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This week Stan gives us special insight into some of the reasons things are in such disrepair in the Congo and the concern this represents.

“I’d like to explain why the Congolese don’t fix things—no one has the money to fix these things and the people with the skills to do so are dying off. The youth are not learning these skills. It’s one of the reasons we’re interested in providing AIMM vocational schools to teach these needed vocational skills. This is so important.

“The youth are more interested in earning quick money through diamond mining to get rich. One of the women in the church said, ‘Our youth are giving up food for diamonds.’

“This is very sad for their culture in the long run and desperately dangerous for the Congolese youth. Many die in their quest for diamonds. Their techniques and tools are primitive. The youth dig in river banks or they will dig a thirty foot deep pit with a three to twenty foot diameter opening. At the bottom of the pit they may tunnel sideways. Tie a rope around their waist and lower down into the hole. If they tunnel sideways the tunnel walls may collapse on them. They also drown while diving for diamonds.”

Thank you for helping us to understand the situation, Stan. Of course we know there are diamond mining companies that provide more advanced tools for their workers. That would be safer. However, the point is that the youth are going after a quick buck rather than developing a skill or a trade that would provide them with an income and be a service to their country.

This will be our last post for May. Starting June 2, 2015, we will only post the first and third Tuesdays of June, July, and August. Remember to Follow Us so you won’t miss anything.

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©2015 Hope4Congo