Healing Trauma in the Congo

2011 - A Year of Optimism and Continued Growth

2011-12-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

Local residents walk to Mumosho Peace Market, a project completed in July by Empower Congo Women.

Empower Congo Women initiated and completed several successful projects this year, all of which empowered women and girls while rebuilding community in eastern DRC. Still a small grassroots organization, ECW relies on your donations to continue to do good work for the beleaguered people of Congo.

HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE: http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php

Ushindi Center's First Graduation Ceremony

Young woman graduate with her new sewing machine.

This past July, 20 women war survivors and 10 at-risk young women graduated from Ushindi Center’s vocational training program. All had completed the graduation requirements for sewing certification, and most received a graduation kit consisting of a sewing machine, fabric and notions to start them on the road to self-reliance. Women with other vocational skills were given the equivalent in cash to start their own business.

The Graduation Ceremony was attended by Rotary Club of Bukavu members, friends of graduates, and local dignitaries, including police-woman Colonel Honorine, head of Women’s Protection Unit in Bukavu.


UC Administrator Chantal Kikuni and I hand out graduation certificates.

Congratulatory speeches were made, and each woman received a Certificate of Completion for her achievement. A delicious buffet was served and people danced to Bashi music.

Please contribute here so that Ushindi Center can continue to empower women through vocational skills training, trauma healing and leadership development.

DONATE NOW! http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php

Mumosho Peace Market

Mumosho Peace Market prior to completion

Working in conjunction with ABFEK and Action Kivu, both community-based charities in eastern DRC, Empower Congo Women raised funds from five International Rotary Clubs (Montecito, Santa Maria, Wakefield, Ottawa, Korea) and Falling Whistles, and LA-based NGO, to sponsor construction of a large, pavilion-style market in Mumosho.

Market construction was overseen by Project Manager, Amani Matabaro, who finished the project on time and on budget, an unusual feat in any country! He was given timely advice by Mark Magid, Montecito Rotary's International Service Chair, who traveled to DRC to contribute his expertise as a building contractor.

Amani, Roger, Pamphil and Mark at construction site

The market measures 80’ by 30’ and houses 100 vendors, including butchers whose stalls and knives are kept at a distance. A latrine project was later completed to maintain healthy sanitation in the area, the majority of funds being donated by actress Robin Wright.

Mumosho’s strategic location on the Ruzizi River border of DRC and Rwanda makes it an ideal place to rebuild peaceful trade relations between the two countries. It is estimated that over 30,000 people will benefit from the market being in the area.

Chief Didier Kagizi cuts the ribbon to open the market.

Construction of the market in July has already brought economic improvement to the area. Women vendors are benefiting in particular, because, with the completion of adjacent storage buildings, they no longer have to carry back-breaking loads to and from market. Buyers as well as sellers benefit, because protection from the torrential rain allows the market to stay open all year long.

Rotary Grants

Rotary International issued two grants this year to benefit projects initiated by Empower Congo Women in eastern DRC. Rotary Club of Montecito sponsored both grants, and Rotary Club of Bukavu was the Host Partner who oversaw the funding process.

Ushindi Center was recipient of a grant that furnished it with sewing equipment, funded its sewing teachers and trainers for a year, sent Ushindi children to school, and paid training costs for the women to become certified trauma healers.

A groupment of villages in Mumosho received the second grant, which established a Demonstration Farm for sustainable agriculture practices and improved animal husbandry by purchasing goats and other small animals, animal feed, inoculations, seeds, and farm equipment. This grant also provided a women’s collective with sewing equipment and paid exit exam fees for girls and orphans who would otherwise be unable to begin secondary school in the fall.

Ushindi Center Exports Products for Sale in USA

Ushindi women assemble patchwork aprons.

The first shipment of aprons made by women and girls at the Ushindi vocational center was received in Santa Barbara, USA in October. The aprons are made of a patchwork of beautiful African fabrics, all hand sewn, lined and fully washable. A second shipment was received in December, just in time for Christmas gifts, this batch featuring child-sized aprons and matching child/parent sets.

Aprons made from gorgeous fabric like this will be posted for sale on the ECW website in mid-January, so check our website often so you don't miss out! Also, get ready for our clothing line, which will premier this spring.

http://empowercongowomen.org

Ushindi Center's First Graduation

2011-07-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday on July 2nd, thirty women and girls graduated from Ushindi Center's vocational program in Bukavu, DRC. Twenty of the women were survivors of sexual violence; they had received training in sewing and soap making and education in legal rights and family planning, and they had their medical care and children's school fees paid for a two year period. Ten younger women graduated after a one year course in sewing and dressmaking.

Each graduate received a "Business Kit" to enable her to become self-sufficient. The kit consists of a treadle sewing machine with stand, fabric, scissors, thread and oil to keep the machine working well.

Because the training program was a joint project of Rotary Clubs of Montecito and Bukavu, RCOB President (2011-2010) Eilisee Mudwanga was on hand to congratulate the graduates.

The Rotaract Club of Ventura and Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club were responsible for donating many of the Business Kits. Thanks you guys for all your hard work-- you've given hope to a lot of people!

Everyone danced and we had great time,

including Courtlin Stoker and Mark Magid, Rotary friends from Santa Barbara, U.S.A.

Many thanks go to my translator, Roger Buhendwa, who arranged the party and media coverage, and to Chantal Kikuni, Ushindi Center Administrator. You are the best!

A big commitment, lots learned the hard way, but in the end, Ushindi Center rocks!

