Demining

You can have a nation where there is peace and that has been rebuild. But what if the citizens of that nation have not found peace within themselves? War and natural disasters leave their marks in lives of human beings all around the world. And although we are quick in responding with food, medication and rebuilding houses, it doesn’t deal with what is going on inside, in the hearts of the people involved. That’s why MedAir in Bunia is running a psycho-social project for people living in the war-torn Ituri-district.

The people of Congo have had, and some still have, more then their share of war. And the main aim of MedAir’s psycho-social project is to help them understand that it’s normal if they and/or those around them struggle with symptoms of stress such as aggression, night mares, alcohol abuse. When you tell people this, it's a huge relief to them cause they now understand, Riët tells me. She’s been the project manager running the project since 2006 and she works with two very qualified Congolese people.

She continues explaining: “When we do our training we explain to people what the symptoms of traumatic stress are and give them some simple tools that they can use in dealing with the issues. Besides trying to continue normal life as much as possible, talking and listening are extremely important tools. People need to have a place where they can talk about their experiences and where there is someone who is listening.”
To do this doesn’t require a psychiatrist, she says. It could start in the IDP-camps where people can help and support one another just by listening. “Talking about experiences helps to destress and the sooner you can do this, the more it can prevent bigger problems at a later stage”.

In training key people in communities, health structures and in schools, MedAir wants to enable them so that they can help and support those around them. So far the results of this training have been encouraging and the plan is to end the project in July this year.

Crops
“I really feel we’re making a difference”, Bryan says. He is working with a South African demining company in the Ituri area. “When we blow up the ammunition and weapons, when you hear the loud ‘bang’.... that’s a great feeling. Cause you know that no-one ever can use these things anymore. And it's wonderful to see when people start growing their crops again on the field that you have just cleared.”

He tells me how before they got to clear a piece of road, a pregnant woman was hit by a mine and lost her baby and both her legs. When they got in, they didn’t just clear the mine but also helped her to find medical attention and to get prosthetic legs. These days she is involved in bringing awareness to her fellow country men and women about the risk of mines and what to do when they detect one.

It strikes me that ‘demining’ seems to be a key to find a long lasting solution for Congo’s deep ingrained problems. Not just clearing the land but also people’s minds – bringing inner healing so that they can really move forward into another future.