Covenant News

Charitable Dollars Hard at Work in Congo

CHICAGO, IL (June 2, 2005) - Contributions that Covenanters have made to the Paul Carlson Partnership (PCP) already are being used in numerous ways to improve the lives of citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The partnership, whose name honors the memory of Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) medical missionary Dr. Paul Carlson who was killed by Congo rebels in November 1964, is dedicated to helping the poorest of the poor throughout the world. During the next three years, the primary focus is on Congo, working closely with the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM). However, that focus will shift to different regions of the world where the Covenant is engaged in missions work.

Since last year, 120 Covenant churches have contributed to a campaign to raise funds, according to Jim Sundholm, director of both Covenant World Relief and the partnership. Donations are being multiplied by using them in connection with grants from various agencies around the world. Many granting agencies require the grantee to contribute a portion – such as 25 percent - of a project's cost. The PCP money is paying for that portion. "In that way the dollars we contribute are multiplied significantly," says Sundholm.

Much of the money is being used to support projects in areas of education, health care and rebuilding infrastructure that was largely destroyed during six years of civil war. The task is enormous.

Education

In the area of education, the donated funds are helping to support 323 schools serving 58,118 students and staffed by 2,124 teachers. Specific efforts include:

• PCP partnerships with local churches and other organizations to construct and restore buildings - students also are helping with the construction of the school buildings. PCP will partner with local communities to provide metal roofs and desks.
• Rebuilding of a school dormitory for girls and restoration initiatives including newly built beds, desks and storage units. The Eunice Gustafson Memorial Fund also has raised money for textbooks and education resources for teachers.
• Raising of funds by Women Ministries of the ECC to assist girls in their education, particularly with scholarships designed to cover testing fees required for graduation. The PCP matched (doubled) those donations. Girls currently comprise only 25 percent of the student population, due in large part to the inability on the part of families to pay the fees.

Health Care

Health care also has continued to be a priority for the partnership. Each month the Karawa hospital serves 2,500 patients, the Wasolo Hospital serves 750, and the Loko hospital serves 730 individuals.

Initiatives include:

• Two containers of medical equipment have arrived and one is ready to leave
• A doctor who is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM) has been sent to Ethiopia for specialized training in VVF surgery, a specific woman's surgery that is frequently necessary throughout Africa
• Mobile CEUM medical teams of doctors, nurses and community health workers are visiting villages, and containers of medicines have arrived at three CEUM hospitals
• A community clinic building in Bokonzo has been built with a new cement floor, doors and windows
• Basic funds to sustain two of the hospitals have been committed for the next three years, and other ECC churches are considering taking up hospital or clinic sponsorship
• Several solar power systems have arrived to assist hospitals and clinics
• Several CEUM women have created a care and adoption ministry of HIV/AIDS orphans

Infrastructure

Years of war have taken their toll on everything from bridges and roads to water supply systems and electrical power sources. Initiatives to rebuild the infrastructure in this northwestern area of Congo include:

• Two bridges have been built, with many more needed
• Three new vehicles have been purchased for the CEUM, two older land cruisers repaired and one large truck and a road-grater have been returned to operation
• Widows have been assisted with funds to help them complete agricultural projects and explore micro-enterprise opportunities
• Several water pumps have been installed to provide clean, fresh and plentiful water for the hospitals, clinics and immediate neighbors
• A well-drilling rig that was fabricated in Kansas has arrived and is ready to be used. "Reconstruction of water systems, including more and new wells, reliable pumping systems and water storage will take considerable time, money and work," says Curt Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission.
• Tools for everything from farming to road construction have arrived in "limited amounts" but are helping people rebuild their communities

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