Communication - Mama Makeka House of Hope

Project Title

Improving the Quality of Health, Culture of Peace, and Primary and Secondary Education, Women and Youth Entrepreneurship, Local Culture and News among Hard to Reach Population of the Kajiji Health Zone through the Development of a Community Based FM Radio Broadcasting Station

Contact Information

Project Manager: Dr. Pakisa K. Tshimika, MMH Hope Executive Director and Founder – 4975 E. Butler Avenue #102, Fresno CA 93727. Pakisa@mmhhope.org, (559) 644-5220

Project Assistants: Maurice Matsitsa, Heritier Funga, Serge Tshinyama, and Flore Kabeya. Avenue Lasa n° 8 bis, Quartier Mazal (under construction) Mont-Ngafula, Kinshasa, DR Congo

NGO Implementing the Project

Mama Makeka House of Hope (MMH Hope) (www.mmhhope.org) was established in 2002 in memory of my (Pakisa, Executive Director and Founder) mother, who died in Kinshasa due to poor health care services, and yet as an African woman was a model of hospitality and service. Our mission, likewise, is to be a model nongovernmental organization serving the underserved population in Africa, but focusing first in the Democratic Republic of Congo with priorities in health, education, and peacebuilding.

In Kinshasa, we are developing a Professional Resourcing Center to become the base for MMH Hope in DRC, provide space for meetings, guestrooms, library, two emerging Professional Organizations – Francophone Institute for Peacebuilding and Leadership Development and the Congolese Association for Global Health. In Kajiji, Southwestern Congo, we are testing the use of a Health Zone, which is the Primary Health Care delivery system in the Congo, as a strategy for holistic community development. We seven pillars as we have developed them with the Kajiji people using the Nudge Theory.

Goal for the Project

The goal of this project is to improve the quality of health, culture of peace, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and news among this 150,000 hard to reach population of the Kajiji Health Zone by developing a Community Based FM Radio Broadcasting Station. Furthermore, by establishing a Community Based Radio Station, the people of this region will now feel connected with the outside world.

Specific Objectives – Among the specific objectives of this project are the following:

Map and develop data base on health education, peace culture, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to current national and international affairs/news, etc.

Develop a partnership with a Kinshasa based Radio Sango Malamo for producing and sharing radio broadcasting programs for MMH Hope programming priority areas.

Purchase broadcasting radio equipment and supplies in the USA.

Meet with the Kajiji Health Zone “Nudge Committee” to discuss the implementation of the Communication Pillar with the installation of an FM Rural Radio Broadcasting Station in Kajiji, capable of covering 150 Km radius.

Hire a Station Manager, develop and train a small team of volunteers on how to run the Broadcasting Radio Station.

Monitor and evaluate the impact of the Radio as per goal and objectives outlined above.

Implementing Location: Kajiji Rural Health Zone

Kajiji is a beautiful little village built on the edge of a high plateau (3,000 feet above the sea level) overlooking the Angolan border in the Bandundu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is located close to 1000 kilometers from Kinshasa, the capital city. Life in Kajiji centers around church related activities and programs – a 150 beds hospital, primary school, a nursing school, and two high schools with one focusing on training girls in home economics. In 1984, with assistance from USAID, Kajiji became one of the initial 13 health zones to be organized in Congo. As such, the Kajiji Health Zone serves a population of 150,000 (beside patients from Angola) organized in one coordination office, one general hospital, 17 operational health centers, 5 additional high schools, a dozen primary schools, a few community markets and stores, and several villages of no more than 500 people each.

Today, with the missionaries gone and most international organizations focusing their efforts in Eastern Congo, the region seems to be neglected, there are no means of communication, roads have not been repaired, and only one vehicle for the public health program. There is one secure way of getting to Kajiji, by air with Mission Aviation Fellowship unless one decides to travel by the almost non-existent roads from Gungu to Kajiji (450 Km) after one day on a paved road from Kinshasa to Kikwit (520 Km). To make a phone call, people must travel almost 100 Km to Kahemba where there is a cell phone antenna.

Project Outcome

Among the outcomes are the following:

Having developed a map and develop data base on primary health care education, peace culture education, primary and secondary education hygiene, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to current national and international affairs/news.
Having purchase and/or adapted with permission radio programs related to health, peacebuilding, primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, access to local culture, and local and international affairs/news.
Having conducted quarterly monitoring of the project as per goal, objectives, and implementation plan of this project.

Evaluation Process

The project will be assessed according to process, short and long term impact evaluations. Process evaluation will be based on the implementation plan and monitoring regularly the changes based on data being collected on yearly basis. The long and short term impact to be evaluated according to the ways the main goal and objectives had been accomplished thanks to the implementation of the Radio Station.

