The road to Kipako

On the road

The primary school

End of classes

Primary school children

Philimène Dikamba rscj and Pélagie Nzenzi rscj

A student from the secondary school

In the dispensary

Young mother photos: Lolín Menéndez rscj

On the road to the heart

Kipako, Democratic Republic of Congo

At the end of a road that is short in kilometres but made longer by the challenge of mud, holes and slippery slopes, many questions come up, especially the first time that one makes the journey:

“Why did the rscj chose to come here in 1930, and begin a community in the “bush”?  Which needs did they want to respond to?”

“And now in 2008, what is the meaning of our presence there?

On arrival at Kipako, one enters into the heart of the countryside. There are trees, flowers, the songs of birds…. peace and quiet.

Kipako 1930 : the rscj wanted to serve the local people who had no acces to health services nor to schools. The desire to be with those whose needs were ignored echoed the call felt by Madeleine Sophie and repeated in our Constitutions and Chapters in the language of each century; a response, as the years go by, shaped according to need.

The first rscj began through means suited to the times: reading and writing for women, weighing babies; fairly soon classes in housekeeping  were added, and a dispensary was also started. The sisters went to the villages where the women were happy to meet other women who could listen to their difficulties as mothers and young wives. The presence of the sisters went beyond mere listening; little by little, sewing and knitting classes were started, and a “short cycle” trained monitors for the housekeeping classes.

Kipako 2008 : the rscj are still there, present in this corner of the country with hearts of educators. They have adapted to the changing needs of the local population; instead of literacy and housekeeping there is now a primary school, a secondary school with a science section and one for teacher training, and a boarding school. At the beginning the village children came in greater numbers; now there are quite a few children from Kinshasa whose parents appreciate the care of the Sisters, the family spirit, the good teaching.

We still weigh babies, but the dispensary has grown: a maternity ward, one for paediatrics, a laboratory, consultation rooms, hospital beds for adults….

In spite of the growth of our apostolate “we do regret that those for whom we came escape us. Many village children leave school early; it is possible for them to work and farm for a living, whereas those with diplomas often do not find work”, says one rscj. Nevertheless, the value of the continuous presence of the Sisters can not be denied. One of the results is the religious vocations coming from the school. We put our facilities at the service of all, especially of young people, but also for everyone: the sick, the children, the mothers….

The road to Kipako is still very much a challenge. Smalls cars can not travel on it, as they did once upon a time. But the quality of the care, of the teaching, assures that the Heart of God continues to be present in this small area of the vast Congo.