Shocking Finding: One woman raped nearly every minute in DRC

2011-05-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

The New York Times

May 11, 2011

Congo Study Sets Estimate for Rapes Much Higher

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

A new study in The American Journal of Public Health, expected to be published Thursday online, estimates that nearly two million women have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with women victimized at a rate of nearly one every minute.
The study, one of the first comprehensive looks at the prevalence of rape in Congo, indicates that the problem is much bigger and more pervasive than previously thought. Women have reported alarming levels of sexual abuse in the capital and in provinces far from Congo’s war-torn east, a sign that the problem extends beyond the nation’s primary conflict zone.
“Not only is sexual violence more generalized,” the study said, “but our findings suggest that future policies and programs should focus on abuse within families.”
For the past 15 years, Congo has been racked by myriad rebel groups that terrorize civilians, particularly in the east, often to exploit the country’s mineral riches or to flaunt their abusive power. United Nations officials have called Congo the epicenter of rape as a weapon of war, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited rape victims in eastern Congo in 2009 in an effort to draw more attention to one of Africa’s most intractable and disturbing conflicts.
Still, comprehensive statistics have been hard to come by. Many areas of Congo are inaccessible — cut off by thick forests and warring groups — and many victims have been too frightened to speak out. The central government is also weak, which has exacerbated the violence and made it difficult to collect information.
The conclusions in the new study, by three public health researchers — Amber Peterman of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Tia Palermo of Stony Brook University and Caryn Bredenkamp of the World Bank — are based on extrapolations from a household survey done in 2007 of 3,436 Congolese women nationwide.
The researchers found that around 12 percent were raped at least once in their lifetime and 3 percent were raped in the one-year period before the survey. Around 22 percent had been forced by their partners to have sex or perform sexual acts against their will, the study showed, implying that sexual abuse often happened at home. The women, ages 15 to 49, were interviewed in a demographic and health survey partly financed by the American government.
The study’s authors then used current population estimates, which put Congo’s population at around 70 million, to extrapolate that as many as 1.8 million Congolese women had been raped, with up to 433,785 raped in the one-year period, which would mean almost a rape a minute.
Congo has been the subject of sweeping studies before, including some by the International Rescue Committee, a private aid organization, which has estimated that Congo’s civil war has claimed more lives than any other conflict since World War II. Some scientists have criticized those studies as being too reliant on projections and not grounded enough in hard facts.
Michael VanRooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, which has sent doctors to Congo to treat rape victims, said that there were “some limitations in the methodology, such as the sampling methods and the sample sizes” of the new rape study. But he argued that “the important message remains: that rape and sexual slavery have become amazingly commonplace in this region of the D.R.C., and have defined this conflict as a war against women.”
The study’s authors believe the rape problem may be worse than their study suggests. The findings are based on survey results from females of reproductive age, but many reports and witness accounts have shown that armed men often gang-rape young girls — some even toddlers — and women in their 70s and older, in addition to a growing number of men and boys. Also, many rape victims never report being assaulted because of the shame and stigma. In Congo, countless women have been abandoned by their husbands after being raped.
“There are two big surprises in the study,” said Anthony Gambino, mission director for Congo of the United States Agency for International Development in 2001-4. “First, the magnitude of the problem — rates of rape that are much higher than seen elsewhere. And, second, that these alarming, shockingly high rape statistics are found in western Congo as well as northern and eastern Congo.”
Scientists and aid workers have struggled to pinpoint exactly why so many women are raped in Congo. Mr. Gambino says it may be related to nearly 40 years of “steady economic and political decline,” which has meant that the government’s presence has essentially disappeared from many areas of Congo.

Roots of Life & Rhythm of the Night - ECW Fund Raiser - April 16th

2011-04-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Join us Saturday, April 16th for a Garden Tour and Evening Event!

Roots of Life - Champagne Garden Tour at 10am and 11:30am - Explore this award-winning garden while you sip mimosas and nibble croissants. Named Best Garden for Zero Landscaping in 2011 by Montecito Journal, this fun garden was created out of existing flora and the generosity of neighbors. Tour led by owner, Neal Mazer.

Rhythm of the Night - Evening event begins at 7:00pm - Features Folio Wines from Mondavi Estate Wines, appetizers and desserts, Congolese music, Raffle drawing, and Silent Auction with art, jewelry, wine tours, and much more; also ethnic items from Congo for sale. There will also be presentations from Cara Brown/watercolor artist, Unite To Light, Tom's Shoes, and Dr. Victoria Bentley on Rotary projects in Congo.

Rotary sponsored Event
Rotaract of Santa Barbara is sponsoring this fund raiser for Empower Congo Women, on Saturday, April 16th at the home of Neal Mazer, 2140 Alisos Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93108.

Rotaractors are Rotary members from 18-30 years old. This event is spearheaded by Rotaract of Santa Barbara President Courtlin Stoker (2010-2011). It will be staffed by volunteers from that club. Chef: Vienna Lulu

Proceeds from the Event
Proceeds from Roots of Life and Rhythm of the Night go to support on-going operations at Ushindi Center, Bukavu, DRC. Specifically, it benefits 45 women and girl war survivors who are graduating from a year long vocational training program. In late June, each will receive a "Graduation Kit", consisting of a treadle sewing machine, stand, thread, oil, and enough fabric to help the new business get off to a good start. Each kit costs $150 and allows a family of 5 to become self-reliant.

Women who do not sew will be given a stipend of equal value.

Proceeds also benefit the building of a Peace Market on the Ruzizi River, Mumosho, DRC. This peace and reconciliation effort sponsored by Rotary Club of Montecito intends to improve relations between the citizens of DRC and Rwanda who live in the area, roughly 45,000 people.

Join Us!
This promises to be a fun event with lively Congolese Soukous music, delicious food, fine wine, and the romantic ambiance of a garden filled with candles!

Where: 2140 Alisos Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

When: Roots of Life Champagne Garden Tour, 10am and 11:30am
Rhythm of the Night begins at 7:00pm

Cost: Roots of Life Champagne Garden Tour $15

Rhythm of the Night Evening Event $35 (includes Garden Tour)

REGISTER AND PAY ONLINE: www.empowercongowomen.org

Click on Events and pay through Paypal

Looking forward to seeing you there!


With love and gratitude, Victoria

Fund Raiser for Empower Congo Women - February 9th

2011-02-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Sewing classes at Ushindi Center

Rotary sponsored Event
Rotaract of Ventura is sponsoring a very special event for Empower Congo Women this Wednesday, February 9th at the Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura, CA from 6-9pm.

Rotaractors are Rotary members from 18-30 years old. The Ventura Rotaract Club is fairly new, formed less than a year ago, but it boasts 24 young men and women members who have sponsored three successful fund raising events in the last 6 months! These Rotaractors are on fire!

Proceeds to buy Sewing Machines for Congolese Women
Proceeds from "CELEBRATING AND EMPOWERING CONGO WOMEN" will benefit women and girl graduates of Ushindi Center in Bukavu, DRC. Forty graduates who have completed a year long vocational training program will each receive a "Business Kit" consisting of a treadle sewing machine, stand, thread, oil for the machine, and enough fabric to get the graduate off to a good start. Each kit costs $150 and allows a family of 5 to become self-reliant.

Join Us!

This is a FREE event celebrating Women. There will be a delicious buffet dinner, donated by the Wedgewood Banquet Center, and let me tell you, their food is delicious!

Rotaract Ventura President Cheney Caldwell has been busy choreographing a Talent Show that you won't want to miss! There will also be a Silent Auction and Raffle, and a special presentation by Victoria Bentley who will tell the stories of courageous Congolese women.

Where and When
The event is being held from 6-9pm at the Wedgewood Banquet Center, 5880 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura.

Hope to see you there!


With love and gratitude, Victoria

Angeline

2010 - A Year of Focus and Continuing Growth

2010-12-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Young women learn to sew at Ushindi Center.