Summary Budget

The total budget for this project is $ 25,000

Improving the Quality of Health, Culture of Peace, and Primary and Secondary Education, Women and Youth Entrepreneurship, Local Culture and News among the Hard to Reach Population of the Kajiji Health Zone through the Development of a Community Based FM Radio Broadcasting Station

Background to Kajiji Health Zone

Kajiji was established by North American missionaries of the Unevangelized Tribal Mission in 1940 then transferred to the American Mennonite Brethren Mission in 1952. For some people Kajiji may seem like the end of the world. However for many of us whose umbilical cords were buried there, it is and will always be the beginning of our world. For some, it might seem like a nice place that is only good for watching the African sunset but to us it is the city of the sunrise whose beauty is not yet fully revealed.

Life in Kajiji centers around church related activities and programs – a 150 beds hospital, primary school, a nursing school, and two high schools with one focusing on training girls in home economics. In 1984, with assistance from USAID, Kajiji became one of the initial 13 health zones to be organized in Congo. As such, the Kajiji Health Zone serves a population of 150,000 (beside patients from Angola) organized in one coordination office, one general hospital, 17 operational health centers, 5 additional high schools, a dozen primary schools, a few community markets and stores, and several villages of no more than 500 people each.

Today with the missionaries gone and most international organizations focusing their efforts in Eastern Congo, the region seems to be neglected. There are no means of communication, roads have not been repaired, and only one vehicle for the public health program. There is only one secure way of getting to Kajiji, by air with Mission Aviation Fellowship unless one wants to travel by road on the almost non-existent roads from Gungu to Kajiji after one day of a paved road from Kinshasa to Kikwit. Radio transmission from Kinshasa or Bandundu is not even accessible because no antenna has been placed in this region. To make a phone call, people must travel almost 100 Km to Kahemba where there is a cell phone antenna.

People of Kajiji Health Zone

One will find people from all over the country living in the Kajiji region. Some have come to the region because of government or church related jobs. Others came because of business then made the region their home. Historically, there are two main tribal cousins groups that have lived side by side for many years and they both consider their roots to be in Northern Angola.

The Chokwe People

Chokwe origin can perhaps be traced to the Mbundu and Mbuti Pygmies. Between 1600 and 1850 they were under considerable influence from the Lunda states and were centrally located in Angola. In the second half of the 19th century though, considerable development of the trade routes between the Chokwe homelands and the Angolan coast led to increased trade of ivory and rubber. Wealth acquired from this allowed the Chokwe kingdom to expand, eventually overtaking the Lunda states that had held sway over them for so long. Their success was short-lived, however. The effects of overexpansion, disease, and colonialism resulted in the fragmentation of Chokwe power.

The Chokwe are well known for art objects produced to celebrate and validate the royal court. These objects include ornately carved stools and chairs used as thrones. Most of the sculptures are portraits, which represent the royal lineage.

Staffs, scepters, and spears are among other implements sculpted to celebrate the court.

The Chokwe do not recognize a paramount leader, but instead offer allegiance to local chiefs who inherit their positions from the maternal uncle. The chiefs (mwana nganga) consult with a committee of elders and ritual specialists before making decisions. Villages are divided into manageable sections which are governed by family headmen. All members of Chokwe society are divided into two categories: those who are descended from the founding matrilineal lines and those who are descended from former enslaved populations.

The Lunda People

Lunda history is intricately tied to the peoples living throughout the entire region of south central Congo (Zaire), western Zambia, and northern Angola. From the early 17th century until the late 19th century when the Chokwe took over regional power, the Lunda empire was the dominant political and military force in this area of Africa. A political union with the neighboring Luba peoples dates back to a royal wedding between Lweji, daughter of a Lunda land chief, and Cibinda Ilunga, son of the first Luba king, Kalala Ilunga. Following this union many dissatisfied clans left the centralized Lunda area and colonized new areas of central Africa, extending the Lunda Empire enormously. Lunda influence remained considerable from Lake Tanganyika almost to the Atlantic Ocean, until Chokwe and then colonial interventions diminished their power.

The head of the Lunda is entitled Mwaat Yaav and, together with a council of royal dignitaries, was at one time responsible for overseeing political decisions for the entire kingdom. Localized politics were presided over by land chiefs, who wielded a great deal of religious power, and by administrators appointed by the royal court. The majority of the Lunda kingdom was ruled indirectly with traditional leaders in individual regions given the opportunity to make local decisions, as long as proper tribute was paid to the Lunda overlords. It is believed that the Lunda may have at one time been patrilineal, but as they conquered and incorporated various ethnic groups that were matrilineal, their political system transformed to reflect a preference for matrilineal descent.

