Another project will be building kiln-hardened brick houses. Such houses will long outlast the villagers' mud-brick huts, which are usually washed away by rain in three years. Screened windows and doors will protect children, and open-pit toilets or latrines will improve sanitation and hygiene. In the mission's early days, Sharon started sewing and Bible lessons to brighten the women's strenuous days. At age 6 or 7, girls begin tending younger siblings, while mothers walk long distances to work gardens, gather firewood and water, wash clothes, and grind corn or manioc into flour.
Boys typically graduate from school, while girls, if lucky, complete the third grade.
In the Congo, mothers often walk long distances to work gardens, gather firewood and water, wash clothes, and grind corn or manioc into flour. Photo by Calvin Waugh. One of the missionaries' most cherished gifts to the children of Nyembo Umpungu is the Sunday school they started at the village church, now attended by 250. Their attitude changes and they tend to stay in school longer. From there they'll monitor mission programs and send supplies to Nyembo Umpungu until they can safely go back.