YOUR VOICE COUNTS!
Background – Hearing the voices of women living in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Seven friends—the Amahoro* Women of WBLL—felt a compelling desire to connect with the people of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2010, the friends—one of whom is a Rwandan genocide survivor—journeyed to both countries. After spending time with many women in Congo, specifically at the Heal Africa hospital in Goma, who have suffered severe brutality (more than 15,000 women were brutally sexually assaulted last year alone), the mission on how we could help them was clear. Their voices need to be heard.
*Amahoro means PEACE in Kinyarwanda, the language of Rwanda
The 100,000 VOICES FOR CONGO campaign is a community action project to bring awareness of the ongoing crisis of war and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). WBLL provides presentations to community groups, schools and organizations.
Congo’s wealth of minerals is funding atrocities and conflict, as militias and even police use mass rape as a strategy to intimidate and control communities, while they profit from the illicit trade in tin, tungsten, tantalum, “conflict minerals.” The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been called, “the most dangerous place on earth to be a woman.” Countless women and children have been raped, and the Congolese people continue to suffer in one of the most impoverished, unstable and violent places in the world.
Many of the conflict minerals end up in our own electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, and digital cameras – giving us enormous leverage and potential in terms of changing the situation, much as people who changed the situation with ‘Blood Diamonds’.
Some Congolese women have been finding their strength, and chanting in the streets, “We march because we must be heard!” Add your voice, and shout back with us, “We hear you!”
Be part of the 100,000 VOICES FOR CONGO
Help to spread the message of the Congolese people and their desperate need for peace and safety. Make a donation of $15 and receive a numbered, eco-friendly tote bag. Carry it with you and talk about why you care about what is happening to the Congolese.
To donate and receive a 100,000 VOICES FOR CONGO tote bag, click here
Go Conflict-Free
Exercise your consumer power when buying your next electronic device (cell phone, laptop, digital camera, etc) Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Buy your devices and other electronics from a company that actively investigates the supply chains of the tin, tungsten, titanium and gold used in its products. For more info on the efforts of your favorite tech company, visit the Enough Project website: raisehopeforcongo.org/action/your-favorite-tech-company-conflict-free