Blood Oil in Cameroon -- Day 28

French Word of the Day: demain (pronounced a little like “duh-ma”); means “tomorrow.” So to use a couple of words we’ve learned already in this space, «Demain, nous allons à l’église.» (Tomorrow, we’re going to church!)

Face of the Day: Ginger Cooper, Individual Volunteer in Mission: You know all about Ginger already. She’s a valuable member of our Mission and our family, a fellow blogger, and making plans for her post-Cameroon life, which begins this summer! She help with Playday, coordinates visits of our overseas partners and friends, and asks difficult theological questions of the Mission Director. Next week, she sets out on a trip to the Southwest Province with the HIV-AIDS/Malaria Team, and I’m sure she would appreciate your prayers for that!

Cameroon Fact of the Day: The following information comes from RELUFA (see Mission Challenge below): The Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project is the largest foreign investment project in sub-Saharan Africa. It involves the drilling of 300 oil wells in the Doba region in the South of Chad and the construction of a 1070 km long pipeline to transport the oil from Chad through Cameroon to the port of Kribi at the Atlantic coast. There the off-shore loading facility is connected through an 11 km underwater pipeline. The pipeline winds its way through tropical rainforest, and crosses 242 villages. The project started operating in October 2003 and was inaugurated on 12 June 2004. Oil production is expected to reach 225,000 barrels per day.

Mission Challenge of the Day: Christy Boyd, a Presbyterian missionary and friend in Yaoundé, works closely with RELUFA: Network for the Fight Against Hunger in Cameroon. Last year, UMCOR was one of the supporters of RELUFA’s famine relief work in northern Cameroon. RELUFA has also been active in fighting the long-term economic consequences of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, and they have recently launched a new microloan program, called “Credit Against Poverty.” Information on all of these initiatives can be found at their website, including chilling video interviews with village people about the impact of the oil pipeline on their lives and livelihoods.