As we read the news of chaos in Congo, Africa with government troops wearing green combat fatigues in full retreat from advancing rebels, and residents fleeing in terror, it is hard to believe that this is where Gridley's Timo Acosta has just returned from in September. He is of course worried about the friends he left behind and wonders what will happen to the children that he has worked so hard to keep alive and nourished."The last two months, we've seen the start of the fighting of the revolution groups in the Congo area. These are the leftovers from Rwanda and Genocide. They have evacuated all foreign volunteers to Rwanda, which means I would have been evacuated also, If I had still been there." He explained that the program he has volunteered for, made as much of the supplement that they could to feed the internally displaced people (IDP). "When refugees flee, they go over the border into another country. The IDP's had to flee, but were able to go somewhere else in their country which would be safer," he said.
As reported in the June 6, 2008 Gridley Herald, Acosta was in Goma, with HEAL Africa, helping to feed thousands of severely, acutely malnourished children and many orphans with HIV. He has been in Africa since September 2007, volunteering with Global Strategies monitoring a nutrition project for "Ready To Use Therapeutic Food" (RUTF) called "LOTOBA," to be given to severely, acutely malnourished (SAM) children, to help combat dehydration often caused by diarrhea from poor water. He is responsible for starting the facility that produces the RUTF. The children are given the RUTF four to seven weeks to hopefully, get back to average weight and fight off bacterial infections and diseases. Acosta brought peanut crushers, ordered tables and tiling for cleanliness. There were plenty of health and safety issues to be addressed before the project could start. The First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley brought grinders and set them up. Peanuts come from Congo, but now that the war is there, it may be hard to get access to materials to make the RUTF.
He also does outreach services when there, including counseling services and visiting with HIV patients. Up to 400 sacks of the nutritious supplement are gathered per day, for 400 children. Children are weighed and arm measurements are taken to determine their need. He stated that the arms of these children look like the size of broomsticks in diameter when they are severely malnourished. If children qualify, they receive a weeks worth to take home. The next week when they come back, the height and weight are taken again to determine improvement and if the child has not improved, they consider that possibly the food has gone to another child in the family. The volunteers focus on those closest to dieing, particularly those ages one to five. "That is when the majority of mental capacity and physical development is created," he stated. The undernourished kids get a disadvantage, if they are not getting proper nutrition. They are not able to function as well as children who do receive nutrition at that age. Another sign of malnourishment is if the child's hair turns red.
Global Strategies works with HIV prevention. "The intention is to have others run the program. It should be self sustainable," he said. "The project can be locally managed, something that the people of Congo can say 'we got help from the U.S., but now it's our project." This won't be a company from the US doing the project. Acosta wrote the criteria as far as how to check for bacteria, how to clean equipment and the facility. Acosta had a friend help with the business side of the project and even got help from a nutritionist, putting it all together and providing the tools. The people of Congo had to learn how to make, package and distribute the RUTF and worked with the HIV clinic. "Proper nutrition can prolong the immuity so HIV doesn't become AIDS," Acosta explained. He continued, "The children are on medication the rest of their lives. Medicine is not cheap. If you properly feed these children they an remain quite healthy."
RUTF is a product with a peanut base that is 250 grams per sack, suitable for a days portion, that costs roughly $1 a day. Acosta met with the American Peanut Council in Washington D.C., regarding a possible partnership. He said additional negotiation is necessary, before anything comes out of the meeting, but he knows that there is no funding available. He feels the council can provide peanuts and expertise.
Acosta is monitoring the project from the US now and keeps in contact by phone and email. The project has a local manager, which means Acosta does not have to live there full time.
Goma is the capital of North Kivu, which has the largest UN troops in Africa for peacekeeping. There are 17,000 troops there and Acosta stated that everyone is currently fleeing to GOMA and that makes it difficult for the people there to find food, water and shelter for everyone.
When he is asked how he is affected by seeing so many starving children, Acosta said, "You can't dwell on the sadness, it will disable you. You have to distance yourself and recognize what needs to get done. He continued to tell about what the men and women can be up against as they volunteer, particularly the women. "This is the worse place to be a woman. Rapes are rampant."
When asked about the future, Acosta says he has applied for Grad School, but he has also talked to the director and founder of Global Strategies about the possibility of a full time job, which would depend on possible funding that they can find. He will go back in April 2009, if not needed earlier, but remarked, "The intent is for them to run it on their own. It is something I can do from here, help them through email or phone."
"With the current economic climate, it is different for non profits and non government organizations, receiving less in donations. He explained that UNICEF and the Clinton Foundation are in Africa using a similar product to feed the children purchased from France. Difficulties with importation will ramp up to provide enough. Acosta says the Clinton Foundation has indicated interest in purchasing the nutrition supplement from Global Strategies project. "I don't know how the current situation is affecting this," he said.