This truly has been a wonderful year for Empower Congo Women! During 2010, we continued to provide long-term, sustainable solutions--such as vocational training, education and trauma healing--which enable Congolese women to rebuild their lives and prosper.

We began 2010 by expanding Ushindi Center, so there are now several rooms devoted to training as well as an office and storage. Doing this allowed us space to enroll more women in the program, giving 28 more families the opportunity for a better life. Ranging in age from 15-19 years, these young women are all war survivors-- some have babies, others attend school, few have parents, yet their enthusiasm for learning is heart warming. These girls are the future of Congo. To support their growth, DONATE NOW:

http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php

On March 18^th, I joined the Ushindi women to march in solidarity with women worldwide for the International Women’s Day March. It poured that day, but we marched on in the rain with 2000 other soaked women from eastern Congo. What a trip!

Check out the gathering clouds in background.

In April, my wonderful friends Margaret Johnson and Betty Merner arrived in Bukavu from Rhode Island with suitcases bursting with fabric, stuffing and sewing notions, ready to make dolls to sell at Waldorf Schools. Both school teachers, they quickly organized the women who learned to cut, sew, stuff, and hand stitch doll parts-- in only two weeks they completed 100 perfect Waldorf dolls! Latest word from Betty is that all the dolls are sold and Waldorf parents are asking for more . . . now to get them from Bukavu to the US!

The doll-making assembly line

While Margaret and Betty were there, we trekked the Kahuzi Biega National Park to see the Lowland Gorillas. It was an amazing experience! Impressed by the poverty of a pygmy village nearby, my friends took action to help the tribe buy its own land by creating the Pygmy Land Project. Working under the auspices of Empower Congo Women, they plan to raise $50,000, so the pygmies will have a place to call home.

The pygmies of Kahuzi Biega need a place to call home.

Rotary International played a big role in our lives this year. As member of the International Service Committee of Rotary Club of Montecito, I was able to speak to 30 other clubs about the urgent need to address the dire situation in eastern Congo.

Rotary Club of Montecito International Service Committee, 2010

Rotary member's generous support provided vocational training and equipment for women and girls survivors of sexual violence at Ushindi Center in Bukavu and the Kivu Sewing Workshop in Mumosho, a groupment of villages south of Bukavu. Mumosho was also recipient of Rotary funding that improved Burhembo Primary School, bought goats for 30 families, and outfitted a demonstration farm that teaches environmentally sound farming methods.

Burhembo Primary School, Mumosho

I was honored to receive the District 5240 Direct Service Award from Rotary International this year, as well as to be named a Paul Harris Fellow for my international service. Ushindi Center was honored by the visit of District 5190 Governor, Maria Marceline, who although District Governor of 10 countries made a special trip to Ushindi Center in support of women worldwide.

Exciting news is that Empower Congo Women now has a formal Board of Directors at the helm. Named in November, the BOD is comprised of myself, Lisa Harrington, Charlie Dawson, Vera Dudley, and Seira Salemon. Learn more about this remarkably talented team at http://empowercongowomen.org/about.php

I am very happy that we were able to sponsor 126 children in school this year, which means we saved 126 children from becoming rebels, bandits and prostitutes—at least for one year! Your continuing support of Empower Congo Women's Educational Fund holds the promise of a better future for these children for years to come. Please DONATE NOW!

http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php

The women and girl participants at Ushindi Center will be graduating this spring, so that other women survivors can have the opportunity to rebuild their lives. All graduates are being prepared and tested by a master tailor to ensure that their dressmaking skills can support them. Upon graduation each woman will be given a gift "kit" to make a living. Each "kit" costs $150 and consists of a treadle sewing machine with stand, fabric, notions, and oil to keep the machine running well. We have 2 kits donated now and need 43 more! Won't you please help these women get off to a good start by donating a Graduation Kit.

http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php

Angeline is the single mother of 6 children. Her husband was killed several years ago.

As the year draws to an end, I want to thank you all for your continuing support of Empower Congo Women. We are a grassroots organization working to rebuild the fabric of society in eastern Congo. I believe more than ever that many people giving a bit of what they have, no matter how small the contribution, can move mountains! So this is your chance to make the world a better place-- one woman, one family at a time. Be part of our grassroots movement where every dollar counts, and every dollar is accounted for! To quote Mahatma Gandhi, Be the change you want to see in the world.

With Love and Gratitude and Best Wishes for a Prosperous and very happy New Year,

Victoria Bentley

Ushindi women march against violence

2010-11-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Ushindi Center girls carry the banner during the Women' March against Violence

On Sunday, October 17^th, the women of Ushindi Center marched through the streets of Bukavu with thousands of other women from all over the world. They marched to protest the sexual violence against women that still continues unabated in eastern Congo today.

Forty-five Ushindi women marched together in solidarity carrying a banner that said,

“Denounce us and we speak up.
No to violence against women.
Until women are free, we will mach.”

First Lady Olive Lembe Kabila, the Minister of Gender, Marie-Ange Lukiana, and others, planted trees at the Triangle de Nguba as symbols of the women who have died, been raped, or otherwise victimized during the 14 years of violence against women in Congo.

The marchers walked through the streets of Bukavu to Independence Square, where speeches and a manifest were read.

The march was organized by the World Women March movement. Women came from countries from all over the world to participate in the march.

With love and gratitude,

Victoria

Rotary International in eastern Congo

2010-11-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Rotary International has become a benefactor of Ushindi Center and other projects in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

I am proud to say I belong to Rotary Club of Montecito, California, USA. Through the support and generosity of its members, and 20 other Rotary Clubs in District 5240, Rhode Island and Illinois, we have been able to expand services at Ushindi Center as well as contribute to the well-being of other community-based charitable organizations in eastern Congo. In short, we are helping the good people of Congo rebuild their lives.

Montecito Rotary Club International Service Committee, 2009-2011

Our Host Partner is Rotary Club of Bukavu, DRC. Our clubs have worked together to generate two grants that rehabilitate women victims of sexual violence, build sustainable business, and provide scholarships for primary and secondary school children.

Celestin Ntayira, me, Elysee Bishako, and Thierry Mwira, President Bukavu Rotary Club, 2010-2011

Our  alliance has brought relief to hundreds of unfortunate war victims in  Bukavu and the Mumosho area of South Kivu Province. Working together on  two grants, we have provided vocational training programs, much needed  equipment, income generating projects, seeds for sustainable  agriculture, improved animal strains for a demonstration farm, and  payment of school fees for over 100 disadvantaged children.
Ushindi member makes Waldorf Dolls sponsored by Rotary Wives from Wakefield, RI, April 2010

We are currently working on a third grant which plans to rehabilitate and educate at-risk girls in the Uvira area south of Bukavu. This is our most exciting project yet, because it builds income-generating projects into the structure of the school, so that girls get on-the-job training while helping the facility remain self-sustaining. 

