Friends and fellow web users,
I try not to get into intense on the blog because.. well, I try to not be one of those crazy web people. However, tonight while attending a conference, I was reminded why I am (patiently) seeking a job in my field and why the issues of Africa are so dear to my heart. My true passion being the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers back into society, after hearing the presentation tonight I was reminded that the Congo was a place I could not overlook. I realize that not everyone shares my passion for this continent or these people, however, as a citizen of this world, living in a relatively free and democratic society with the resources to do something I think that it is my responsibility to share this information with as many people as possible.
Today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hundreds of thousands of people live in abject poverty, in fear for their lives, at risk of rape, in a system of brutality and exploitation, and have only seen a rise in the violence over the past 15 years. The DRC is experiencing a massive genocide. Over 6 MILLION people have lost their lives so far, more than half of those people being children under the age of 5. The number of those murdered over these 15 years is rapidly on it's way to surpassing those killed in the Holocaust, and yet barely anyone in the States or around the world is knowledgeable about the issue, the international media and community doing very little to help.
While this situation is dire and it seems as though there is absolutely nothing you can do, that's where you're wrong. You can start by bringing attention to the issue in your immediate community/ public, bugging your political representatives to recognize and do something about the DRC, ask your representative about their position on PL 109-456 and helping ex-pats that are in the States voice their experiences and their desire for change. The Congolese are a beautiful, intelligent and loving people, that are fully capable of governing themselves on their own terms, however they need the space to develop safely/sustainably; and they need to be given tools to develop, not Dead Aid thrown at those in the "government" who are corrupt and exploiting their land and lives. Please take the time to watch this short documentary, and at the end if you feel that you don't have time to get involved, at the very least spread the word.
Merci beaucoup. Asante Sana. Thank you very much.
For more information, resources, and ways to get involved please go to:
Friends of the Congo
Congo Justice
Crisis In The Congo
Human Rights Watch - DRC
Amnesty International - DRC
-Educated & Unemployed
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