http://www.sawmillandtimberforum.com/index.php/topic,58.new.html#newMy answer to Stevem:
Here I'm going to try explain my work in Bondo, DR Congo.
The first sawmill at the Norwegian baptist mission started back in the 1950's. The sawmill became disused before the war came to Congo in 1996.
I came to Bondo in 1985 when the sawmill was working great. The sawmill served the town Bondo and the region Bas-Uele.
I met Willy Itomo at the age of 12, he 15. The photo to the right is from 2008
In 2006, 17 years later I went back to Norway in 1989 he called me. It was like we had been apart for just a couple of years.
With the great contact we agreed on starting a sawmill for the development of Bondo. Willy said that in the late 90.s the lumber in Bondo was hard to produce. His pitsaw mill produced lumber from one log pr months. The price for one plank was 70 USD.
In 2006 Bondo had just two small sawmill using free style chainsaw cutting.
I kicked started the sawmill by sending 4000 USD for buying a Stihl 090-AV and a Stihl 600 slabbing frame for the chainsaw.
In 2008 I went down to Bondo with a couple of Logosol Big Mill LSG. We modified the saw frame for large slabs.
This work went on to 2009. Coming to Bondo I saw that the need for lumber was greater than our production could handle.
The locals were building their houses and the catholic mission building a new hospital and fixing their largest school.
The African Development Bank gave finances to the government for rebuilding all the general hospitals in the province of Oriental.
We had to invest better equipments, if not there would not be any development in Bondo or in the region of Bas-Uele.
Our sawmill is the only one with continual production north for the province capital Kisangani.
I bought the Mobile Dimension in fall 2010. I had a hard time finding a route to ship it into Northern Congo. The sawmill was sent with air cargo to Entebbe in Uganda.
It took 6 months for the sawmill to reach Bondo.
The sawmill is now at work and producing lumber.
The sawmill is a real test for us:
- We have no real roads in the north. Just dirt tracks. Almost everything comes in with bicycles or airplane.
- No stable communication with the outside world. The GSM system is breaking down every week.
- Congo is a real nightmare when it comes to logistic (national transportation and import to Congo).
- No functional hospitals for us or the workers. just health centers with pirate medicine from China.
- Great deal of official corruption.
Our sawmill is both a business and a humanitarian work.
Bas-Uele has always been called "The forgotten corner of Congo".
We are trying to establish a business that can make the development possible for the people here.
I can list up dozen of things that is needed for the people in Bondo and the region to survive.
I'm the only white there working as a private. The two others are catholic missionaries.
Steve. You asked if we have someone who backs us up.
There has been some few the last years from private persons. In the 4 years I have been working there I've got in total 10.000,- USD.
This work is my love to the people in Bondo and Congo.