economic positions of government is problematic. 

Former CNDP general Bosco Ntaganda, for example, is a commander of FARDC, despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. He also has suspected ties to the mineral trade in the east of the country, and may be linked to an ongoing investigation regarding the seizure of 400kg of gold and US$1.8 million at the Goma airport last February. 

The Front Republicain Federaliste (FRF) was the second residual group after the CNDP to rejoin the Congolese army when it laid down arms in January 2011. According to regional specialist Jason Stearns, the group increased from 50 to 500, and has “had a major humanitarian impact in the Hauts Plateux region and formed a complex series of alliances with FDLR, various Mai Mai groups, and the Tutsi in Burundi". 

The FRF’s Major Venant Bisogo and Major Michel Rukunda Manika were appointed to senior leadership roles in FARDC, but the rest of its soldiers await jobs. 

A small fringe group of the FRF, led by Col Richard Tawimbi, is still running rogue military campaigns. To date, no one has been able to convince him to join the official army. Other armed groups disappointed with their lot have deserted the FARDC training camps. 

According to Belgian journalist Colette Braeckman: "If the armed groups remain groups, they retain the capacity to pressure. If they are scattered, they are nothing but isolated individuals." Few commanders accept the loss of power that would result from agreeing to integrate their men into the national army. 

The FARDC is not strong enough to compel them. “Without a strong army, it’s difficult to integrate the most important outside elements,” added Braeckman. “This strong army will be obtained by forming new elements, well cared-for, well-paid, well looked-after. However, to date, no one is taking that risk of reforming the Congolese army.” 

Photo: Les Neuhaus/IRIN

MONUSCO is authorised to "use all necessary means" to carry out its civilian protection mandate (file photo)

Role of the UN 

Between January and May 2011, the UN’s programme to disarm, demobilize, repatriate, reintegrate and resettle (DDRRR) repatriated 388 foreign combatants. This is about 150 fewer than during the same period in 2010. 

MONUSCO said those numbers could be explained by the fact that the residual fringe element staunchly refuses to return to Rwanda for fear of reprisals arising from the genocide. Moreover, according to a UN official from the programme, “awareness can only work if it is accompanied by strong military pressure, operations which are the responsibility of the FARDC”. 

Deogratias Buuma, executive secretary of the local NGO Action pour la Paix et la Concorde (APC), said: "The United Nations, with its security policies and logistical armada, fails to communicate with the most remote elements of the FDLR. This situation creates a climate of mistrust and misunderstanding between MONUSCO and the local population.” 

Since the Amani operations, the change in the UN mandate limits MONUSCO to providing logistical support and assistance, which is "conditional on a series of demands, notably the respect for human rights", said Dirk Druet of the policy branch of MONUSCO in Bukavu. 

Election issues 

Four months before the elections set for 28 November 2011, the eastern part of the country is afraid. Facing a divided army and the prospect of elections, the people of Kivu are worried that, according to the APC, “there is no political neutrality in the military”. 

Local politician Vital Kamerhe wants to take the Union pour la Nation Congolaise (UNC) party all the way to the presidency. He is bolstered by some 20 signatures from different political parties, civil society and independent political personalities. A former Kabila supporter, Kamerhe took 94-98 percent of the votes in both Kivus in 2006. But times have changed. Residents in the East are fed up with their living conditions, and other Kabila supporters like the FDLR are being tracked by the Rwandan government. 

The Kivus will no doubt be an electoral issue. The situation there shows that the post-Goma agreement seems as difficult to manage as before. 

Reprinted from IRIN Africa, 22 July 2011. All rights respected.

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93302

Bonne Fete Nationale!

La fête nationale française (le 14 Juillet) est la fête nationale de la France. Elle a lieu à cette date depuis 1880. Elle a été instituée pour commémorer la fête de la Fédération en 1790, jour d'unité nationale, et non pas la prise de la Bastille directement. C'est un jour férié en France.


Le 21 mai 1880, le député Benjamin Raspail dépose la loi faisant du 14 juillet la fête nationale annuelle en commémoration du 14 juillet 1790, (fête de la Fédération). Le 14 juillet 1789 (prise de la Bastille) ayant été une journée jugée sanglante, c’est la Fête de la fédération qui emporta les suffrages. C'est finalement le 14 juillet 1790 seul qui est commémoré.


