Japan round 2: Tokyo by storm

Japan: Store Fronts

Photo theme on store fronts

Rains...finally...

It's March in Karamoja and it seems that a 4 year drought might be broken. The ground which normally wrinkles into a cracked dry mosaic has been transformed into a velvet green wonderland. Fingers of life stretch out of the red ground in a performance reminiscent of a resurrection. Birds, butterflies and bees are reborn, rivers overflow, and clouds enshroud Mount Moroto. New life has been breathed into a barren existence. An existence which weeks before seemed to be hanging on the fringe of survival...on the fringe of the world's thoughts. There is a sense of hope...at least for now...

Random pictures of nothing in particular

DR Congo or my long lost love

I recently had the opportunity to go to DR Congo with Samaritan’s Purse. The first few days we spent in Bunia, meeting with WFP (World Food Programme) about potentially starting distributions in NE Congo. From there we went to a village called Nyankunde where SP is helping to rebuild a hospital destroyed by the Ituri conflict sometime around 2002.

Here are some things I learned:

- 1. Congo is gold plated.

- 2. Taxing is a national sport –I was taxed for One Pass (a tax to improve the airport), Health ( a tax on your health ?!?) and road tax (enforced by local guys who take their own initiative to improve the roads)

- 3. The roads in Karamoja are good - After one week on Congolese roads, I will never again complain about the roads in Karamoja. The roads were terrible and I cannot imagine how it would be during the rainy season.

Below are some pictures from the trip. Most were taken at small river where men were panning for gold.