So stay tuned -- and ask how you can get involved! There is lots more to come!

With love and gratitude,

Victoria

A Place to Call Home

2010-09-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

Pygmy women gather around the well.

Pygmies are the indigenous people of Africa. For millennium they lived in the jungles of Congo where they maintained their unique relationship with nature. In the mid-1970s, the government under Mobutu decreed that many of the lush Congolese forests were National Parks, and the pygmy were evicted.

Kahuzi Biega National Park (KBNP) in eastern Congo is famous for its lowland gorillas, some of whom can be seen by visitors. http://www.biega.com/biega-kahuzi.html

It was the pygmy of Kahuzi Biega who habituated the first gorilla family in 1972; they followed the troop for 3 years until the male Silverback accepted humans into their midst. Now although the pygmy made gorillas accessible to tourists, they are not included in management decisions affecting the park.

One of the pygmy gentlemen who first habituated gorillas to humans.

Today the pygmy of Kahuzi Biega live on borrowed land and are treated like lepers—cast out, violated, hunted for sport. They live outside the magnificent park that was once their home on land too small to feed their tribe, with the threat of eviction hanging over them like the sword of Damocles.

Pygmy women with their children.

Last April, I took my friends Margaret Johnson and Betty Merner of Wakefield, RI to visit the gorillas and pygmy of KBNP. Our guide was Dominique Bikaba, a local man who grew up with the pygmy and is now a conservationist working to preserve the KB environment and its inhabitants.

My friends were profoundly touched by the pygmy people they met-- the beautiful children, the extreme poverty in which they live, and the despair that haunts displaced people with no home of their own.

So Margaret and Betty decided to do something to improve their lives: they decided to purchase land the pygmy can call their own, land that will support the tribe through farming and that can never be taken away from them!

The Pygmy Land Project

This project intends to purchase a permanent piece of land for the pygmy of Kahuzi Biega in eastern DRC. The fund raising goal is $50,000, which will buy about 25 acres. Funds will be channeled through Empower Congo Women. Donations to this project can be made through paypal on the Empower Congo Women website: http://www.empowercongowomen.org/

Or donations can be mailed directly to Margaret Johnson, 1036 South Road, Wakefield, RI 02689. Please make checks out to "Empower Congo Women - Pygmy Land Project" to guarantee that your donation goes to this project.

Dominique Bikaba, a Congolese citizen and Director of the Strong Roots, an organization based in the Kahuzi Biega area, is the DRC contact for this project. Margaret and Betty are the big hearted sponsors from the US.

Empower Congo Women is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. All donations made through ECW are fully tax-deductible.

The kids race Betty to the car.

With love and gratitude,

Victoria

The Amazing Waldorf Doll Project

2010-09-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Flash back to April 2010. . . Margaret Johnson and Betty Merner, friends from Rhode Island and Rotary wives, arrived in Bukavu with four huge suitcases crammed with fabric, thread, patterns and stuffing so the Ushindi women could make 100 Waldorf Dolls to sell in the US.

FYI, Waldorf Doll is a form of doll used in Waldorf Schools, which are intentionally made simple to allow playing children to develop their imagination and creativity. Traditionally made of natural fibers, they are often without facial expressions so the child is free to create their own story.

On the first day after greetings were exchanged amongst the all the women, Margaret and Betty got to work organizing the women into five groups. Each group would be responsible for making 20 dolls: cutting the 6 pieces for each doll, sewing it together, stuffing the head and body, and stitching the bonnet onto the face.

Since Betty and Margaret are both teachers, it was easy for them to demonstrate what needed to be done and organize the center into a working assembly line.

Doll bodies were stacked, filler material was everywhere; while some women sewed, others stuffed the heads and arms. The women thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Eventually, the dolls began to take shape. With one day left to go, only 36 dolls were completed. Betty wondered if they would get all 100 dolls done by the time we left to go home.

And they did . . . The women came through, all 100 dolls were finished, beautifully made, with perfect stitching around the face. Betty reports that over 80 dolls have been sold, and the women are ready to make more.

With love and gratitude,

Incredible Victory for making supply chains of "conflict minerals" transparent!

2010-07-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Your efforts to bring peace to Congo are paying off!

Please take a moment to read the latest email from Enough Project describing the recent victory Congo activists have had in making the supply chair of "conflict minerals" transparent. Included in the Wall Street Reform bill just passed by Congress is a provision that requires companies to disclose their source of supply for these minerals, with the intention that doing so will reduce profits that support terrorism in Congo, in much the same way that making "blood diamonds" transparent cut off funds that supported the war in Sierra Leon.

John Predergast, co-Founder of Enough Project, writes:

Today, the world moved a step closer to ensuring that the supply chains for our laptops and cell phones do not finance violence in eastern Congo. Today, human rights activists, American consumers, and the people of Congo won an incredible victory. Congress passed the Wall Street reform bill with the inclusion of a key provision on conflict minerals which will require companies to disclose whether they source conflict minerals from Congo or neighboring countries, and require companies to report on steps taken to exclude conflict sources from their supply chains, backed by independent audits.

The growing movement for Congo across America should be very proud of this impressive victory. Activists and concerned consumers from communities across the country came together with one voice and told Congress we demand strong legislation that will put us on the path to ending one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history. You overran the Facebook pages of elected officials and electronics companies, followed up with phone calls, wrote letters and emails to their offices, met face-to-face with your representatives, and called on industry leaders to clean up their supply chain. These are just some examples of the creative advocacy that has helped elevate the issue of conflict minerals to reach today’s tipping point. Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Reps. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Howard Berman (D-CA), and Barney Frank (D-MA), along with many other upstanding members of Congress, deserve special praise for leading this battle over the past two years.

From the day President Obama signs the bill, the Securities and Exchange Commission will have nine months to develop regulations implementing the new law. It will be up to all of us to ensure that these regulations are as strong as possible.

This legislation is a piece of the broader solution. We now have to turn our attention from the legislative branch of our government to the executive branch, to ensure that the Obama administration helps lead an international effort to create what we call a "trace, audit, and certify" regime to ensure that the raw materials that go into our cell phones and laptops are not fueling conflict.

You really did something meaningful here. Take a week off. We still have work to do, but we need to appreciate this victory. We will be coming back to you with ideas of how you can continue to be involved in shaping the actions our government takes and the practices our electronics companies utilize in sourcing the minerals that power all of our electronics products. Peace in Congo is possible. We just took one important step today on that road to a better future in Congo.

Thank you for your activism.