ENGLISH TRANSLATION: The French recognize Bastille Day as the end of the monarchy and beginning of the modern republic. The lasting significance of the event was in its recognition that power could be held by ordinary citizens, not in the king or in a higher power. Remember the movie "Marie Antoinette" with Kirsten Dunst? Her character, along with Kind Louis XVI, took refuge in the castle Versailles while the peasants pillaged and burned the Bastille, a castle symbolized hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocratic government.


Our new team member, Emmanuelle, arrived this week from France (somewhere in Normandie) and brought with her French cheese, chocolate, and ham. Who could resist French cheese and chocolate? 

It's no Eiffel Tower picnic, but it's Bastille Day celebration!

French love everything about cheese - yum!

This means that for now the independence day celebrations in our office include:

• March 2nd - Texas from Mexico
• June 30th - DRC from Belgium
• July 4th - US from Great Britain
• July 14th - France from its own monarchy
• July 21st - Belgium from the Netherlands
• September 2nd - Vietnam from France
• December 12th - Kenya from the United Kingdom

SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMERTIME: Seems like a lot of action takes place in the summer. Likewise, this summer is no exception. It's been quite busy the last few weeks. First off, the Women's World Cup. U-S-A, U-S-A! I'm rather sure I'm the only one on this continent that cares, but it's great to see the team capturing the country's imagination, with the dramatics against Brasil and France. Secondly, another event I'm probably the only fan of within 1,000 km of this city is Copa America. Argentina has just started picking it up while Mexico's U-20 team wasn't so hot. Otherwise, it's been a lot of work - proposals, staying sane, preparing for the field trips - apparently one of the areas we normally work was where a murder/riot took place. It's not going to get any better with elections (November 20) coming up and the completion of FARDC (National Congolese Army) trainings, meaning country deployment and less presence to ward off the rebel groups. Goma is a large enough city where there is a high presence of NGOs and multi-national organizations; thus, a lot of coordination necessary to present a more comprehensive approach to solution-making.Today, our Country Representative swings by the office for the weekend, which is pretty exciting because she's located on the complete opposite side of the DRC, in Kinshasa.

Striker Alex Morgan scores the go ahead goal.

LABOR LAWS: Congolese labor laws reflect the Belgian system. The Congolese legal system may be divided in three branches, namely public law, private law and economic law. Public law regulates legal relationships involving the state or state authority; private law regulates relationships between private persons; and economic law regulates interactions in such areas as labor, trade, mining and investment. The DRC is a civil law country and as such the main provisions of its private law can be ultimately traced back to the 1804 Napoleonic Civil Code. Overall, notwithstanding significant policies and legal reforms the government has formulated and adopted factors such as the lack of infrastructure, weak institutional capacity, and corruption undermine the effectiveness, stability and predictability of the legal system. One particular note is that once an organization hires someone, it is quite difficult to fire them - this incident factored into events last week.


SALT and PEPPER RESTAURANT (Ave du Rond-Pont, 0899275588): A-, Heard about this restaurant but never quite found it, until one day.. our driver drove us  to Petit Bruxelles, everyone's first-time restaurant upon entering Goma. Makes sense why - it even has the famous statue like in Brussels. Quite an expat hangout. Anyway, to our surprise, Salt and Pepper is right next door. It's an Indian/Pakistani/Chinese restaurant run by an Indian family. Had vegetable samosas, 3 times of dishes, and lots of really good naan, completed by sweet lassi. Our local staff said it wasn't good but I'm going to attribute it to difference in tastes. We all quite enjoyed it (authentic spiciness). The MONUSCO mission's presence in the DRC helps stabilize the country, with the primary presence from the Indian and Uruguayan units. Thus, it's not hard to imagine why this restaurant would be popular. To note, the South African contingency is also here - they helped us out in Kitchanga to ensure safety during the fairs.