Economic Life in the Kajiji Region

Since the colonial period followed by more than thirty years of dictatorship by Mobutu, the region has been one of the most neglected economically in the country. The two people groups of the area share common cultures and historical background with those on the Angola side because they were once part of the same Lunda Empire. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the people of the Kajiji region have never been directly involved in any civil wars in either Congo or Angola, the governments on both sides of the borders have not attempted to make any effort to develop the basic infrastructures with the goal of improving the quality of life of the population of the region.

This population has no access to electricity or running water. The roads have not been maintained for years. The region is potentially very rich in agriculture. In the late 80’s our gardener tested if apples could grow in Kajiji. To our surprise many months later a small tree grew out of the seeds he had planted and a couple of years later, it gave green apples. Without fertilizing the soil, the local population can easily grow bananas, coconut, oranges, coffee, grapefruits, lemons, manioc, cotton, tomatoes, hot papers, avocadoes, lime, guava, papaya, carrots, pineapples, and mangoes, several kinds of beans including soy beans, corn, peanuts, palm nuts, rice, onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and sugar cane.

Furthermore, you can also find in this region wild mushrooms, cola nuts, honey, and special caterpillars that are sought after in other parts of the country and Africa. I believe that many other crops such as grapes, peaches, nectarines, pear, and plumbs, could probably be introduced in this region given its climate. Kajiji is located at 3,000 feet above the sea level.

The region is also good for raising livestock – goats, cattle, pigs, and moutons, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Wild game of the region includes leopards, elephants, buffalos, hippopotamus, lions, monkeys, different species of antelopes, and wild boars. Unfortunately, due to heavy hunting in the past, animal protein is becoming scarce. Caterpillars, ground nuts, fish, and other forms of grabs are becoming the main source of protein.

Drought is not an issue in this region because rain is very abundant. It rains nine months a year, one short dry season between January and February then 3 months of dry season between May and August. The lack of infrastructure has also contributed to poverty and underdevelopment of this region. It is my impressions from traveling around the world that four factors are critical for community transformation – water, road, electricity and communication. I believe that a combination of these four factors will assist to transform a community from extreme poverty to abundant life as Jesus taught his disciples. Facilitating community transformation will promote abundant life not only for the people in Congo but also for the Angolans who share the same cultural values with their brothers and sisters in Congo. Many of them are related anyway because it is not unusual to find villages with the same names on both sides of the borders.

Due to a lack of organized health care services on the Angolan side, many Angolans cross the border to access health care services on the Congolese side. Consequently, when medicines and medical supplies are scare within the Kajiji health zone, the populations on both sides of the border suffer.

Why Health Zone as Framework for this Project?

When I think of all the structural systems that are supposed to transcend political and religious barriers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I believe that one of the most stable infrastructures through which community based programs may be initiated, promoted, and nurtured are Health Zones. In Congo, decentralizing health care has been shown to be an effective way to move planning, budgeting and management of primary health care closer to the communities served. During the 1980s, with assistance from projects like SANRU, Basic Rural Health, DR Congo was successfully decentralized from the bottom up creating 306 health zones. They are now 515 health zones although many of them are not very functional at the moment due to past and present economic, social, and political instability in the country.

Each health zone is geographically defined and services a population of around 125,000. Health zones include a reference hospital for referral services, a health zone office for technical coordination and supervision, and typically 10-20 health areas depending on population density. Each health area includes a health center to provide preventive and curative services and is run by a public health nurse. Outreach activities from the health center in collaboration with the community strive to provide immunizations and growth monitoring for every child. Inside each heath zone one will also find other structures such as schools, churches, road, and government offices that can be used to promote or initiate community development activities.

Years of war and turbulence have had a catastrophic effect on health care in Congo, but health zones have survived. In 2001, a WHO/UNICEF mission reported that “The health zone system… is possibly the only system in the country still recognizable as a nation-wide quasi-state structure. And even with critically little or no support, it commands allegiance and support from health workers.”

The conflicts and war in Congo continue to reinforce the idea of Congo as “the Heart of Darkness.” One thing that is not usually mentioned if the fact there has never been a time when the whole country has been at war. In terms of community development, the regions that have never been engaged in war or open conflict do not anything to show for it either. It is my opinion that the postwar period in Congo might seem to be challenging but it also provides to those who care about the Congolese people an opportunity to test new ideas, new cultural practices, mourn the old and create a new present and new future for individuals, local communities and the nation as a whole.

Goal for the Project

The goal of this project is to improve the quality of health, culture of peace, primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to news among this 150,000 hard to reach population of the Kajiji Health Zone by developing a Community Based FM Radio Broadcasting Station. Furthermore, by establishing a Community Based Radio, the people will feel connected to the outside world.