Contact Senators to Keep Teeth in the "Conflict Minerals" Bill

2010-06-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I know you all are busy, but Please take a moment to read this:

Enough Project and other activist organizations have been working hard to get a bill signed by Congress that requires multinational tech companies to become accountable when purchasing "conflict minerals" from DR Congo. This legislation is similar to regulating "blood diamonds", which were financing the war in Sierra Leon.

The rape of women and girls in Congo is perpetuated by the world’s dependence on these minerals to run modern technological devices--cell phones, computers,video games. Diverse military groups, backed by international corporations, compete for these “conflict minerals”: coltan, tin, tungsten, gold. Their strategy is to brutally gang rape females in areas where these minerals exist, displacing the population and giving them access to Congo’s vast mineral wealth.

Bottom line: Violated Congolese women are paying the price for our technological toys and conveniences.

But you can help stop this wanton rape of women and girls by supporting the Conflict Minerals Bill up before Congress right now. To do so, please read on . . . (it only takes one minute)

Change the Equation for Congo

Dear Friend,

During the last several months we've asked for your help to create real change on the issue of Congo's conflict minerals. Never before has our request been more urgent than now. Critical language requiring conflict minerals accountability is part of the financial reform legislation currently being finalized by Congress. The fate of this conflict minerals language will likely be decided over the next 48 hours.

Despite tech industry support and strong bi-partisan support of the language and the legislation it's derived from, manufacturing and retail industry groups are lobbying hard to have it removed. Now is the time for you and the grassroots movement to stand up against corporate lobbyists. Even though tech companies have admitted it would cost one penny per product to ensure a conflict-free supply chain, lobbyists for manufacturing companies continue to argue that even this penny is too expensive.

Today we're urgently asking you to spend a few minutes to get key members of the Congressional conference committee to support the language (this is the group responsible for deciding the final fate of the legislation.) Each of the members below is of high strategic value to ensuring the conflict minerals language stays in the legislation.
TAKE ACTION TODAY ON FACEBOOK

We need to ensure that the following members use their influence to keep the conflict minerals language in the legislation:

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN)

Please click on the links above to visit their Facebook pages. Click the "Like" button at the top, and then post a message asking for their support of the legislation. On Senator Lincoln's page, you will need to place your comment on her most recent post, because she doesn't allow feedback otherwise. We've drafted a sample for you to work from, but please feel free to customize your own if you would like:

"Senator {Insert Name}, please join a bi-partisan group of Senators in fighting to keep the Congo conflict minerals language in the financial reform bill. The tech industry estimates it would cost less than a penny per product to guarantee that their products are free of conflict minerals."

Without strong grassroots support, industry groups might succeed in undoing the progress you've made to end the trade in conflict minerals and bring peace to the people of Congo. Join us today and thank you for your urgent support at this critical time.

Sincerely,

Jenny Russell
Advocacy Director
Enough Project

P.S. If you do not use Facebook, or want to take further action, please contact the Senators' offices directly:

Senator Lincoln - Contact Elizabeth Burks - 202.224.4843

Senator Corker - Contact Courtney Geduldig - 202.224.

Now that wasn't so difficult . . .

With love and gratitude,

June 12th Benefit for Ntaboba's New Leg!

2010-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Artwork by Julia Riodan Scherer

Ntaboba is a little boy whose leg was blown up by a hand grenade explosion when he was 3 years old. He is 8-years old now and uses a metal rod as a crutch to walk to school each day. He is a an excellent student, and he never misses a day of school.

Orphans who attend school through charitable donations, Amani, and Ntaboba.

When Margaret saw Ntaboba, her heart broke. Watching him walk, she realized that his spine was becoming deformed by his dependence on the rod; his little body twisted unnaturally with each small step as he struggled to keep his balance. But without the rod, he could not get to school . . . and not attending school was never an option for this bright child.

Margaret and Betty decided to help Ntaboba. Back home in Rhode Island, they contacted doctors who volunteered to do the surgery and donate his hospital stay and prosthesis. But the procedure will take up to two months, so he must stay in the US while recovering from the first surgery before receiving his new leg. Arrangements have been made for a family friend to accompany him, as his mother cannot leave her other children that long.

The Benefit Yard Sale is being held this Saturday, June 12th, in Kingston Rhode Island by Julia Riordan Scherer. An artist of some renown, she will donate the proceeds to transportation costs for Ntaboba and his traveling companion.

The Benefit address: 1577 South Road Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 9am - 4pm

You can give this child the opportunity for a normal life by making a contribution now. Anyone wishing to help Ntaboba's cause can donate through paypal at my website. Donations are fully tax deductible. http://empowercongowomen.org/donate.php Please indicate that donation is for Ntaboba.

Or you can send a check to: ECW PO Box 60940, Santa Barbara CA, 93111. Please write "Ntaboba" on check.

With love and gratitude,

Margaret and Betty arrive in Bukavu

2010-05-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Two friends of mine from Rhode Island traveled to Bukavu in mid-April and stayed for 2 weeks. Their purpose in coming was to benefit Ushindi Center by making 100 dolls for sale at Waldorf schools in the US. . . and to see the gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega Park, both big goals which they accomplished with aplomb!

The ladies hit the ground running on Monday after their arrival.

While Betty greeted the Ushindi women, Margaret lent a hand fixing the soap cutting table.

The women, both Congolese and American, took time that day to get to know each other.

Margaret learned she couldn't lift with two hands the pan of avocados and bananas that Juliene carries on her head every day to market,

but she found consolation holding baby Victoria.

Then they got to work explaining the project to the Ushindi women. The intention was to cut, sew and assemble 100 dolls in the two weeks the Americans would be in Bukavu. Then we would pack the dolls back with us to sell at Waldorf schools in Rhode Island, where Betty and Margaret are both involved with Waldorf schools.

Here Betty explains the project while Bonaventura Muzigiri translates English into the local language, Mashi. Bony became indispensible to the project, not only intrepreting but cutting fabric, holding baby Victoria, and writing in beautiful calligraphic script each woman's name on the doll's tags.

Betty, Margaret and I had all brought huge suitcases crammed with materials to make the dolls-- 8 colors of flannel, thread, needles, pins, material for the heads, and bundles of stuffing. It was an ambitious project, but the Ushindi women had been honing their sewing skills making practice dolls. None of us were sure we could do it, but we were all willing to give it a try!

PS Margaret was finally able to lift the bananas on top of her head, but there was no way she could balance them!

With love and gratitude,

Saboni Ushindi

2010-05-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Chantal and I in the soap making room

Saboni means "soap" in Swahili. In March, I enlisted Chantal, who is a chemistry teacher and a very smart lady, to teach the women at Ushindi Center how to make soap. They had asked to learn the craft, because they can sell bars of soap in their neighborhoods for a profit.

