From Bad to Worser
Life here recently got crazy very quickly these past few weeks. First, the girls, Bella, Sophia, and Aimee, got sick with high fevers, and Lisa had something going on as well. With very little testing available here, the UN broke protocol and allowed the girls, Emilee, and Lisa to travel out via the helicopter to Uvira. On September 5, they all ended up just across the border in Bujumbura, Burundi, our normal "go to" spot of resupply. The girls were tested; Aimee had a bacterial infection, and Sophia and Lisa had salmonella and e coli.
Immediately after the ladies and girls left, things went from bad to worse here, as the Mai-Mai rebels began yet another campaign, as they did in March and May, to try to take over our area. Miles and I kept working hard through this latest conflict on various community projects, the building of Miles’ shop and house, the garden projects at the volunteers’ house, as well as trying to help the community cope with the current crisis.
During the week, things went from worse to "worser," and then on Friday, Sept 13, things got extremely tense and the UN peacekeepers requested that Miles and I evacuate to their base. We grabbed our already packed "getaway" backpacks and went to the base, which is 1.3 miles or about five minutes by motorcycle from the volunteer house. The UN decided to fly some personnel up here the next day, so that Saturday morning they told us that Miles and I would be flying out in a couple of hours.
Our family was happy to know that Miles and I would arrive in Bujumbura on Saturday afternoon, but leaving behind our Minembwe “family” was a horrible feeling; I promise that it will not happen again.
We’re waiting on news regarding the stability of our area. Our partner made it back up there on Thursday, and Miles is hoping to head back up this coming Monday. If Miles gives us the “thumbs up” the rest of us will follow shortly thereafter, or at least myself and a friend.
Somehow! - Michael