If you think that getting 32 mattresses to Moma was easy, think again! Rains have washed out the roads,making it impossible to get any kind of motorized vehicle through.

So, Dr. Christoph utilized the most available means of transportation in the Congo–bicycles! It took six men, six bikes, and 11 hours to transport the mattresses 18 miles.

 

 

Once trucks made the first 175-mile journey from Kananga to Luiza and were unloaded, Dr. Christoph arranged for men from Moma and Luiza with bicycles to complete the remaining 18 miles from Luiza to Moma.

According to Dr. Christoph, “We used 6 bicycles for transporting 32 mattresses. Four bicycles hauled 5 mattresses each; and two bicycles hauled 6 mattresses each.”

Obviously, the men were unable to ride the bikes; instead, they walked the bikes for the 11 hours it took to make the 18-mile trip to Moma. The remaining mattresses, sheets, and bed boards at the Luiza depot will be transported next week, according to Dr. Christoph.

“Meanwhile the repair work on the beds continues,” reports Dr. Christoph.