Congo Kinshasa: Beyoncé in Basankusu

I first met Beyoncé at our centre. She was a tiny very frail little girl - her parents had brought her from upriver in Djombo. She had lost a lot of weight and was refusing to eat, so Judith said she should be admitted to the hospital and I was going that way so could I walk mum and grandma over ... only 4 km. I set off with Alain - but mum and grandma were so slow that we eventually cadged some money from a market trader that Alain knew and sent them off on a taxi-bike each ... with us running behind because we didn't have any more money.

At the hospital for assessment

The hospital was really great and gave them plenty of advice and medicine. Beyoncé - 1 year and 9 months - had been OK but had become ill with diarrhoea. She got medicine for worms, for rehydration, for getting her appetite back, vitamins and stuff for her blood. I went back after lunch and found them still sitting there. The nurse said there wasn't anyone to admit them so they may as well go home and come back the next day for a proper examination.

The next day I was at home and they turned up at my house. They'd been and had a good examination and so I advised them to go back to our nutrition centre and follow the feeding programme there. They agreed ... and then didn’t show up.

Beyoncé had become much thinner

Beyoncé with Judith Bondjembo

I went there in the afternoon and there was no sign of them. Well ... I went back to the hospital to get their address, but it wasn’t precise enough. Alain and Judith spent the next two days knocking on doors, trying to find out where they got to. Eventually, somebody recognised the description. 

Beyoncé had become even thinner – but is now doing really well at the centre ... where they’re all sleeping (I didn’t know I was opening a hotel ! ) anyway, they’re nice and settled, and Beyoncé has got her appetite back.

Beyoncé getting back on the road
to good health at Francis Hannaway's centre

The initial diet is one of milk (from full-cream milk powder) with a little sugar and vegetable oil added, taken eight times a day. After a few days you see a remarkable change – and true to the instructions on the tin, when solid food was gradually re-introduced, Beyoncé started shouting out – ‘give it to me!’ and wolfing down everything. Way to go, Beyoncé!

She hasn’t started singing yet.

Congo Kinshasa: The Wrong Trousers!

I bought the suit in Asda 6 years ago; it wasn’t expensive, but it ‘would do’ if I needed to wear a suit. I never did really. In the sweltering, steamy jungle a t-shirt was as much as I could usually bear.  Eventually, I put it in my bag and took it from Kinshasa to Basankusu. Then I found a reason to wear it. The Bishop of Basankusu was going to celebrate his Silver Jubilee as a bishop!

Judith arrived and told me to give her the suit. 

“My cousin will iron it,” she smiled. I knew that to offer to do it myself wasn’t an option.

A charcoal iron
like the one used

As I got ready for what I knew would be a very long mass at Basankusu Cathedral, perhaps 4 hours, I heard a scraping noise outside. I went to find out what it was.

Judith had bought a brand new charcoal iron – the type we see in museums, normally from Victorian times. You fill it with hot, glowing charcoal to make it hot.

Her cousin was scraping it on the concrete stand around our well. 

“It’s too smooth,” he beamed. “I need to make it a bit rough to iron properly.” I started to lose confidence in the whole process. 

“I’m sure they made it smooth for a reason,” I explained, as he continued to remove the shiny surface – but to no avail.

About 20 minutes later, Judith popped her head in and asked if the suit only had one pair of trousers. I knew something must have gone wrong. She’d seen that I had another pair, yes, it was true that they weren’t part of the suit, but in her opinion, were much nicer. 

“No,” I said. “A suit should have the same trousers that came with it.”

“Well there’s been a little accident,” she offered sheepishly. 

She showed me the trousers. There was a hole, the size of an iron, completely through one leg of them!

We all had a great day, including the reception at the bishop’s house. And, do you know what, nobody even noticed that I was wearing the wrong trousers!

Francis wearing the wrong trousers
after the bishop's celebration! 

I’m back in Basankusu, once again. We’ve had 2 months support from Doctors Without Borders, an international group a bit like the Red Cross, but now they’ve gone.

Our numbers will build up again in the next couple of months. Please pray for my work with malnourished children. I rely on donations – so please don’t forget to include them as well.

My visa problem isn’t completely resolved yet, I’m still struggling with that – but at least I remembered to pack my suit again, this time.