Saturday, December 6, 2008

Looking at Model Rail Roading

WOW! Model Rail Roading have changed in some respects. From Driving the Tracks to Driving the Trains! They now have Digital processors, too.



A local member of my church gave a great presentation. Visit the Central Indana Divison of MRR.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Text Messages Save A Teen's Life

Internet Communication Technology (ICT) probably saves thousands of lives each day in the developed world. But you would have never expected ICT's life saving impact in the Congo.

Congo has limited use of ICT. Most Congolese has very limited internet access. Also, the cell phone companies are just rolling out multimedia message (MMS). So it is usually for ICT to save a teen's life.

News - Africa: SMS instructions save teen in DRC:

"London - A British doctor performed a life-saving operation on a teenage boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo by taking step-by-step instructions for the complicated surgery via SMS from a colleague in London.

David Nott, a 52-year-old vascular surgeon who works for Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), found the 16-year-old boy with his left arm ripped off and gangrenous in the town of Rutshuru in October, British media reported.

'He was dying. He had about two or three days to live when I saw him,' Nott said. The boy had been caught up in the fighting between rebel and government forces, he said. Nott realised the boy's best chance of survival was a forequarter amputation, which required removal of the collar bone and shoulder blade."

Answering Questions for Someone Interested in Supporting an Organization/Outreach in Congo

Question: What do you consider will be our biggest challenge in working in
Congo?

The biggest challenges will be empathy on the part of Americans,
communication with Congo, travel expense in getting to Congo.

Empathy -- will you find people to support Sickle Cell Anemia? Some. Will
you find people to support Congo? Some. But when you add the two together
some of the some is smaller. It is difficult.

Communication -- First, the country is French speaking at best. The
majority of your clients will probably speak Lingala instead of French.
French is secondary if they went to school long enough. Then, email
(computers and internet) are not readily available. Some professionals will
have computers/laptops but internet access is virtual non-existent. Also,
mail in Congo is non-functional. It cost $26 to mail a letter via USPS
express mail. Then it takes weeks to arrive if it arrives.

Travel -- the cost to fly to Congo is very expensive. It is costing about
$2500 roundtrip now via Air France or Air Brussels. But you can go as cheap
as $1850 if you fly via some other African airlines and countries.
Surprisingly, many donors when ask you if have you been to Congo? They want
to know that you are overseeing or monitoring the projects. That's the
creditability thing.

Question: Also, is it difficult to ship items to Congo with assurance?

Shipping is a major problem in getting stuff to Congo. Shipping,
commercially via FEDEX, UPS, DHL, is very expensive. I use alternative
needs to ship via another NGO. They ship sporadically BUT it is inexpensive
and safe.

Congo is the one of the worst place in the world to do business.

That's the truth of the matter. God will provide for your needs!

Blessings, Woody

Woody M. Collins
President
Congo Helping Hands
"Strengthening the Heart of Africa"

blog: http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org
blog: http://whatswoodydoingnow.blogspot.com

facebook: http://profile.to/woodycollins/
twitter: http://twitter.com/woodycollins

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Reading, The Case for Online Support for Social Entrepreneurs

You connect with people online and suppose they want help your case. How can they help? This article provides some suggestions.

The Case for Online Support for Social Entrepreneurs — Social Edge:

"I've made a shortlist of actions people might take to support the work of social entrepreneurs:

Connect social entrepreneurs with the people you know who can help them do what they want to do.

Lend your expertise in a specific area, such as communications, management, technology, or product design.

Offer to make a business plan more creative, inclusive, and environmentally friendly

Present yourself as a resource when and where social entrepreneurs need your help

Contribute to the start-up funds, either as loans, grants, or investments."

Looking at Video, three pieces of advice from Kiva

Premal Shah, Kiva's President shares with Global X three pieces of advice for fellow social entrepreneurs.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Guessing, How many days will it take?

I mailed an Express Mail Letter via the US Post Office on December 1, 2008 to Kananga, DR Congo. How many days will it take to get there?

It was a regular-sized Express Mail envelope weighing less than 8 ounces. It was mailed from Oaklandon, IN. It costed about $26 for postage.

My guess is 22 days! What's your guess?

from my HTC phone!

Woody M. Collins
President, Congo Helping Hands
"Strengthening the Heart of Africa"

website: http://www.CongoHelpingHands.org
blog: http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org
facebook: http://profile.to/woodycollins

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Hope for Peace in the Congo

What is your hope? Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The first candle of Advent is the candle of Hope. I visited Lewisville's First Presbyterian Church.