CONGO

Antum Itamponi Micheline
Bons Temeliers

When I graduated from the university, I had a brother who smoked - and he had problems with his health. One day he had an appointment with the doctor. The doctor gave him a paper and asked him to blow on it. The paper turned black of smoke. This made my brother anxious and he began looking for means to quit - how ?

One of the brothers in my church worked 20 years at BAT-CONGO. During a census in the company he lost his job. After some months he suffered heart problems/cancer. A doctor said this disease was caused by second hand smoke and exposure to the manufacturing of tobacco products during his 20 years at BAT-CONGO. The medecines were too expensive to cure the disease.

In response to such situations my conscience tells me to do something - but what ? I started participating in NGO activities but I didn't find so many NGO's talking about or fighting against tobacco. I told myself that it was time to work on it. This is how I came to work on tobacco control and what led me to lead an international organization (IOGT) working locally in Dem. Rep. Congo.
I realize that many Congolese do not have sufficient information about tobacco's harmful effects. In addition, contacts that I have with family of smokers and people with tobacco-related health problems give me the determination to live one day in a world without tobacco.