I match the couch

And so it is mine. No matter what Zeric says.

The Congo River

Though we see it everyday from our balcony, we are still amazing at how huge and beautiful and powerful it is!

 

Our bonobo cousins at Lola Ya Bonobo

Lola Ya Bonobo means Bonobo Paradise, and these wonderful people rescue bonobos from all over the country.  Congolese have quite an appetite for monkey, but they also think it's pretty funny to put them in cages.  Glad that there are organizations working to end all of this.  We were happy to go see their good work.

 

 

Bonobos are unique to DRC, and here's where they can be found:

"Killing, eating, capturing, buying, selling, or owning a Great Ape is illegal."

So, while these beautiful animals were mistaken for chimpanzees for a long time, they are actually their own kind of monkey.  They are beautiful and I wish we had had more time with them, and that we could have gotten close (though I know we shouldn't wish for such things as they are still wild animals).  You can just feel that they feel the same things we do.. like this mama and her baby.

The sanctuary is very well protected and has a large enclosed area for the bonobos.  Don't be worried about the fence.. that's to keep us out of their special place!  This woman is the alpha of a particular group, as bonobos (unlike chimps) are matriarchal--and as a result, a much more peaceful society.  Don't mess with her, though.  We had some bananas to share, and she wasn't feeling all too patient about waiting for them to be tossed over the fence.  Note the handful of sand in her hand that she would threaten to pelt us with if we didn't hand them over!  I like her. I think we would be friends.

This is an older gentleman, probably around 35 years old. 

Great muscles!!

Another mama and her baby, hanging out.

I like him too..

Our hot and sweaty monkeys..

And there was the nursery for rescued babies learning to be bonobos again.  They each have their (human) mom that stays with them 24/7 until they are able to integrate into a pack.  Many of them arrive so traumatized that they need this kind of care not to die.  I'd LOVE to be one of those ladies!  We saw some here that were curious and funny and playful.. it was lovely.

 

What a great visit!!  Aunt Tirzy, you have to come!

On the road to see the bonobos!

Having Juan here is was a great reason to do some sightseeing!  We decided to go see the bonobos.  Thankfully, we had friends who had just been there and could give us directions :)

It's fun to see what's on the way as we get out of

our little part of town and into the real Kinshasa!

I wish I could get vegetables at these prices!!

Juan in Kin!

By some stroke of great luck, Juan took over the DRC portfolio for Chemonics and so he gets to come see us here!!  He came to visit in December (to help make the ACCELERE launch happen), and so we got to hang out.  Looking forward to seeing him often!!

 

Big education program launch

Our predecessors created an impressive project to reach 1.5 million kids to get them in school, and improve the reading programs in DRC.  This project will also reach another 450,000 older kids in the east who weren't able to go to school because of the war, with a three-year program that condenses the six-year primary school curriculum.  The project's name is ACCELERE.  Though it got going in May, we held the official launch in early December.  It was a great morning, filled with kids singing and a skit that talked about why parents don't send their kids to school (and, of course, how ACCELERE addresses all of those problems!).

 

Education Minister Maker Famba Mwangu is a big fan of ACCELERE, and we were happy to hear about his vision for DRC.. now, we just have to make it work!

 

The unpack

We waited about six months from the time we packed out in Jakarta to the time we got our stuff in Kinshasa.  We asked and asked and nagged and nagged.. and finally, it came!  Wow.  It was a lot of stuff!!!