00:08 Comment

The idyll of the Luapula River is deceptive.

Whoever drinks the water here is risking his health. The river is contaminated with germs. But thirst usually outweighs the risk.  

00:22

The nearest wells are often hours away and the water costs money, which most here have not got.

This is the bitter reality for hundreds of thousands of families in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

00:36

The disaster is written in the face of Kakule. This boy has severe abdominal pain. His mother Cecile is convinced that it comes from the river water.

For two years the well in the fishing village of Kapumba has been unusable. The 80 families in the village have no choice but to take drinking water from the river. The result? One in ten children here die from infections due to contaminated water.

OT 1:02 Cecile Kibwe

Mother of Kakule

"It is exasperating. I have nine children. At least two are always sick because they drink river water. They have bloated bellies, stomach cramps, and fever. They often cry the whole night through. It's hard to bear. I pray a lot and hope for God's help. "(- 1:23) 

1:25 comment

The villagers are desperate for this infant mortality to end; they dream of a new well for the village.

Without outside help, this dream won’t be fulfilled quickly. The total income of all the villagers combined is around 1,000 euros a month. A new well will cost up to 8,000 euros.

1:48

Priest Boniface, director of the local charity ‘Katanga’, has promised to help. Together with three well technicians, he is on the road to Kasenga, a town of about 25,000 inhabitants. There, people are waiting anxiously for the renovation of broken wells.

The operation has the support of the charity ‘foreign aid Upper Austria’ and energy-AG subsidiary WDL. They will finance the project. 

2:13

The charity has the input of labourers from Kasenga. The project partners from Austria want to use this visit to show their solidarity. On the other hand, they want to reassure themselves that their locally run project, ‘water drops’, is in control.

Most of the wells here were built in the early 1990s by the charity, and now desperately need redeveloping.

2:38 Susanne Hack

Congo Project Officer, Charity ‘foreign aid Upper Austria’

"About half of the pumps that were built in the 90s are broken. About 100 pumps need to be repaired in the next 3 years, so about 30 pumps a year. In villages where there is still no pump, so no access to clean water, new pumps need to be built and wells to be drilled. " 

03:01 Comment

Until then, the priority is creating awareness that dirty water is a hazard to children, and for the sick and the elderly can be fatal. Currently, more than half the 66 million Congolese have no access to clean water. (- 3.19) 

3:20 Jeanne Ngol

concerned mother, Kasenga (quickly)

"We shower with the river water, we cook with it. We wash our laundry, and of course we drink it. What should we do? We have no other choice. I am often in the hospital. Every time the doctors tell me that I have swallowed microbes. I often feel weak and have frequent diarrhoea. "(- 3:36) 

03:39 Comment

In meetings with representatives of the local water committees the next steps are discussed. The committee have been involved from the start of the "water drops" project and are responsible for the maintenance of the pumps.

No help comes from the state. The country is still recovering slowly from the horrors of war. 

3:57 Susan Hack

Congo Project Officer, Charity Upper foreign aid

"The last civil war lasted from 1998 to 2003 and claimed the lives of four million people. An infrastructure is just being established. This is primarily through NGOs, which take care of the basic needs of the population, such as the water supply. The church plays a very important role, because it is represented everywhere, in all communities, in all villages. Through the church charities are anchored." 

4:21 comment

It is not easy to work through the difficult legacy of the war. It requires time and sensitivity. Many Congolese feel let down by the state.

(- 04:32) 

4:33 Priest Boniface Mukaber Mumba

Director charity Katanga (slowly)

"I am angry and disappointed. I am very concerned that the government does nothing for the poor. As a man of the church, I feel compelled to help people who live in poverty and misery. I exert all my strength to ensure that they can live in dignity and have future opportunities. "(- 4:49) 

5:00 comment

The first steps on the long road to a better future are being taken. It may only be the proverbial drop in the bucket, but through local projects like ‘water drops’, over 500,000 Congolese people have been given hope.

END: 5.30 (exit from 5:20 is possible)