My Hopes For the Congo

By Krista Westrich, Senior Nursing Student

Introduction:  Krista was one of  five Crown Nursing students who participated in a three-week mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo last summer.

My hopes for the Congo… what a list, where to start? The needs of the people in the Congo are innumerable and more complex than I may ever be able to comprehend. If I were to list the things that I would like to see happen in the Democratic Republic of Congo I would start with the things that would have the biggest impact on the people that I got to know while over there. I envision the hospital having adequate supplies to handle the demands of each patient. This does not necessarily mean the latest and most technologically advanced equipment but things much more basic. This would include an adequate supply of gloves and a way to dispose of them so that they would not need to be reused. Having just a few more of the right supplies could mean that a patient’s wound would not become infected and the healing process would be that much shorter. Having fresh bed sheets daily -- something that is standard here in the U.S. -- would help prevent the spread of deadly infections. Also it would be good to have a training center of some kind so that the doctors and nurses would have access to the latest techniques and new information.

On a broader spectrum, I would hope to see the political situation become stable so that the general population would feel secure. As a Caucasian visitor, I was unable to distinguish between the different police forces and the levels of trust that each incited in the people, but my hope is that someday the established forces would gain the trust of the people allowing them to be effective. A second wish is that the masses of people living in inadequate housing would be provided for. Not that money would be thrown at them but that a stable economy would rise up and provide people with more job opportunities so that they can provide for themselves and their families. This would also hopefully lead to more sanitary conditions thus helping to prevent some of the infections that we saw at the hospital.

In becoming more familiar with the needs of the Congolese people I realize more and more that their needs are interconnected. Some of the simplest things could mean the difference between life and death in that region…and the needs do not stop at the hospital. Inadequate living conditions make it virtually impossible to keep a surgical wound clean. Proper nutrition and clean water are essential in promoting daily health. But despite the physical needs of the Congolese, spiritually many are incredibly rich. I saw people rise above the poverty and pain and praise the Lord with their whole hearts for the blessings in their lives. The generosity of those in need is truly humbling. So my biggest hope for Congo is that the living Word of God be spread and embraced by the people. I hope that doctors, nurses and other staff of Heal Africa will continue to touch people’s lives physically but, more importantly, spiritually.