With the collaboration of UNICEF, the Clinton Foundation and Global Strategies, the intent is to purchase the RUTF for cost, to create a self sustaining program. Groups such as Save the Children, UNICEF, and the Clinton Foundation have teams in place producing similar RUTF in Europe. If these non-profit organizations shifted from European purchases to locally in Congo, they wouldn't have to continually fund raise and inject financially from the US, according to Acosta. He estimates there were 800,000 displaced people in the last five months in the Goma region. One in six children under the age of five, dies. Counseling is beng done to help the children learn about family planning and the fact that less children born, means less children to feed.
While in the Congo, Acosta ate mostly chicken, rice, beans, cooked bananas and green peas. Breakfast consisted of homemade granola, fruit, such as mangos and lots of bananas.
Last Wednesday, a cease-fire was called in Congo, with thousands of weary refugees heading home on foot after American and U.N. envoys worked together to find a solution to the long-running rebellion.
Learn more about the work that Acosta has done at timoacosta@gmail.com. Gridley friends are also invited to call him at 650-515-9555.
but now that the war is there, it may be hard to get access to materials to make the RUTF.
He also does outreach services when there, including counseling services and visiting with HIV patients. Up to 400 sacks of the nutritious supplement are gathered per day, for 400 children. Children are weighed and arm measurements are taken to determine their need. He stated that the arms of these children look like the size of broomsticks in diameter when they are severely malnourished. If children qualify, they receive a weeks worth to take home. The next week when they come back, the height and weight are taken again to determine improvement and if the child has not improved, they consider that possibly the food has gone to another child in the family. The volunteers focus on those closest to dieing, particularly those ages one to five. "That is when the majority of mental capacity and physical development is created," he stated. The undernourished kids get a disadvantage, if they are not getting proper nutrition. They are not able to function as well as children who do receive nutrition at that age. Another sign of malnourishment is if the child's hair turns red.
Global Strategies works with HIV prevention. "The intention is to have others run the program. It should be self sustainable," he said. "The project can be locally managed, something that the people of Congo can say 'we got help from the U.S., but now it's our project." This won't be a company from the US doing the project. Acosta wrote the criteria as far as how to check for bacteria, how to clean equipment and the facility. Acosta had a friend help with the business side of the project and even got help from a nutritionist, putting it all together and providing the tools. The people of Congo had to learn how to make, package and distribute the RUTF and worked with the HIV clinic. "Proper nutrition can prolong the immuity so HIV doesn't become AIDS," Acosta explained. He continued, "The children are on medication the rest of their lives. Medicine is not cheap. If you properly feed these children they an remain quite healthy."
RUTF is a product with a peanut base that is 250 grams per sack, suitable for a days portion, that costs roughly $1 a day. Acosta met with the American Peanut Council in Washington D.C., regarding a possible partnership. He said additional negotiation is necessary, before anything comes out of the meeting, but he knows that there is no funding available. He feels the council can provide peanuts and expertise.
Acosta is monitoring the project from the US now and keeps in contact by phone and email. The project has a local manager, which means Acosta does not have to live there full time.
Goma is the capital of North Kivu, which has the largest UN troops in Africa for peacekeeping. There are 17,000 troops there and Acosta stated that everyone is currently fleeing to GOMA and that makes it difficult for the people there to find food, water and shelter for everyone.
When he is asked how he is affected by seeing so many starving children, Acosta said, "You can't dwell on the sadness, it will disable you. You have to distance yourself and recognize what needs to get done. He continued to tell about what the men and women can be up against as they volunteer, particularly the women. "This is the worse place to be a woman. Rapes are rampant."
When asked about the future, Acosta says he has applied for Grad School, but he has also talked to the director and founder of Global Strategies about the possibility of a full time job, which would depend on possible funding that they can find. He will go back in April 2009, if not needed earlier, but remarked, "The intent is for them to run it on their own. It is something I can do from here, help them through email or phone."
"With the current economic climate, it is different for non profits and non government organizations, receiving less in donations. He explained that UNICEF and the Clinton Foundation are in Africa using a similar product to feed the children purchased from France. Difficulties with importation will ramp up to provide enough. Acosta says the Clinton Foundation has indicated interest in purchasing the nutrition supplement from Global Strategies project. "I don't know how the current situation is affecting this," he said.
With the collaboration of UNICEF, the Clinton Foundation and Global Strategies, the intent is to purchase the RUTF for cost, to create a self sustaining program. Groups such as Save the Children, UNICEF, and the Clinton Foundation have teams in place producing similar RUTF in Europe. If these non-profit organizations shifted from European purchases to locally in Congo, they wouldn't have to continually fund raise and inject financially from the US, according to Acosta. He estimates there were 800,000 displaced people in the last five months in the Goma region. One in six children under the age of five, dies. Counseling is beng done to help the children learn about family planning and the fact that less children born, means less children to feed.
While in the Congo, Acosta ate mostly chicken, rice, beans, cooked bananas and green peas. Breakfast consisted of homemade granola, fruit, such as mangos and lots of bananas.
Last Wednesday, a cease-fire was called in Congo, with thousands of weary refugees heading home on foot after American and U.N. envoys worked together to find a solution to the long-running rebellion.
Learn more about the work that Acosta has done at timoacosta@gmail.com. Gridley friends are also invited to call him at 650-515-9555.
