Oceanside residents visit Africa

Last fall, two Oceanside residents — Norma Loeb and Eileen Ilardo — traveled to Africa for the first time. And while there, the two embarked on a remarkable journey.

“It was extremely eye-opening,” said Loeb, 57, who has lived in Oceanside for the last 14 years.

Loeb and Ilardo, along with five other women from New York, went to Africa at the end of October. During their two weeks there, the group traveled to Rwanda and the Congo, where they met a plethora of different native people, including many survivors from the 1994 genocide when approximately 800,000 were killed.

In Rwanda, the Oceanside residents visited villages built since the genocide, where it is normal for natives who participated in the killings to live next to families of those who had been killed. In Nyrguanga Village, Loeb and Ilardo met natives who were HIV infected and children who headed households, spreading a message of healing and forgiveness to them.

“It was such a spiritual journey,” said Ilardo, 52, who works as a dental hygienist and has lived in Oceanside for over 20 years. “The people in Rwanda are so gracious.”

Loeb and Ilardo did their part to spread peace and hope to the natives. They distributed clothing to them and visited the Imbabazi Orphanage in Rwanda, where 400 orphaned children engaged in dance and song with the pair.

“The people in Rwanda are so friendly,” said Loeb, who works as an executive assistant for The New York Times Company. “And they value education.”

Because of their efforts in Rwanda, Loeb and Ilardo are now helping to pay for the college tuition of four African children. Education, according to Loeb, is a main priority to Africans.

After spending approximately 13 days in Rwanda, the Oceanside residents also visited the Congo on their trip to Africa. There, their mission shifted to helping another group of natives: rape victims. The two visited Goma, a safe city in an unsafe part of the Congo.

“We were in unfriendly territory,” said Ilardo. “But it didn’t stop us from helping.”

At the Heal Africa Hospital, the women gave monetary donations and provided clothes. Some of the worst rape cases, according to the Oceanside residents, existed in that very hospital, which offers free medical and psychosocial help to survivors of gender-based violence.

“Our goal is to eventually bring 100,000 [people] to the Congo,” said Loeb, who said that the rape issue was overlooked there. “We need to bring attention to the plight of women.”

Ilardo said that she and Loeb would continue to raise awareness for African women who are suffering from the repercussions of rape. “We need to bring the issue to light,” she said.

Loeb and Ilardo are tentatively planning a return trip to Africa in March 2012 with their five New York colleagues. Their trip from last year has been documented online, at whatbetterlookslike.com.