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askedmeifIwantedtovisit.Iagreedandwasledinsidetomeetthedirector,GenevaGrace
Haller.
Geneva was a 65-year-old missionary who arrived in Zaïre when she was 6 years
old with her parents. They opened a Christian mission primarily serving orphans. She was
presently taking care of 40 AIDS orphans some of which came from up to 50 kilometres
away and had a staff of eleven.
OneofthestaffwasJasonthemechanic.Jasontoldmethathewasactuallythefirst
orphan Geneva's parents took in. Since he was a little younger than Geneva, they grew up
together as siblings. Jason told me that after he went to school in the city, he returned to
helpwiththerunningoftheorphanage.AfluentEnglishspeakerwithanAmerican accent,
he started a family of his own and had 8 children (and counting).
Since Zaïre had been in such political turmoil, many NGOs had pulled out and for-
eignaidwhichsupportedtheorphanagehaddwindled.Amazingly,amidstthispoliticaland
economicclimate, shemanagedtofeedthechildrenthreetimesadayandpayherworkers.
She told me that she used a medieval currency to barter for things with local farmers and
vendors: salt.
The orphanage compound itself was quite extensive hence why I thought I arrived
atasmallvillage.Thereweredormitories,aBibleschool,aneatingarea,kitchens,awood-
working shop and a huge garage. Geneva explained that they still needed a proper dining
hall and English and French books for the school. She added that that the Catholic Arch-
diocese in Idiofa helped her out whenever she requested it.
With the children clinging to my arms as Geneva gave me a tour, we settled in the
diningareatohavedinner.Duringdinner,sheconfidedinmethatshewasgettingtiredand
lamented that she didn't have any family in the US to look after her in her old age.
I was offered a place to sleep and quickly settled in for the night. As I lay in my
bed that evening, I wrote in my journal. I really prayed that the Zaïrian president would be
removed from office. I hoped that the UN would pressure him to leave or at least to make
changesandaddresstheneedsofthepeople.(Infacttheydidanditendedinacatastrophe.
I'll explain later.) Even in the smallest of villages, I asked the locals, men and women how
they felt about Mobuto. They likened him to Lucifer. Zaïre could not continue on this path
andsoonwould beonthe brinkofacivil war.Citizens could onlyberepressed forsolong.
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