HAIRCUT: B-, generally, Congolese men shave their head because it's (1) easier; (2) quicker; (3) more convenient. Compound that with the fact that mzungus, especially Asian Americans, don't usually get their hair cut here and you have a perfect storm for catastrophe. On the first floor of the building where our gym is located, there is a coiffure called "Afro-Style Hair." I took my chances, walked in, and was stared at by every person within eyesight.. for 1 1/2 hours. This country seems to take everything to the extreme - it's almost ridiculous. Of course, I scrutinized every move to ensure hair maintenance; in the end I simply took the razor from the haircutter and did the sides myself. Hopefully, he remembers it for next time. Because all in all, it usually costs $2 for a local guy and I paid $10. Still, that is less than in Dallas and in DC.


TRIVIA!

This post's trivia: 

1. According to the CIA, how many households in Kenya have electricity? 
2. What are the "big three" credit rating agencies?
3. Which continent has the most countries? How many are there?
4. Which club team has won back-to-back CAF Champions League (equivalent to the European Champions League for Africa) titles? What country does it represent?
5. Which Argentinean revolutionary met with the former president of the DRC, Laurent Kabila?
6. BONUS: Who sings "I'm double fistin' now, under a strobe light..It's lookin' like a movie but it's feelin' so tight..?"

Last post's trivia:

1. What is the most populous French-speaking country? Democratic Republic of Congo!
2. What author wrote: "I believe there is no sickness of the heart too great it cannot be cured by a dose of Africa...if I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa?" John Hemingway!
3. What country has the highest rate of infant mortality? Afghanistan - followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, and the DRC.
4. What 2 animals are the closest living evolutionary relatives to humans? Which one is only found in the wild in the Congo? Chimpanzees and bonobos. Bonobos are only found in the DRC!
5. When is the DRC's Independence Day? June 30th!
6. BONUS: What's the longest word in Spanish? Electroencefalografistas but I'm going with superextraordinarísimamente - sounds much cooler.

My passport is currently in the capital, Kinshasa, to be processed for permanent residency, work permit, and  a cross-border, neighbor travel permit. When it returns, likely end of August, I'm open to travel. Any suggestions welcome!

Independence Day - Congo-style

Happy DRC Independence Day! The locals are out celebrating the 51st anniversary (that would make it 1960 as the day "freedom" arrived), but the expats like me are staying home because it could get a bit crazy - and not necessary in a good way. Solid history lesson by Walter.

Good chance to catch up on errands though.

PRICES: There are two types of prices - expats and locals. But upon further division, there are the local market prices and the expat grocery store prices. For instance, at one of the outdoor markets we stopped at on the way back 3 bushels of spinach and 3 heads of cauliflower cost 1000 FC (Francs Congolese), equivalent to about US$1. Of course, they start off with 4000 FC and negotiation takes place. At the expat store, Kivu Market, it would run about 5000 FC, or US$5. It really depends on one's comfort level at the various locations.

RESTAURANTS: B-, There are some pretty good restaurants here: many of the hotels have good food, particularly relaxing with a view of Lake Kivu. What I would love to find is an Indian restaurant - how are there none here? Expats love Indian cuisine.

Hotel Ituru for lunch.

SPORTS: Apparently there IS actually a Congolese football (soccer) league and the games cost 500 FC, or 50 cents, to enter. I will definitely be partaking in that once more info is given!

KIWANJA: How it differs from Kitchanga, upon first glance.

• Kitchanga: no electricity at all, cooler (60-70 degrees), maniacal parish father - head of the local church, lower prices, more diversity in vegetarian options
• Kiwanja: electricity, hotter (80-85 degrees), more global viewing parish father, higher prices, more dangerous, meat is omnipresent, many displaced persons

Campsites where many of the IDPs live.

They were all asking for biscuits, simply because I'm a mzungu. How did that myth even start?

Will answer trivia questions in next post. Go US Women's World Cup Team!

NB: Feel free to ask any questions - there's an anonymous/private method via the comment screen.

First Field Trip Done!

Kitchanga: where IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) are forced. There are two camps here that we deal with: Mungote and Kahe, both only about 10 minute drives from each other. Both populations are very different, sharing similar circumstances, including but not limited to, overcrowding, poor nutrition and hygiene, and massive death tolls from rampant diseases. New IDPs are considered vulnerable for about 3 months before transitioning to the non-vulnerable category. Many people receive rations that only cover half of the recommended bare essentials diet, if they are even fortunate to have that. The majority have been caught in the crossfire of the African War, having lost multiple family members from rebel group gunshots as well as constantly being shifted around due to lack of land and resources. Good descriptions from other organizations working in the area: IRC and EFAGMR.

