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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Life at the Ranger Refugee Camp
Yesterday afternoon I was at the camp with Diddy, checking on our Rangers and their families. The water situation is now under control, and we have not had another outbreak of cholera since Friday. We had a drainage problem, and lots of water was accumulating and attracting insects (and disease would follow), but that is now fixed.
I saw Kalvanda, the Ranger who was so badly beaten by the military that he couldn’t walk last week. He is doing so much better and you only recognize him because he is still wearing the same shirt! You can see for yourself in the photo below (his wife is in the background with one of their children) and the photos from yesterday’s blog post of when we finally were able to get him to a clinic.
I also saw Alphonse, the Ranger who rode his bicycle all the way from Rumangabo. He is pretty happy to be in Goma.
And another baby has been born! She was born on Sunday, in the makeshift shelter at the camp, and is the daughter of Sami, a Ranger who was also forced to flee Rumangabo.
So life goes on. We continuously need to monitor the welfare of our Rangers and their families. The area is cramped, and it rains every afternoon with huge force which makes you think the camp is going to be washed away!
But thanks to all of your donations, we are able to feed the Rangers and their families, provide adquate sanitation, and also essential medical care.
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News from Congo- Suspected rebels rape over 240 women in DR Congo: NGO - AFP
- Congo Mass Rape Numbers Rise To 240: UN Report - Huffington Post (blog)
- Will United Nations Cover-Up Rwanda’s Congo Genocide? - Black Star News
- Soco Falls After Nganga Well Finds Water-Bearing Sands in Congo - Bloomberg
- Congo Gives Rights to Two First Quantum Mines to Hong Kong-Based Company - Bloomberg
- MagIndustries Update on Potash Investment Agreement with Republic of Congo - MarketWatch (press release)
- UN Delays Release of Report on Possible Congo Genocide - New York Times
- UK complicit in bankrolling Congo conflict - The Guardian
- British man piloted Congo death crash plane - The Guardian
- Congo rapes worse than reported - Salon
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16 Responses to “Life at the Ranger Refugee Camp”
It is nice to see a big smile despite all this tragedy….
Its great to have some good news! Many congrats to Sami and his wife of the new born! My thoughts are with all of you all the time.
Great to be able to see the camp and the new baby. Congratulations to mum & dad! I agree, Virginia, lovely to see a big Congolese smile.
Au nom du staff de Gorilla Organization nous présentons nos félicitations au couple Sami et encourageons l’ICCN dans ses inlassables efforts et croyons que demain sera meilleur.
courage et hardons confiance à une paix proche
[...] Description of life in a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Yesterday afternoon I was at the camp with Diddy, checking on our Rangers and their families. The water situation is now under control, and we have not had another outbreak of cholera since Friday.” Posted by Ndesanjo Macha Print Version Share This [...]
Hello Innocent! Please tell Sami and his wife that I wish their beautiful baby daughter a long and very happy life. Take care, Iris
Hi Innocent, I’m with Virginia. It is so nice to see Ranger Alphonse’s big beautiful smile, in the midst of such turmoil. I continue to spread the word to friends and family regarding what is going on there. I’m glad to hear that donations are helping. Congratulations to Sami and his wife on the birth of their daughter. Lisa
And what a smile. Quite frankly these guys are just amazing. Their resilience is admirable and their attitude to all of this chaos is incredible. Thank you from me for your continuing support. Fighting has just kicked off again up in Rutshuru, north of Rumangabo. Diddy is worried because his family of course is in Kiwanja, just north of there. Congo PM apparently now coming to town…
These guys are amazing. Stuck in tents far from home and yet he is full of the good news. Resilient, resourceful and remarkable. Congratulations to Sami and his wife. What a miracle!!!
Yes, news from Kiwanja, where 38 of our rangers have taken refuge, is not good. Renewal of armed combat with a lot shelling. We’re hoping it doesn’t spread
Samantha — were you guys ever able to check out the Shelter Box info I sent along…seems like this could help the rangers out immensely if the program were available to you.
Congratulations to Sami and his wife for their beautiful daughter! I pray for her to have a long, happy and safe life.
Count me in on all the well wishers……….stay safe everyone..and I hope to god the animals are safe!
Hi Christine - I did check out Shelter Box and it looks very helpful (I liked the thermal blankets especially) and comprehensive. I need to go back to the site again and figure out costs and how the boxes would get here. I am pretty sure I have never seen these boxes before here - but I really need to contact them. Thank you for reminding me. Will let you know the outcome.
Thank you Innocent for these photographs. Which pleasure of seeing that Kalvana can circulate with bicycle… after its ill treatment. A beautiful joy also of seeing this little sister of Sami arrived among you. All my congratulations to the parents and all my wishes of happiness to the new born.
Here I was reading and frowning and worrying, scanning down the blog posts. When suddenly, I saw the smiling faces of the rangers at the refugee camp. What a great lesson to see the joy and new life in the midst of the chaos and destruction. Thank you for showing the best of the human spirit. Smiles and joy are infectious. If you all can smile, so can I!