Specific Objectives

Map and develop data base on health, peace culture, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to current national and international affairs/news, etc.

Develop a partnership with the Kinshasa based Radio Sango Malamo for producing and sharing radio broadcasting programs for MMH Hope programming priority areas.

Purchase broadcasting equipment and supplies from the US.

Meet with the Kajiji Health Zone “Nudge Committee” to discuss the implementation of the Communication Pillar with the installation of an FM Rural Radio Broadcasting Station in Kajiji and capable of covering a radius of 150 Km.

Develop and train a small team of volunteers to run the Radio Broadcasting Station

Purchase and/or adapt with permission radio programs related to health, peacebuilding, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture, and access to local and international affairs/news.

Conduct a quarterly monitoring of the project as per these objectives, goal of the project, and accomplishment of activities according to pre-established plan.

Conduct a yearly and five year mark to assess the impact of the radio broadcasting as a strategy for improving the quality of health, peacebuilding, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture, and access to local and international affairs/news.

Project Outcome

By the end of the 18 months of this project we would have accomplished the following:

Developed a map and data base on health, peace culture, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to current national and international affairs/news.

Developed a partnership with the Kinshasa based Radio Sango Malamo program production and sharing

Hired a Station Manager, selected and trained volunteer broadcasting and reporting teams.

Purchased, installed and running MMH Hope Kajiji Broadcasting Radio Station.

Have conducted quarterly process evaluation and one yearly short term evaluation to assess the impact of the radio on objectives set for the project.

Planned strategies for 5 and 10 years long term evaluation.

Implementation Plan

Activities	Timeline	By Whom	Observation
Develop the Project Proposal	November 2014	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika
Discuss the project proposal with Kinshasa Team	January 2015	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika
Negotiate with Radio Sango Malamo regarding possible program production and sharing partnership	March 2015	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika and Kinshasa Team	Contact Chantal Kanyimbo
Develop/adopt appropriate radio programs: hygiene, waterborne diseases, after school programs, healing from trauma of the past, dealing with individual and community conflict,	March – July 2015	Team/Radio Sango Malamo Team
Explore team of broadcasting and reporting volunteer team	January/February 2015	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika
Search for Radio Station Manager as a Volunteer Advisor	March 2015	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika
Purchase FM Radio Transmitter Equipment	June 2015	Dr. Pakisa Tshimika
Meet with the Kajiji Nudge Committee	June 2015	Heritier Funga
Hire a full time Station Manager	July 2015	Dr. Pakisa & Team
Install radio equipment	August 2015
Train volunteers for operation and reporting	August 2015	Volunteer Advisor
Inaugurate the MMH Hope Kajiji Radio Broadcasting Station	September 2015	Team
Quarterly Monitor Radio operation		Team
Yearly Evaluation		Team
Systematic 5 Year Evaluation	2020	Outside Evaluator
Systematic 10 Year Evaluation	2025	Outside Evaluator

Project Evaluation Process

The project will be evaluated through the following:

Process Evaluation: We shall use the implementation plan to evaluate if we are achieving our activities according to the time table that was proposed. We will also monitor regularly the changes based on data being collected on yearly basis.

Short Term Outcome Evaluation: The short term outcome shall be evaluated by assessing if we are accomplishing in space and time our goal, objectives, and implementation plan.

Long Term Outcome Evaluation: A specific plan and strategies shall be developed to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the Community Based Radio Broadcasting Programs on health, culture of peace, and primary and secondary education, women and youth entrepreneurship, local culture and access to current national and international affairs/news within the Kajiji Health Zone. Such research shall be planned for a period lasting no less than 10 years to actually get a long term impact.

Project Budget


Description	Requested	MMH Hope	Total
Personnel & Administration
Station Manager	0	3,600	3600
Office supplies	0	600	600
Travel & Transportation to Kajiji by MAF	0	3,000	3000
Subtotal	0	7,200	7200

Investment: Equipment
CYBERMAXFM+ DSP/RDS 15W + 3KW Ampli.	4,899.99	0.00	4,899.99
D&R Air Mate USB 8 channel mixer	1,699.00	0.00	1,699.00
DJSTAR ECM-140 studio mic	549.95	0.00	549.95
Swivel arm microphone stand	399.95	0.00	399.95
Laptop computer	500	0.00	500.00
Digital tape recorder	151.11	88.89	240.00
Solar Power Generator	1,800	0.00	1,800.00
Backup Generator	0.00	1,200	1,200.00
Subtotal	10,000.00	1,288.89	11,288.89

Project Total Budget	10000.00	8488.89	18488.89

Communication FM Radio Project