Houses in construction.

The beautiful countryside.

GETTING THERE: C. Kitchanga is 70 km from Goma, but because of the deteriorated roads, it takes 3 1/2 hours rather than 1 1/2 hours anywhere else. The roads are rocky, extremely bumpy and twist and turn around hills and mountains. Luckily, on the way back I passed out.

NUTRITION SENSITIZATION: A. Upon arrival anywhere in the DRC, we have to first have the local authorities approve our mission. After that, we head to the camps to education them on basic nutrition concepts - what kind of foods provide the necessary nutrients to a healthy diet, proper water-sanitation habits, etc. Coming from largely traditional cultures, our team divides the camp population into 3 groups: men, women, and children. We facilitate a focus group discussion with the men regarding issues important to them; the women are taught simple recipes that provide enough nutrition; the children are taught basic nutrition health concepts using games. All of this is of course in Swahili (more later).

Kahe Camp, not quite as big but equally distressing.

Health sensitizing.

Mungote camp. There are over 10,000 IDPs here alone.

With Jean Marie, the extremely supportive North Kivu provinicial government.

"Check out what we made!"

Can you tell which camp is predominantly Hutu and which is predominantly Tutsi?

Waiting in line patiently. "I can't wait!"

FOOD FAIRS: A. Then,in steps CRS' Foires aux Vivres, or Food Fairs - funded by the World Food Program (Programme Alimentaire Mondial, PAM). Historically, WFP comes into an emergency situation and does direct food distribution - handing out goods to IDPs. However, CRS' Food Fairs takes a different approach: let's set up closed markets with local vendors where IDPs will receive vouchers to use in purchasing food items to supplement their meager rations. Closed markets ensure there is less discrimination and biasness towards the IDPs, while giving them a variety of options necessary to fill their diets - while the local business community receives an injection of money. Furthermore, vouchers provide incentive for the IDPs to spend during the fair, rather than trading it for items they may not need. This is quite a paradigm shift for the WFP.

Local vendors love the food fairs!

Just a sample of what possibilities await.

What to get? What to get?

Beans are extremely important to this region's diet.

Peace to you, little boy!

This kid knows what's up - potatoes!

A typical basket of goods.

"Vouchers - they save us every month!"

Music is played during the fairs. Theatrics. 

Our amazing team after 5 days of fair!

Jules, M&E Officer, and Kate, the outgoing PM - with onlookers of course.

FOOD FAIRS II: The support for this project within the local community is amazing. The stakeholders love the program as it is a win-win situation for all. I didn't realize this before joining but the project's reputation is extremely high around the international development community. It is my job to take and expand it to help out as many people as possible. On the trip back, we read out loud the feedback from the local vendors, many of which read,"I never would've been able to provide for my family or to send my children to school without this."

After each fair day I return to my room to count and recount all 10,000+ vouchers.. guided by my headlight.

Fiston, with some of the Caritas agents the first night.

SWAHILI: C-. My French improves daily, which helps interacting with the vendors. On the other hand, the IDPs generally speak Swahili. I can ramble on and on in French all day but they won't understand until I throw out the few words and phrases I know.. "Jambo mama. Jambo papa. Habari yako? Muzuri. Asante." As a result of this area's blend of French and Swahili, the terms "mama" and "papa" are used quite a lot when speaking. It took a few weeks to get use to calling my guards "papa" but it's a piece of the culture that's quite important in breaking down communication barriers. The other thing is this term called "mzungu." Mzungu is Swahili for white, european, stranger (i.e. not from the area). It's similar to "gringo" in Spanish. Not exactly the most flattering term but I hear it everywhere I go in the villages. Quite often it is cut down to "muzu," yelled by little children with their thumbs up and running alongside the car. At first I thought they were saying "bisou! bisou!" only to realize, no - not really. Haha. To be honest, I'm quite surprised I haven't heard "mchina," which I got everywhere in Tanzania.

