Settling in Lanza

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We’ve chosen to settle in Lanza, so we want to make it our home as quickly as possible. After the first night here, we went to Aru, the biggest place nearby which sells necessities of daily life as well as things we need to advance our work. That day, we bought a mattress, a bed, solar panels, a battery, wires, lamps, and farming supplies.  We also needed pots, pans, and other kitchen equipment such as charcoal burners, gas burners, 20-liter jerrycans and kettles. In Lanza, there is no electricity or running water, so we have to be creative. Solar-energy is a solution to lights and charging phones or laptops. Water is being pumped out of a single well in the village and carried in our 20-liter jerrycans by girls from the church. The toilet a short walk from our house, a small hut with a hole in the ground. The shower is also a walk away and consists of a simple hut with a drain where you can wash out of a bucket. Shortly, we’re back to basic! Living life just like we were 30 years ago, it appears as if Congo has stood still in time.

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After a few days in Aru, buying the things we needed to survive in Lanza, we drove back. It took about three hours, but it was worth it for the welcome we received on our return. Everyone helped us to unpack our car and we were greeted by the Women of the Good News with their white flag.

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We have been offered to temporarily live in the guesthouse which was built by the initiative of these women. It is a humble abode, with earth floors and a small storage space which I use as a kitchen. All day, we busied ourselves with unpacking, organizing our things and assembling furniture. All the whilst being watched by a great number of children peeking through the windows and doors. Privacy is not a known concept here! Roelof makes chit chat in Bangala with occasional unintended Swahili words, a cause for great entertainment. At the end of that day, we were brought food by the women of the church which was such a relief as I was exhausted. The next day I was the chef, a chance to try out our new charcoal oven. It was harder to light than I imagined, but the large body of children who were still following our every move; offered their assistance.  Cooking on charcoal and gas can begin! That night, I made curry with local mushrooms with rice. It took a while, but it worked.

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After we sorted the house, we had time to explore the beautiful surroundings of Lanza. There are still so many trees, a lovely river, and interesting flowers and birds. Hopefully, it will remain this way for a long time. People here seem to treat the forest carelessly, implementing a slash and burn agricultural method. Farmers can see short term gain with this method, but unfortunately slash and burn exhausts the soil, always asking for more forest land to be destroyed. With the 4 Pillar method, none of that is necessary, keeping the soil fertile and sparing the forest.

On the way back we danced with the children in the village. The next day we had a formal introductory visit to the highest traditional chief (a kind of king of the ethnic group in the area, the Dongo), accompanied by the pastor of the church. He greeted us warmly and expressed his contentment with our arrival in his district. He also allocated us tens of hectares of land, which we can use for our project to progress our work. Last week we made a careful start with this work.

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