Although there are only 4 ingredients used in soap making, it isn't all that simple a process.

To begin with, the palm oil, which is the basis of soap, must be boiled several times and stirred in the correct direction for the soap to have the desired consistency. The charcoal stove is wobbly, the pot of oil is heavy and difficult to move, and the fumes are debilitating (they irritate your lungs big time, so the women are instructed to wear masks-- Chantal was modeling here for me).

Chantal steadies the boiling oil, then later takes it off the heat

After the palm oil and caustic (for cleaning) are properly cooked, color and scent additives are stirred in, and the mixture is poured into a mold to cool. When it is firm, the block is put on the cutting table and sliced into bars, not an easy job.

We later discovered that the cutting table had not been constructed properly-- the edge boards were not square, and the cutting wire was too loose-- with the end result being irregularly shaped bars of soap.

Nonetheless, the Ushindi women sold all the bars quickly for a small profit, but we are still working to make the soap a better product. New molds have been built and the table made more servicable. Chantal added a secret ingredient which makes the soap clean and rinse more effectively. . . and we are having a stamp made that brands each bar with the name USHINDI so we stand out in the market. Soap anyone?

With love and gratitude,

The Batwa of Kahuzi-Biega

2010-04-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Women stand beside the well that has no water.

Pygmies are thought to be the first and oldest inhabitants of Congo. Before waves of Bantu migrations from western Africa began displacing them 4000 years ago, these small forest people lived in villages throughout equatorial Congo.

Pygmy children don't see many white folks . . . and they lack medical care.

The Batwa pygmies are indigenous to northeastern Congo. Before outsiders came, they had developed a culture uniquely their own with systems of managing forests and wildlife, some subsistence farming, and trade with neighboring tribes.

They lived in the rainforest surrounding Mt. Kahuzi and Mt. Biega until 1975, when the government of then Zaire created the National Park system. Then they and other indigenous people were evicted and relocated outside the parks, settled without reparation on borrowed land with no means of support. Only the Bambuti of Ituri were allowed to continue living inside the park, where they remain today. http://www.tribaltrust.org/

Pygmy village

I visited a Batwa village outside the Kahuzi-Biega National Park with Dominique Bikada, a local guy who grew up playing with pygmy children in the jungle before it became a park. He now runs PolePole, a community-based NGO dedicated to conserving park habitat and animals-- and to helping its indigenous people. popofdrc@yahoo.fr

Dominique in the meeting hall with pygmy women.

The Batwa are very poor, because they own nothing-- 35 years after being evicted from their forest home, they live like lepers, segregated from society and discriminated against by just about everyone. The Congolese government ignores them.

And although it was members of this tribe who first "sensitized" the gorillas of Kahuzi-Biega Park to accept humans in the 1970s, and some of their men are guards in the park today, they continue have no say in park matters.

The pygmy gentleman who desensitized the first gorillas 30 years ago.

My first glimpse of the Batwa was the smiling faces of their beautiful children as they ran up paths amid tea plants to greet the car. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by children of all ages-- I felt like the Pied Piper!

The children were not in school, because Rwandan soldiers had recently trashed their schoolrooms.

School principal stands in classroom where soldiers burned desks and chairs.

The pygmies remind me of gypsies, as both are tribal people who live outside society with their own culture and values, and prefer it that way. It's too bad they don't have their own land where they can live in peace!

With love and gratitude,

Family Planning

2010-04-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

It is difficult for Congolese women to imagine themselves without a man in their lives; culturally, a woman has little value if she is unmarried or barren. Regardless of what tragedy has befallen her, a sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) survivor continues to want a husband and be to respectable.

Unfortunately, men take advantage of these vulnerable women, promising to marry them, then disappearing when the woman gets pregnant. We had four new babies this year at Ushindi Center under just such circumstances—Moses, Vicky, Wema and Victoria—so I thought I’d better do something quickly before a whole soccer team named after me came into being!

Families in Congo tend to be large—8 to 10 children are normal, especially in rural areas where villagers are subsistence farmers and more children mean more hands to get chores done. The irony is that women survivors who were doing the culturally correct thing by having many children now find themselves living in the city where more children means high school fees each month, which they unfortunately cannot afford. So their children run the streets, the girls getting pregnant at young ages without the parental or community control of a small village.

So it is that Ushindi Center finds itself needing birth control for both its women members and their daughters. Several of the young girls have already had children, and they are now enrolled in our Girls with Babies group for teen-aged girls.

We called on the Association de Sante Familiale to put on a Family Planning Workshop, one part of their Projet de Planification Familiale, which supplies contraceptives through Confiance. www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/org/org_57281.html This international NGO has a local office that has been presenting birth control information in workshop format for almost 10 years. They used humor, skits and education to explain why having many children handicaps everyone involved, especially the mother who is at risk of having a fistula or dying after the sixth child.

Julie, the leader, described in detail the variety of birth control methods available to both young and older women. She took time to explain how to use “pearls” with the rhythm method.

She did a wonderful job describing the consequences of many children-- on the mother, other children, and the family unit. A skit with two men posing as a rural couple spoke to the cultural norms that discourage birth control and encourage stair-step children.

The following day I happily wrote 10 prescriptions for Ushindi Center girls to local hospitals which provide free health examinations and minimally expensive birth control pills and devices. The soccer team will have to wait . . .

With love and gratitude,

The thing about bedbugs . . .

2010-04-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

The thing about bedbugs is that once you’ve started scratching and woken yourself up, there’s no getting back to sleep.

No matter how far you distance yourself from the offending bed, you know they’re still on you . . even though you can’t see them, you can feel them crawling . . . in your hair, on your ankle, in your ear– there’s no end to it!

Aughhhhhhhhhh!

With love and gratitude,

Mumosho Part II

2010-04-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bukavu with enough cash from Wakefield RI and Santa Maria CA Rotary Clubs to reroof the Burhembo primary school, buy a few extra things for the kids, and jump start the goat breeding program at the Agriculture Station.

Amani Matabaro, my contact in Mumosho, made most of the purchases in Bukavu, which included 150 tin sheets, nails, hammers, school books, chalk, and medicine for the school infirmary. We rented a truck and delivered the tin sheets to Burhembo school in mid-March. After Easter, we were told the new roof was finished, so we drove south on Tuesday to check out the progress.

The roof looked great: the new tin sheets clean and securely bolted down, but best of all was knowing that the children would stay dry and could focus on their studies now.

The parents had done all the work, and a small contingent was waiting to thank us when we arrived. I explained that I represented two groups of people in the USA, who also are parents, and so they they understand how important it is for children to get an education.

