December 2, 2005

Senator Sam Brownback,

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Eastern Congo (DRC) has been riddled by war, rebel violence, and humanitarian crisis for several years.  It is a place that has seen death and disease of great proportions.  In one of the deadliest conflicts since the end of World War II, an estimated 4 million people lost their lives and many more fled as refugees, or were internally displaced.  Statistics show that 98% died from non-combatant related problems, like hunger and disease.

This situation has been called the "forgotten tsunami" by humanitarian workers on the ground.  With as many as 1,000 people dying per day, a tsunami-sized tragedy is happening every few months without much attention being paid.

I arrived in the DRC yesterday and was greeted by MONUC troops, the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world.  Goma, a town with great potential that sits on Lake Kivu and is surrounded by magnificent scenery, has been devastated by the conflict.  Basic infrastructure, education and healthcare are lacking in this part of the North Kivu province. 

I met with local officials, religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, and United States personnel from the State Department and USAID.  I have also met with UN and MONUC officials tasked with keeping the peace in a country that would cover everything east of the Mississippi back home.  The international community has been well received here.  They provide protection from local rebels and tribal warfare and basic assistance to sustain lives.  But the task before them is massive.

Today I flew into the Ituri district in the north to a town called Bunia.  I visited an IDP camp and spoke with several of the locals.  Each person's story is different, yet the common threads are unmistakable.  While conditions have improved for some, they are still concerned about security and basic necessities.  Some have lost their family members, others have been raped, and others have no home to return to.  

One man I spoke with recounted his children being hacked to death by militia forces carrying machetes in 2003 at the height of the fighting.  He was a local farmer from Bunia, but now lives in the refugee camp with 5,000 other Congolese who have not been able to return to their villages.

Another woman, born in 1936, had lived in the same village her whole life until her entire family was abducted, raped or killed.  She does not know where they are today and lives by herself in the camp.

The size of this IDP camp has dramatically decreased in recent months, providing some hope in a country where there is little.  Aid workers suggest that if people have drinking water, food, and security, they will return to their villages.  Others will go to their villages to farm during the day, but return to the camps at night.

The delegation visited a rehabilitation center for young girls coming out of armed militias, child-prostitution and other forms of sexual violence.  The center has treated hundreds of girls, only a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands who have suffered from rape or sexual violence.

We listened to one young girl's story as she held a baby on her hip.  At the young age of 10 or 11 years old these girls are abducted into the militias and serve as wives or sex-slaves to the commanders until they became pregnant and are then turned to the streets.  Others are given or sold by their own families in the hopes that the village would be spared from violence.  They graciously welcomed us with song and dance, part of the rehabilitation process.

At another USAID funded project we heard from local youth through skits and music about the reconciliation and integration process.  Tribal conflict has undermined security and peace, and programs such as these are bringing the youth together, off the streets, and out of the militias.

When I spoke with the district commissioner in Bunia she emphasized the need for rebuilding the roads and bridges, and bringing electricity to the city of 600,000.  A power plant had been built in the 1930's but was in disrepair from the years of neglect and war.  She also reiterated the need for basic healthcare, education, and investing in the youth to keep them from the streets or from joining armed rebel groups.  As cities such as this one try to rebuild, individuals look to start businesses or schools.  But in the city of Bunia, there is only one small bank without any form of micro-finance or credit lending.

An area that used to be considered the breadbasket of the region is now facing malnourishment and disease in massive proportions. 

The Congo is at a critical juncture.  Upcoming elections provide hope for a brighter future, but the population is severely affected by diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS.  Lasting physical and psychological scars from rape and violence take a toll on rural areas, like the very ones I visited today.  It will be a missed opportunity if we fail to address what has become one of the most under-reported crises in the world.  The need for a basic health system, clean water, food security, and infrastructure is great in this land of the "forgotten tsunami."

December 3, 2005

Senator Sam Brownback

Kigali, Rwanda

Today I visited a hospital operated by Doctors on Call for Services Hospital (DOCS) in Goma, DRC. The hospital services patients of all kinds, from traumatic car accident injuries, to war wounds, to children suffering from malaria. One of the major programs at DOCS treats women suffering from obstetric fistula, a condition that results in incontinence, often times from rape or prolonged child birth.

I met with women who were awaiting surgery to repair their injuries and others who were just recovering from surgery. The widespread problem of fistula extends beyond just medical limitations, but has severe social and psychological impact on victims. Women who suffer from fistula are often shunned from their communities and have nowhere to turn.

Widespread rape has been used as a weapon of war in this region and many women suffer severe injuries as a result. Many more suffer from fistula as a result of prolonged childbirth, particularly in young teens whose bodies have not matured enough for safe deliveries. Medical access is so rare that most of the babies die during prolonged labor.

The program at DOCS provides both the medical attention needed to repair women's injuries as well as other immediate needs, like psychosocial services and counseling. In addition, DOCS has literacy and income generation programs for the women coming through the clinic.

I spoke with 4 individuals who were victims of sexual violence in the North Kivu region. One young lady was only 15 when she was raped and now has a small child. She was raped by armed rebels operating in the region. She suffers from fistula and is awaiting treatment, but there are only three doctors in the whole region that can perform the surgery, and thousands who are affected by the condition.

Another woman, around the age of 60, was not mobile enough to flee when her village was attacked during the war. She could not recall the traumatic events because she passed out when the men captured and raped her. A shy young woman, around the age of 20, explained that she had also been gang raped by armed men.

Finally, a child in the room, no older than 5 or 6 years old, told me that she was raped when she was just 4 years old.

These are the faces and lives of those that suffer from sexual violence, forced child marriages and other traumatic affects of war and violence in the Congo . These are the women who need medical services and access to education in order to care for themselves and their young children. The cost of the surgery is only $100 and the cost to train doctors to perform the surgery is less than $10,000 for four years of medical school.

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After leaving the hospital we began our journey into neighboring Rwanda, a country that has seen great sorrow, yet great reconciliation and progress. The development of roads and infrastructure provides a stark contrast to war-torn DRC.

We visited the "Orphanage of Noel" in Nyundo run by the Catholic Church with support from Catholic Relief Services. The orphanage began over 50 years ago when a bishop took in some 50 children. During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the orphanage opened its doors to hundreds of children who had been orphaned or separated from their parents. Caretakers have been able to reunify over 800 children with their families since that time, but there are still genocide orphans living at Nyundo.

We visited with newborns and toddlers orphaned by common and preventable diseases like malaria. We met mentally and physically handicapped children. We saw others whose parents had died of AIDS, and others whose mothers had died during childbirth.

Today the Nyundo orphanage cares for nearly 600 children, with the support of USAID and US food aid programs. With continued support from the US and other donors, this orphanage will see great success. Through dancing, music, and a gymnastics show, the energy of the kids was a strong indicator of the orphanage's success thus far.

But the visit was a stark reality of Africa's forgotten children - children left by war, disease, hunger, and genocide. Children who will grow up without a stable family environment to impress the importance of education and character. This will present another crisis in Africa. Millions of children left to fend for themselves, subject to extreme poverty, hunger and disease. Without greater support for orphanages, caretakers, foster families and villages who adopt these children, we will see a growing number of street children who could be recruited into militias or prostitute themselves in order to eat.

The faces of the women and children I saw today had stories of sorrow, triumph and hope. It is stories like these that reinforce the need to fight malaria and neglected diseases. Stories like these that reinforce the need to assist vulnerable women and children. And stories like these that reinforce the need for greater compassion and assistance to help the people of Congo and Rwanda. Their hospitality and graciousness continues to amaze me, and their openness and warmth will not be forgotten.