Testimony of Marie-Pier Tanguay, ex-volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Marie-Pier Tanguay was an Organizational support and capacity building counsellor

From 2005 to 2006, I worked as an international volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where I provided organizational support and capacity building in the areas of access to water and sanitation. The Congo, formerly known as Zaire, had just had its first democratic election. It was still recovering from 40 years of dictatorship and, for the past 10 years, a series of interethnic clashes and wars. I was in the far northern region of the Congo, in an area rich in natural resources. There are lush forests, water, and surprisingly NOTHING else!! There were no roads, no infrastructure, no services, no state presence... a complete state of anarchy and chaos. After the initial shock of arrival, you become accustomed and start to see things more clearly. The state was present, and they did the best they could with their limited means. But there were many restrictions, because their resources were spread out over an immense country of 2 345 410 km2 with 60 million inhabitants. Not to mention that they are surrounded by nine borders (if you think of the game Risk, you will understand how difficult it is to defend). Once you have become acclimatized to the new environment, you are presented with a sizeable challenge: Where and how do we start? Luckily, Oxfam-Québec has already been involved in the Congo since 1984 and has demonstrated its expertise and success in supporting the population, by helping to provide drinking water and sanitation throughout the country. Working in tandem with UN agencies and international NGOs, we targeted the Mahagi-Port area, an area inhabited by more than 30 000 people and endemic with cholera. The local communities live on the shores around Lake Albert and survive mostly from fishing. Water-borne illnesses are common and pose a serious threat to the people of the region, taking many lives. Providing clean water and sanitation is extremely difficult. The locals have to travel two to five kilometers to reach the only renewable source of water. The water in the local wells is contaminated with ground water. Digging latrines is impossible because the water table is too high. The surface water is contaminated by fecal matter, which makes the area susceptible to frequent cholera epidemics. The local population use the lake for everything, their washing, drinking water and as a toilet. There are few latrines, and the ones which do exist are often full and are not adapted the environment. My work consisted of drafting a project to support the local population, with the help of local Oxfam-Québec engineers. We had to work quickly, because the faster we worked, the sooner we could reduce the mortality rates from water borne illnesses. The project was accepted and funded by UNICEF. I provided support to the engineers by working in tandem with local authorities and the people of the region. The project would be possible only if it the local people could ensure the management and sustainability of the hydraulic works. The engineers worked hard to put the project into action, with support from the population. I provided organizational support for the management committees and worked on capacity building in the area where the project to improve sanitary conditions was being implemented. The project was successul. Oxfam-Québec and its partners contributed significantly to reducing the rates of cholera and other water borne diseases in the area. It is only when you are confronted by it that you realize how vital water really is. By providing access to clean water, the population can develop better living conditions. And by cutting time lost to collecting water, children, especially girls, can go to school instead. Now we are working on developing the second phase of the project, school infrastructures ... but that’s another story.