Michel is an amazing member of the Outreach Congo team, working closely with our community partners and empowering them to collaborate on resolving issues ranging from food insecurity to accessing clean, safe sources of water. Our globe-trotting Field Operations Manager, Cassidy, recently sat down with Michel for a quick Q&A. Thanks, Cassidy! Thanks, Michel!
Q: In what country, and for which program do you work?
A: I work in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Outreach Congo.
Q: What is your job title?
A: DR Congo Country Coordinator/ Human Development Facilitator.
Q: What do you do to enjoy your free time outside of work?
A: Outside of work, I devote my free time to my family, social visits, and the Church.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Nshima. [Note from Outreach HQ: Nshima is a traditional staple food in many countries in Africa made from maize flour and water.]
Q: Tell us about your family!
A: I’m married, and we have seven children. I have two brothers and four sisters, and a total of 10 people live in my home.
Q: What were some of your previous jobs before working for Outreach?
A: Yes, I did have jobs before my current job with Outreach Congo: I was a teacher at Nursery Secondary School, and also taught at the local University, as well as working as a lab technician at the Lubumbashi University Clinics. [Note from Outreach HQ: Michel is a trained medical biologist.]
Q: If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?
A: If I could have a superpower, my first miracle would be to dispel poverty and make everyone happy.
Q: How has your work with Outreach influenced your approach to parenting?
A: Applying the steps of the Outreach Process has helped in raising our children — we’re better able to face our various problems. We sit down as a family and discuss the factors of a given issue, prioritizing to solve different problems. Each of our children understands that desire for something does not give it priority over other things that serve the family as a whole. In our home, the interest of the family passes before the personal interest of each of us.
To elaborate — before, satisfying everyone in our family individually meant sacrifice and even debt, which was an ongoing source of financial instability. This is no longer the case. The Outreach Process has played an important role in the way we see things in the domestic management of our weaknesses.
How to Help
There’s plenty to do in DR Congo, as well as all the other places worldwide where Outreach is changing lives. By joining us as a monthly donor, you can sustain the incredible work Michel and the rest of the Outreach team do every day to empower communities and improve lives. The expense is so minimal you won’t even feel it, but the difference you make will be impossible to miss. Join us!
