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Click Here 44 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend June 28, 2003 Ashland couple to give talk on foreign aid By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND — A retired Ashland doctor regularly treated gunshot wounds inflicted by Congolese soldiers during raids on their own citizens during his three years volunteering in the Democratic Republic of Congo. William Sager, 70, taught at a medical institute operated by the Presbyterian Church while his wife Sue, 69, taught English to medical students from 2000 until April of this year. The Sagers will talk about their experiences during services at the First Presbyterian Church, Siskiyou Boulevard at Walker Avenue, Sunday at 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. There will also be a 5 p.m. potluck with slide show and presentation. Soldiers raided the villages to get food and clothing because generals in the city retained their pay, Bill Sager said. But the raids stopped six or eight months ago. Advertisement "I think it’s because of pressure from our own government on the current president, Joseph Kabila," said Sager. Other changes may be coming to the Congo. Until January of this year, armed forces from Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi were arrayed against those from Angola, Zimbabwe and the Congo inside the nation. But when the United Nations threatened to cut off credit through the World Bank, the foreign forces withdrew. The Congo is rich in resources, including diamonds, gold, germanium for semiconductors, timber and oil — all of which make the nation a target. "Any military strongmen that can form partnerships with foreign investors ... can subjugate and exploit the people," Sager said. "The money never arrives back in the Congo. It all ends up in European or American banks." "The people have nothing, they get nothing, they expect nothing," said Sager. "To the average person on the street it doesn’t matter who their government leader is as long as they are left alone to raise corn and beans and take pigs to market. It’s very, very sad." The Sagers taught in the village of Tshikaji, eight miles from the provincial capital Kananga in Occidental (west) Kasai. The presence of a United Nations peacekeeping force made the area somewhat immune from turmoil, said Sager. "As long as we stayed close to home and minded our own business we felt perfectly safe," said Sager. They stayed within 12 miles of where they lived. On trips to Kananga they could count on being stopped by soldiers from three different nations at eight checkpoints. Besides English and medical instruction, AIDS education was a focus for the Sagers. "All of our efforts for the past 15 years ... have failed with time as the missionaries left," said Sager. "We were trying to find young pastors in the Presbyterian Church to do something for AIDS education." More than 500 pastors participated in a program that gave soccer balls to children who complete AIDS classes that teach them how to avoid the disease. The program was so successful that Seventh- day Adventist, Catholics and Muslims were asking for it, Sager said. Folklore about AIDS said it came from infected bananas or that sorcerers caused it, Sager said. The pastors attempted to counter these myths. The Sagers installed a medical oxygen generator and delivery system, the only one in the central Congo. Area rotary clubs raised $57,000 for the project and Ashland Community Hospital donated equipment. Foreign service was nothing new to the Ashland couple. They were in Pakistan for nine years at a medical clinic run by the Presbyterian Church before Bill set up practice here in 1973. They’ve also taken sabbaticals to help out in third-world countries. The Sagers have been asked to extend their service for another year, but this time they’ll be in Louisville, Ky. beginning in August, where they’ll raise support for AIDS education. "I don’t think many of us folks look forward to our retirement to play golf, hunt and fish," said Sager. "We all want to contribute something to society." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times