A Long, Winding Road: ASSP Overcomes Challenges To Deliver Medicine In DR Congo

Whether in the heat of the day, during a torrential downpour or under the twinkling stars, everyone gathers to cheer when the trucks, motorcycles, canoes or even porters arrive with the boxes of much-needed medication for malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea, among others. Throughout the year, dedicated teams work to ensure that these medications are delivered to save lives and build healthy communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The trip to the health centers is long and winding. The generic drugs arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo via plane and boat from around the world. Once 50-tons of life-saving drugs and equipment leave the provincial capital, the delivery route is not always a straight one. The challenges are many. It can take about three weeks of complicated travel from Kisangani in Northern Congo to reach the Lubutu health zone, 250 km (155 miles) south of Kisangani. This route services multiple health zones and a population of approximately 400,000 inhabitants. The complications require dedication and creativity.

The delivery truck leaves the depot in the capital and reaches the river in about 45 minutes. Alas, the bridge is no longer functioning. The cartons, large and small, must be unloaded from the truck by hand, placed on porters’ heads, walked to and loaded onto the canoes at the riverside and rowed to the bank on the other side of the river. That means 30-40 trips back and forth across the river to transport all 50 tons. The same process repeats itself except there is no longer a truck to carry the load on the other side of the river. Then, the team must find available transportation – trucks, 4×4 vehicles and motorcycles.