Twenty-one year-old Rachael McAuley, a Christian Aid gap year student from Belfast, shares some of her experiences following two weeks in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘Together with a group of 20 other gap-year volunteers, we got to see some of the work of Christian Aid partners at a particularly sensitive time in the country. As we moved in and around the capital Kinshasa, we heard news from Goma, around 1,000 miles to the east, of how the conflict and unrest were driving hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
In Congo, 80% of the population survive on less than $2 a day. That seems impossible for most of us to grasp, more so for me since I had never visited a developing country before. But when we got there, the reality of poverty hit home.
I was trying to get my head around how the local people lived in such poverty, when Felix, one of our translators said to me: "In your eyes of course we look poor, but in our hearts, we are richer than you can imagine."
Building bridges
During our stay we visited Christian Aid partner Humanite Nouvelle which works with street children in Kinshasa, providing them food and education and helping them reunite with their families. We also visited community action groups, a women’s development movement and projects supporting people living with HIV.
There were two experiences during our trip that were particularly memorable. The first was when we pulled into a small village and women and children came out of their homes to greet us. They danced to the music of our radio, pulling us in to dance with them.
The following night, music again proved an effective bridge across the language barrier as we sat around a campfire in a tiny village in Kinkosi and exchanged traditional songs. We sang “Summer Nights” from Grease when our turn came.
Felix was right: even living with so little, the local people were "richer" than we could imagine. Their happiness did not depend on material possessions.’
What next?
Rachael, who contributed to a blog while she was in the DR Congo, used the remaining 10 months of her Christian Aid gap year to help with the running of local campaigns, workshops and fundraising.
To find out more, contact the Christian Aid Belfast office on (028) 9038 1204.
Christian Aid's Gap Year scheme is open to anyone aged between 18 and 25 who wants a career change or who wants to take a year out from studying. If you are interested in finding out more about the scheme, email gapyear@christian-aid.org.
