Dateline ACT

Goma 02/02

People of Goma desperate for work

Goma, January 28, 2002
By Rainer Lang

"My job is finished", says Amos Malunga. The former manager of the Baptist guesthouse now drives one of the church vehicles. But the father of seven is happy that he at least has some work. Many others have lost their jobs without any possibility of finding new work. The lava flow that engulfed a large part of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), destroyed the shops in the city center as well as many of the services run by the schools, hospitals and the churches.

Wherever one goes in Goma, young men are asking people for work. And although more than half of the city is intact, the lava hit the core part of Goma, destroying much of the infrastructure. "People were already living in a stressed environment," a relief worker describes the situation in the overcrowded city.

Gina Elengi is one of 24,000 pupils who now cannot attend school in Goma. She and her parents found shelter in a church, as did many of the hundreds of families who had to flee the devastation when Mount Nyiragongo erupted. The smell of the fumes emitted by the slowly hardening lava still hangs in a heavy pall over the streets of the city. Gina says that her family home went up in flames and that they have no option now but to live outside.

Reconstruction efforts are the most important item on everyone's agenda now, as increasingly people's most urgent needs are being met. The ACT alliance in Goma is in the process of assessing the situation and looking at the possibility of reconstruction. The churches suffered devastating losses as the lava stream engulfed many of their buildings. The destruction of the Baptist Hospital, said to have been one of the best in town, left a huge void in the city's infrastructure.

Rensao Mapendo sits all by himself, perched on a brick in the center of town. Behind him stretches a vast tract of lava that completely covers his house. He dreams of becoming a driver, as many others do. With twelve other members of his family, he now lives in a classroom of a school.

When ACT member Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) unloaded the trucks carrying water equipment, a small crowd of young men gathered in front of the compound asking for work. "The town is totally overcrowded. There are no jobs available," says Amos Malunga, shrugging his shoulders. He studied for three years at the university in Kigali and has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration. Now, he does not care what kind of work he gets, as long as he works and can earn money to support his family.