A-B Tech Affects Lives of Student and War-Torn Residents in Africa

Jacques Birugurugu, a relief worker for Food For The Hungry, sits at his desk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been undergoing war for the past seven years. He is enrolled in the online Supply Chain Management course and plans on taking more classes. Jacques heard about A-B Tech's online courses through his friend and fellow relief worker, Asheville resident Merry Fitzpatrick.

Imagine a man sitting in an internet cafe' in the middle of the war-torn Congo taking an online A-B Tech course in April on supply chain management.

That man is Jacques Birugurugu, former program manager for Food for the Hungry International located in Muhumba, Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He found the course through Asheville native Merry Fitzpatrick, also in disaster relief, who said the lack of infrastructure in the Congo - due to years of civil war - has robbed him of the opportunity to further his education and "keep up with his colleagues."

A-B Tech's online course attendance has climbed steadily since its inception in September 2000, leading some of the nation's larger colleges and universities in the month of January, February and March 2003. Out of about 1,200 colleges and universities offering online classes through Education To Go, A-B Tech was third in March, just behind Portland Community College (first) and Forsyth Technical Community College (second).

Over 1,200 of the world's largest and most respected colleges, universities, and other accredited institutions of higher education rely on Education To Go to develop, deliver and manage their every online continuing education need. Their faculty is comprised of more than 350 instructors, teaching assistants and student support specialists. According to part-time project coordinator Diana LaSpada, Jacques is by far the most amazing example of how helpful online learning can be. "War had broken out there the previous day and he was having difficulty getting to a computer to do his orientation," Diana said, adding that she and Merry had to do the orientation for him. Merry added, "He doesn't have the opportunity for continuing education where he is. All the infrastructure including higher education is pretty much non-existent - this provides him an opportunity to keep up with his colleagues in the developed countries."

According to Jacques, who has earned his bachelor's degree in Applied Linguistics from the Institut Superieur Pedagogique (ISP) in Bukavu, online education is his only means to improve not only his future but the future of those who depend on him. "A friend who used to be my supervisor and job trainer (Merry) told me about A-B Tech and I was very much interested but was not able to pay. She willingly accepted to pay for me. You know I have never been formally trained in logistics or project management. When I received information from my friend regarding A-B Tech online courses, I said to myself that this is the occasion that I should not miss," Jacques said. "Before I started receiving the Supply Chain Management course, I was doing things but maybe did not know different names given to each particular steps of the program such as Forecasting, etc. Now I am used to different names and especially acronyms! I am hoping that what I am learning will help me improve and familiarize me with a 'standard' way of doing things."

Congolese by birth, Jacques, of Walungu, has lived a life dedicated to disaster relief and caring for the hungry and homeless. "Unfortunately, Congo has been in an endless war situation for seven years now. We go from relief to relief to save lives. We may distribute seeds today, but all beneficiaries will be forced to leave their homes before they harvest. Such situations have created food shortage on the displaced, the hosting families and on people who live in urban centers who formerly relied on food from rural areas. I am sure Food for the Hungry and other humanitarian agencies have been struggling to improve the livelihood of Congolese people, without which many lives would have passed away," Birugurugu wrote in an email dated May 2. "We basically go from one disaster to the next," explained Merry, who returned to the Congo last week after a few months of sabbatical in Asheville.

Merry was Jacques' supervisor in Food for the Hungry International and his inspiration. "She worked for the Congo and only God can pay her. She knows and lived frustrating and frightening times while there. She is a good person and is among the people who made me who I am today and I am very grateful to her," Jacques said in a May 23 email from Zimbabwe where he is now working with World Vision. He will only see his wife and children every three months. "In relief work, one never knows they will stay at which place for how long. I have to admit that my wife is doing a great job and that my kids need me, yet I have to serve needy people and prepare their future."

The supply chain management online class has helped Jacques, who plans to take more courses through A-B Tech - such as additional supply chain management courses and project management principles. "I am sure when I finish both courses and receive my certificate, I will be more efficient and meet more people's needs."

Jacques said the first supply chain management class has already helped him overcome many logistical challenges. "In my food security program, I had to budget based on the number of beneficiaries, the quantity and types of agriculture inputs they need, the price per unit input. When the budget is approved, I had to collect quotes from suppliers in order to buy good quality products at the reasonable price possible and reach as many families as possible. Everything must be planned because farmers have to plant according to the planting season start date. Rains never wait for us! I have to plan from procurement (bidding, signature of memorandum with suppliers, receipt of inputs in warehouse, distribution plans, truck rentals, cash flows to pay suppliers, stevedores and transporters) and the actual distribution (selection of distribution dates, quantities, truck loads per site, etc). Then family follow-up visits continue to provide any technical assistance they might need until harvest when the impact of the program must be measured to see future possible interventions."

In the Congo, Jacques has faced many other life challenges as well. His first baby was born to him and his wife in the bush. He has watched as his colleagues have been arrested by rebels and accused of spying. He has seen the rebels steal supplies from the needy he works so hard to help. "Most roads are almost impassable, the banking system does not work properly, security is one of the major issues. I remember one day, a colleague and myself had to spend two nights in the open at a distribution site because there were rumors that militia would come and loot our office. My wife had our first baby in a bush when we were displaced. We had to walk 30 km back home with our baby the following day when security improved," Jacques said. "As our country has been divided between two antagonist groups, some of my colleagues were arrested and jailed for one week when they were conducting an assessment. They were accused of being spies because they came from an area controlled by a different rebel group. Some of our beneficiaries are often forced to leave their aid packets and help armies carry their luggage or they have their seed packets looted making them even more vulnerable. I have experienced some of these challenges at a different level in Afghanistan as well. It is so painful and difficult both on the beneficiary and aid worker sides to work in conflict-affected area."

For more information on online courses through A-B Tech, call Diana LaSpada at 254-1921, ext. 806.

Contact information:

Jacques Birugurugu

Commodities Officer

World Vision Zimbabwe, Relief Office

PO Box 2437, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Email: jbirugu@yahoo.fr

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