LOGISTICS: B-. There is no electricity in Kitchanga at all. At nights, if lucky there is a battery generator. Internet is non-existent.. except at the amazing base of UNHCR, which has a separate tent/lobby just for humanitarian workers. We've used it a few times for internet and to print since the generators can't handle the energy necessary. The first night at our base, the generator wasn't working so we ended up using these awesome lanterns, which run on petrol. Quite possibly the first time I've actually had to use it. Also, there is absolutely no chance you're getting hot water here. 10 days with ice cold water really brings one to their senses..

Tell me you didn't dream of this when you heard about the Congo!

FOOD: A-. Surprisingly, it wasn't too hard to find vegetarian options in these villages. In the morning it is typical to have chapati (slightly salty African flour bread) with this deliciously milky tea.

Chapati and tea - yum!

Delicious meal at the paroise - rice, potatoes, beans, and spinach!

Meal at the hotel: foufou (not my favorite..), beans, and veggies!

MISC: Kate's going away party had the office out in force at Club Mamba, where we had dinner, followed by dancing. The Congolese love the rumba! I know because I danced it with our receptionist - which was too fast, as told later. Then we went to their private room and got down!.. to more crazy arms throwing, feet chicken-dancing, hip thrusting music. There is no way in the States a supervisor would go out like that with their staff. They kept egging me on to kick out breakdance moves but I resisted. In my impromptu speech I set a football (soccer) challenge between CRS and our Caritas partner in the upcoming plans. I also offered free lessons on Texas culture for anyone interested, but no response yet on that..

TRIVIA! The answers were well answered *cough googled cough* by Becca in the previous post. But just in case..

1. What's been the deadliest war in the world since the end of World War II? Great Africa War.
2. Which African country controls the exclave of Cabinda, wedged between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Angola.
3. Which country has the lowest point on the African continent? Djibouti.
4. Which country has the highest point on the African continent? Tanzania.
5. What percentage of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa (+/-5%)? 90%.
6. BONUS: What is the best city in Texas? Dallas! Duh. And Austin is a very close second.

Now for this post's trivia:

1. What is the most populous French-speaking country?
2. What author wrote: "I believe there is no sickness of the heart too great it cannot be cured by a dose of Africa...if I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa?"
3. What country has the highest rate of infant mortality?
4. What 2 animals are the closest living evolutionary relatives to humans? Which one is only found in the wild in the Congo?
5. When is the DRC's Independence Day?
6. BONUS: What's the longest word in Spanish?

Passing the Gorilla mountains on the way to Kiwanja tomorrow. Hopefully the violence has subsided enough for us to help those in need.. A bientot!

NB: My phone numbers are +243 9978 44803 and +243 8089 84945, alternate number when traveling to Kitchanga, where only one company has reception.

Dallas, we are the champions!

YESSSSS.

After numerous efforts all night/morning thanks to various friends, I was able to stream in chopped pieces.. and caught the last few minutes of..

The 2011 NBA Champion DALLAS MAVERICKS!

Probably best I didn't watch it from the office (which has faster connectivity) because the amount of screaming and yelling would've been frightening for the guards. In this area, there is a high security risk after the sun sets. It was also 2 am here when it started and around 5 am when it ended - completely pitch black outside. Now, all this gear looks so tempting.. Special shout outs to Germany (reDIRKulous), Puerto Rico (Barea), France (Mahinmi, Beaubois), and Yugoslavia (Peja) as well as the Washington Wizards (Butler, Haywood, Stevenson) for your contributions. Competitive series by Miami.

This Dallas team has true guts, determination, will power, and focus. Every player contributed to the journey. Absolutely incredible to celebrate in the spirit with fans worldwide. Players from different backgrounds coming together, as one. Sum greater than the parts. Like it should be in international development.

What am I doing here?!

QUESTION: What am I doing here?!

Yes, the DRC has a long history of violence, corruption, and general instability. Yes, it's possibly a result of the leadership, or lack thereof, in the government. Yes, it's possibly a result of the structure which breeds survival by any means necessary.

With all these factors at play, why would anyone want to work here? Especially in Goma, with a 70% you won't return alive. Ok, I exaggerate but that's because some of the rebel groups have disbanded, integrated, or in general, have been stabilized by a combination of the FARDC and MONUSCO.

