Our new malnutrition centre opens

“We’ve worked hard and got more than seventy kids back to normal health,” said Mama Marie, one of the helpers at our supplementary feeding centre, here in Basankusu. “Why not formalise our work and give us contracts and a salary?” It made me uneasy to hear her talk like that – but she wasn’t alone. There’d been rumblings among the volunteers from the beginning. Even though the work at the centre was good, it wasn’t perfect – I constantly dropped advice into our discussions about the types of foods to use, but some habits are slow to change.

Little Olive is malnourished and lives with her grandfather in very poor conditions

It all came to a head while I went back to Middlesbrough for a minor operation. The idea of helpers having something to eat or drink while they were cooking for the children was acceptable enough – but, as soon as I went away, it started to become a demand for more and more expenses.

I had to agree, they’d worked really hard over the past year, buying provisions in the market, cooking meals … three full days a week. It wasn’t easy for them; they had their own lives to think about as well. All this and not a penny in return. “What if they all fall out with me over this?” I thought. “I won’t have anyone to save these children’s lives.”

Our new centre for feeding malnourished children and training family members

Judith Bonjembo regularly took the most severely malnourished children to her own home to feed when the centre wasn’t open and I gave her extra money to buy food for them. “We do this work for love,” she said. “We don’t expect anything in return. Why should we be paid to help children in our own community? Most agree with me – only a few want payment.”

Francis Hannaway with project animator Judith Bonjembo

On my return to the Congo, I spent time listening to each group. Some of the volunteers had fallen out over the situation. I had to sort it out before the whole thing collapsed. I had to make sure the money was spent wisely.

Volunteers at the project show off the new stock of food

The outcome among the volunteers was great. Judith rallied them all as true volunteers. She recruited two new nurses, both with considerable experience in treating malnutrition. Together, they formed a new association in a newly built house. I was really impressed when I went to see them for the first time, yesterday. All my bits of advice had been incorporated into their new structure … which foods to include, how often to feed, etc. Only the most severe cases will be treated at the new centre, and it will be open every day. Training for the mothers and medical treatment will become a bigger part of the work. The local Catholic hospital has asked to send some cases to us in return for training sessions. The problems we’d faced are now resolved. The project will help more mothers and children and the dilemma of whether to pay helpers, or not, has disappeared.

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Cheques: St Joseph’s Parish Centre, PO Box 3608, Maidenhead SL6 7UX (Pay: “Mill Hill Missionaries – F Hannaway Congo”)