The doctor was very grateful for the medicine that he had ordered and we had purchased from the big central pharmacy in Bukavu: anti-malarial quinine tablets, paracetanol, amoxycylin, penicelyn, phancidar, chlorapherain, benzathine, asprin, and elastic bandages.

And, of course, we visited the goats. Pacifique, director of the ag center, was able to buy 13 goats in Rwanda with the Rotary donations.

Seven were tethered near the Burhembo school where parents and their children are participating in an educational program about goat care initiated by Amani and Pacifique. Each goat is tended by three families, who take turns feeding it bundles of special grass each day.

The goat pen that was under construction in November has been completed, and it is quite impressive. With stalls on each side, it is able to house 20 goats. The goats were being fed when we got there, and they looked healthy and happy, especially the one billie goat amongst all the nannies. . . and they have a special handler who takes them out every afternoon to exercise!

So, Thank You! Wakefield and Santa Maria Rotary Clubs! You have made a lot of people very happy, not to mention the goats . . .

With love and gratitude,

Easter in Bukavu

2010-04-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

DR Congo is primarily a Catholic country, and the Archdiocese of Bukavu is a strong presence with Evecile Cathedral sitting atop a hill where it's visible from all over town.

The Catholic church does many good deeds here; it is responsible for running five hospitals in Bukavu, including Sosame, the psychiatric hospital, which is overseen by Brothers of Charity. The church also cares for street children, and one group of Nuns provides excellent vocational training, such as tailoring, for handicapped and disadvantaged people.

As everywhere, Easter is a joyous holiday, a time of resurrection and rebirth, certainly a time to celebrate, maybe even to buy a rosary to commenorate the event.

I attended mass in the cathedral,

and then had Easter dinner with Roger, my interpreter, his wife Chantal, and their family.

Like many responsible families in Congo, Roger and Chantal are raising other children in addition to their own. Besides their young son and daughter, they care for six children who are vaguely related, making a total of eight children in their small bungalow. No one minds the crowding, and everyone seems to get along.

Grandmother, who is 78, lives nearby and dotes on her grandchildren. After dinner, we listened to ABBA, which was lots of fun, because the children danced while I translated the lyrics into an English they could understand. They are a warm, happy family that welcomed me into their home and made my Easter delightful. Thanks Roger and Chantal!

With love and gratitude,

Girls with Babies

2010-04-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

During my trip to Bukavu last fall, I learned that in extremely poor families, young girls are sometimes accused of witchcraft and banished from their homes, scapegoats to mitigate family misfortune. Unfortunately, in order to survive these girls often become prostitutes, get pregnant, and end up living on the streets with babies.

My heart went out to these desperate young mothers and their children. Hortense, my friend and Administrator, has talked about helping these girls for some time, so we organized a vocational training class at Ushindi Center which she calls, Girls with Babies.

We had no trouble finding girls to fill the group. The first Saturday 30 girls showed up, some over 20 years and too old for the group. The following Monday, 35 more girls were sitting outside our door when Ushindi Center opened. The youngest girl to join is 15 years old with a two months old baby.

Some of these girls have tragic stories. One was kidnapped by the Interahamwe while going to visit her grandmother. She was taken into the bush where she experienced unbearable atrocities: gang raped repeatedly every day by 9 men, treated as a slave doing hard labor, and forced to cook and eat human flesh. She escaped with 2 other girls, only later to discover that she was pregnant. She is 16 years old now and due to deliver any day. A cute girl, she continues to look startled, her eyes never blinking.

Most have had little schooling, so the group began with literacy training and a good deal of tough love and values clarification by the sewing teacher, Verdiane. In addition to sewing, the training plans to educate girls about child care, domestic violence, their reproductive systems, family planning, and good nutrition.

By educating girls and teaching them how to make a living, we are working toward women’s emancipation, autonomy and empowerment in Congo, changing the mentality and practices in local communities at the grassroots level.

This program needs additional funding. Ushindi Center would be grateful for any contribution you can make at this time. Please make out checks to Empower Congo Women and send to Dr. Victoria Bentley, PO Box 60940, Santa Barbara, CA 93160, or you can contribute online through paypal on ECW website: http://www.empowercongowomen.org/ All donations are fully tax-exempt.

With love and gratitude,

Life in Bukavu

2010-04-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Not everything in Bukavu is dire circumstances. In fact, the Congolese people tend to be good-natured amidst all the chaos, and they are willing to give a hand when an immediate problem presents itself, like pushing a truck uphill . . .

Or getting a hog on the back of a mototaxi.

This was no easy task because the hog was good-sized, weighing over 200lbs (I raised hogs one summer). But passerbys quickly assembled to help, and together they were able to hoist the unwilling animal onto the bike behind the driver.

While the others held the pig in place, the owner quickly jumped on and they were off-- wherever they went, probably not in the hog’s best interests!

With love and gratitude,

Mumosho - Part I

2010-03-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

The groupment of Mumosho lies 10 km south of Bukavu on the road to Nyangezi, an area which incorporates 8 villages with a population of roughly 31,000. Located on the Ruzizi River, it lies on the border of Rwanda. Before the wars began in 1994, the people of the two countries shared their lives peacefully, passing back and forth across the river to trade, attend school, and marry.

Children too poor to attend outside the school fence looking in

The area suffered greatly from wars waged on its soil from 1996-2003. Due to Mumosho’s strategic location, multiple armed groups passed through, all to the detriment of the people who live there. The fabric of society was severely damaged, with the health, education, economic and sanitation systems almost destroyed. Human rights violations, such as massacres, use of children as soldiers, rape, and sexual slavery rose to alarming levels.

The district Chief of Mumosho in his office

To make matters worse, the Mwami, or Big Chief, who has sovereignty over the area, sold over 400 acres (190 hectares) of good farm land to private interests-- to the World Bank to build a dam, and to Pharmaquina, a German company that grows chichona for quinine, neither of which benefit the population of Mumosho in any way.

The road to the dam showing land that can no longer be used for farming

To date, no large humanitarian organization has come forward to help; however, two small community-based agencies are doing their best to help the people of Mumosho rebuild their lives.

One is run by Amani Matabaro, a local boy who works in Bukavu for MONUQ (UN forces in DRC) but has come back to help his community. I was introduced to Amani and his wife Amina last November by Hortense Barholere, the Administrator at Ushindi Center, who is Amani's cousin. It was through them that I learned about Mumosho and decided to visit the area.

Amani founded and runs the Welfare of Women and Children in Kivu (ABFEK), a non-profit that supports the Kivu Sewing Workshop, where vulnerable women and girls learn to be dressmakers. http://kivusewingworkshop.org/ It also pays school fees for as many disadvantaged children as their small budget allows.