Coming from a western mindset, it can be difficult to imagine working in this environment. Yet, I still believe in the basic good in humanity and its ability to rise above the ashes (metaphorically speaking, because an active volcano, Mt. Nyriagongo, is nearby and could explode at any moment - see movie "Volcano Next Door" that the already present staff recommended all the new ones watch). I think when working together in a cooperative environment, we can truly build the capacity of the national staff. Yes, it may be intrinsically hegemonic, but it surely must be a step improved from the existing circumstances. The people just need an opportunity.

SHORT ANSWER: Food security.

LONGER ANSWER: The opportunity comes in the form of first, food provisioning, to get them back on their feet, and second, to expand from that state to one of asset building, to increase the ability to establish and expand on the resources available towards sustainable livelihoods. (Much of this great information I learned from the LIFT program at my previous position.)

To be more specific, my organization has been piloting and effectively implementing seed and food fairs for many years in various countries. The population we work with is mostly IDPs (internally displaced persons), or refugees, from the country as well as its neighbors. There still exist ethnic tensions, in particular Hutus and Tutsis, as well as other groups fighting for the resources, or the ability to exploit these resources. The IDPs are in dire situation as UNHRC and UNOPS can only provide so much support.

Thus, we come in with our food voucher fairs. To ensure safety, we come in to different areas where there are nearby IDP camps and set up food fairs, inviting the local community (AKA host community) vendors to provide the supply. Through vouchers provided by the WFP, we are able to track the spending to see which items the households themselves actually need. A market assessment is carried out beforehand to ensure fair prices as well as to not overwhelm the market. This helps the IDPs because they can supplement the meager rations as well as the host community by injecting much-needed revenue. This was the idea for the pilot, with close monitoring and now with evaluations coming up (largely positive), there is a possibility of an extension - adding in many new twists.

Besides managing this process and tightening the M&E system, my role is to truly build the local capacity, including our staff as well as our partner's. There are many details and various factors (i.e. political, safety, systematic, etc.) which have to be accounted for, among other thing. Thus far..

COWORKERS: A-, the office staff is very supportive; the partner staff is very willing.
ORGANIZATION: B, perhaps the systems need to be more standardized so we'll see what we can do.
PROGRAM: A-, the program has much credibility among stakeholders. Donor issues but that is common. Looks like many possibilities.
LIVING SITUATION: B, the living situation is more than I expected (which I admittedly entered with low expectations); and there have been no real security issues yet. Pretty sure the cleaning lady may be pocketing a few dollars from the shopping, but we'll see. Electricity cuts out quite often, internet slow, water cuts off when electricity cuts off. To be expected though.
MISC: B, so far so good. Joined a gym. Exploring different lunch locations. Will meet more people eventually but so wrapped up in learning right now..
*Note: the grades are a bit harsh but it's good to start off low and improve from there.

OVERALL ANALYSIS: This is a great situation as a first long-term field post.. at least for now. In the next few weeks, I'll be traveling to the rural areas to implement these fairs and we will really see what's up.

View from the back of one of our vehicles, a Land Cruiser. This is the one of the 3 main roundabouts.

Ah, the little things that make home.

SPORTS and SUCH: We're supposed to go with one of our staff members to play soccer tomorrow, so we will see (1) if it happens; (2) how it goes. The internet connection here can be shoddy, and coupled with the late time of the NBA Finals (5-6 hours difference), staying out past 3 am (9 pm EST) is not a good idea. Perhaps there is an expat with satellite (e.g. cable) TV who can lend a hand.

Regardless, I'm incredibly proud of my Dallas Mavericks, who had another amazing comeback and are now one win away from the title. So great to wake up and read all the analysis of the games. The resiliency, the determination, the never-say-die attitude is absolutely amazing. We aren't nearly as athletic as the other team, but we play hard, smart basketball and that is a true indication of the city and its fans.

Let's go MAVS!

TRIVIA! Everyone loves it. Let's add this important aspect to the equation. Short quiz here (post your answers! next entry will give the right ones.):

1. What's been the deadliest war in the world since the end of World War II?
2. Which African country controls the exclave of Cabinda, wedged between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
3. Which country has the lowest point on the African continent?
4. Which country has the highest point on the African continent?
5. What percentage of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa (+/-5%)?
6. BONUS: What is the best city in Texas?

**EDIT: Congrats on the new AED/FHI partnership. Extremely excited about the possibilities!