At ISTM Nursing College and PRORRESO School for the Deaf.

Wednesday 23rd January 2013


I am sitting out on the veranda at 5.40pm, enjoying the cool of the early evening!

As explained we are staying with a Congolese family. We got to know Mele, who is Director General of ISTM Nursing College, on our previous visits. Now we are getting better acquainted with the rest of the family who all go out of their way to ensure that all our needs are met.

On Tuesday morning Janice spent the morning at the home getting to know Ruth and her three month old baby son Nehemiah. Ruth, who is a single mum, is Mele and Rose’s daughter. They sorted through the many little gifts which Janice had acquired during the time we have been planning this trip and decided what would be appropriate to give to which child in the extended family living in the house. For example Mele’s brother died and they have taken in his son and daughter to give them a home and an education.

Mele took John to one of the ISTM campus sites to meet with the new accountant with a view to giving him one of the laptops which had been donated to us for Congo. As it turned out his existing laptop was more powerful than the one we were offering!!! They spent some time discussing the “Sage” accounting system which is being used and how to develop it to provide more information to the management. John and Mele then spent the rest of the morning at the new building on a large plot of land that has been allocated to the College for future development. We had visited the site in 2010 when we were shown an abandoned part completed bungalow which was being overrun by the jungle. This has now been “Completed” and is in use as offices and classrooms.

The afternoon saw both Janice and I taking long siestas!!

Thursday 24th January.

This morning Dr. Nancy took us to Prorreso School for the Deaf where Janice had worked on previous visits to Bunia. The journey by car is over some of the worst roads! But it was wonderful to see the new school building....finished enough to use, but still with work to do! As we arrived and alighted from the car, we saw all the school children lined up outside ‘singing’ in sign language, with a presentation party of teachers greeting and presenting Janice with a large bouquet of flowers!! It was on a par with the greetings for the Queen.They were so pleased to see her again, and pleased to be introduced to John. The head teacher had sent Emails periodically over 2012 to ask about John’s health, and to assure us they were praying for his recovery from his heart operation; plus “when are you coming back?”

We visited all the classrooms when the children were inside for lessons. It was great to see them with more space for classes. One dear little 5 year old also has Downes Syndrome, but so happy, and like the others able to be stimulated with learning.

We were then given a breakfast of coffee, bread and homemade peanut butter!

John then had discussions with Nancy and the head teacher re the proposed installation of Solar panels to provide power for 8 laptops which have been donated to enable computer training for the older students. After the visit to the School we paid a visit to Nancy’s favourite electrical “store” in Bunia to see what was available and the possible cost of the project. We propose to raise some funds for this project!!

Janice had a final surprise, which again caused much laughter [as it did in 2010], when she was again presented with a live chicken in a bag!!!! I am afraid to say, this will be meals for us and the family for tomorrow!!! [And it is such a pretty chicken!!].

On our second day here, there was a sudden death of a young female student nurse who attended ISTM College. It was a great distress to everyone, necessitating visits to the family, and organising the post mortem and funeral. There was a Service at the college this afternoon, which we also attended, for all those who couldn’t travel the long distance for the actual funeral and burial.