Our operations manager and I traveled to the DR Congo the beginning of February to do a mini-assessment and fact-finding mission for our department as we consider expanding our operational programs there to meet the needs of refugees returning and internally displaced people fleeing fighting.
(These are temporary shelters built by displaced Congolese fleeing form fighting in their communities) It's really sad...
We definitely found that the need was enormous. No question. The two weeks spent in the DR Congo were full of adventures and stories quite unlike anything I've experienced. Days and days of the worst "roads"
in the entire world (that's not just our opinions -- that's the truth!), fording streams, getting stuck in deep potholes and in mud more than 6 times in one day, almost getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere/jungle after dark,meeting with rebel leaders, visiting villages in the jungle, staying in a city covered with volcanic hardened lava, 
checkpoints, visiting villages only accessible by boat,
checkpoints, visiting villages only accessible by boat,
Yes... these are miniature fish we're eating... they are SO GOOD! You just eat it all in one bite -- eyeballs, bones and all ;)
And of course, the kids are adorable everywhere you go.
It breaks my heart to see the conditions they live in -- but I'm hopeful that World Relief will continue to work in their communities - building schools, providing health programs, and rebuilding livelihoods.All in all, it was a good trip because we were able to get all the
information we needed to inform decisionmaking back at HQ. And we couldn't have chosen a more beautiful country to visit -- the mountains, lakes, rivers and palm trees make it look like something out of paradise. It's hard to believe that such a beautiful country has been ravaged by war and violence for so many years.