The Kivu Sewing Workshop

The other local agency is the Union fait la Force (UFF), which focuses on teaching local farmers sustainable agriculture practices and modern animal husbandry on a demonstration farm. When I first met Pacifique Kagizi, Director of UFF, he was showing farmers how to use compost to improve the yield of banana trees.

Pacifique explains how compost helps plants grow

Later he showed off the new goat pen, which is raised off the moist ground to keep the animals healthy.

Partially constructed goat pens

The day I toured Mumosho, we visited a primary school that desperately needs help. The walls are made of splintering wood, the tin roof so old and leaky that when it rains (which is often in Congo), the children must huddle in one corner to avoid the deluge that pours through the roof like a sieve into their classroom.

The leaky primary school roof

I also met the school doctor, who I learned has little medicine to treat sick students, not to mention the local people who bring their children to the school infirmary to be treated. There is no hospital in the area, only two small clinics which are poorly supplied and several hours walk away.

Discussing school needs with Amani, the School Doctor, and the School Principal

I left Mumosho feeling I wanted to do something to help. When I returned to the USA, I spoke about Mumosho to various groups. Two Rotary Clubs came forward to help the school with the leaky roof: Wakefield Rotary (RI) and Santa Maria Rotary (CA), whose donations I carried with me when I returned to Congo earlier this month.

To be continued . . .

With love and gratitude,

Ushindi Center Women become Trauma Healers

2010-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ushindi Center women with their Certificates.

Those of you following my blog may remember that Ushindi Center women have received trauma therapy in the past from a Swedish therapist named Gunilla Hamne.

The Founder of Peaceful Heart Network, Gunilla has been treating genocide survivors in Rwanda for several years. She teachs TFT, a form of energy psychology, in which the practitioner taps gently on acupressure points on the hands, face and chest to bring relief to trauma symptoms.

Gunilla taught me the technique last fall, and together we treated all the women, then taught them to treat their trauma symptoms themselves. I must admit I was skeptical at first until I saw the results!

Gunilla teaches body-awareness to teen-age mothers at Ushindi Center.

They learned the process quickly. They now report that they use it on a daily basis to relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which are triggered by their difficult living conditions. (We learned that worry about their children and landlords creates stress, which brings back past traumatic memories with their accompanying emotional distress and physical problems)

Personally, I would not have believed how effective this technique is if I had not witnessed the women’s recovery myself. Last week we interviewed them one by one and recorded the miraculous changes they’re experiencing: insomnia and migraine headaches gone, mental confusion replaced with clarity, panic attacks gone, despair and depression lifted, anger turned to kindness, tension to relaxation . . . the results are extraordinary.

So over a two week period, Gunilla and I trained them to treat other people's PTSD. Then working in pairs, they demonstrated the technique and we evaluated their skill level. All passed the test and now possess a certificate of proficiency from Peaceful Heart Network.

The women are very proud of their achievement. Many speak of treating their children and neighbors, so the circle of healing widens. Bringing relief to their country with energy psychology, they are probably the only group of women survivors of sexual violence in Congo to be certified as trauma healers!

With love and gratitude,

Bukavu Rotary Club visits Ushindi Center

2010-03-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bisimwa and his assistant Claude visit Ushindi Center.

Charles Bisimwa, Past President of the Bukavu Rotary Club, visited Ushindi Center today. Mr. Bisimwa came as an emissary from his club to greet the women who train there.

Mr. Bisimwa is a member of CIALCA (Consortium for improving agriculture-based livelihoods in Central Africa), which is an organization of agronomists that works to improve plant quality and train farmers in sustainable agriculture methods. He spoke about new foods being made from soy beans, food which will improve nutrition and can be sold in the Ushindi Center store. http://www.cialca.org/files/files/TSBF%20planning%20meeting/Presentation%2003%20-%20Katunga%20-%20CIALCA%20Bukavu.pdf

Bukavu Rotary and Montecito Rotary are working together on grants to upgrade vocational training programs for women survivors of sexual violence at Ushindi Center. http://www.montecitorotary.org/ The project will provide additional sewing and embroidery machines, fabric, generators, office equipment, and provisional staff to train the women in advanced dressmaking and store management. In addition, the grant pays school fees for 75 more children, bringing the total of students supported by Ushindi Center to 150.

This grant will be funded in late April and run for 10 months.

With love and gratitude,

Ben Affleck launches grassroots initiative in Eastern Congo

2010-03-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I got an excited call from a friend who’d just seen Ben Affleck at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu. It was great to hear he was in town advocating for the Congolese people.

Today, a CNN article reported that Ben has launched an initiative to help community-based organizations in Eastern Congo. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/03/22/congo.affleck

I am delighted by his direction, because I know many local charities in Bukavu that are doing great work but not getting the attention, or the funds, that they deserve. Overshadowed by larger organizations and often ignored by the press, these small, grassroots agencies do much to maintain the fabric of society in Bukavu.

For example, the Kivu Sewing Workshop provides vocational training for women war survivors in Mumosho, a suburb of Bukavu. http://kivusewingworkshop.org/ It was founded by Amani Matabaro, a local boy whose job with the UN finances his humanitarian projects. Montecito Rotary Club in USA recently offered to sponsor a grant that will build capacity and bring jobs to the area through Amani’s organization.

Women training at Kivu Sewing Workshop.

Centre Ushindi is a grassroots agency in Bukavu which empowers women by providing vocational training for survivors of sexual violence, paying school fees for vulnerable children, and educating teen-age mothers. Although it is funded by an American non-profit, center policy is directed by the Congolese women who make up the board and by its members. http://empowercongowomen.org/

Being local and grassroots, Centre Ushindi’s development model is quite different from the international agencies in Bukavu, many of which are big businesses with offices worldwide. They view war survivors as "recipients", who have no say in program development or execution, nor power within the organization, which is funded and administered from abroad.

Because Centre Ushindi is dedicated to bringing peace to Congo by empowering women, they teach women survivors and young mothers how to become self-sufficient while in the program, first with vocational/entrepreneur training and microfinance, then by developing markets for their products. Compared to time-limited programs, this is a more challenging and time-consuming process, because the women remain members until they are back on their feet.

Women are learning advanced dressmaking at Ushindi Center.

If you believe as I do that empowering women is one way to bring peace to Congo, then we must ask, How can Congo be rebuilt if we continue to treat its women survivors as victims and recipients, always tragic, downtrodden, and incapable of directing their lives, and don't give credit to the local organizations which are dedicated to helping others? The solution to Congo's woes is not political or military; it lies in the strength of its women and its community-based organizations, which already do heroic work under very difficult circumstances. . . they just need recognition and support from outside.

So I say, Good work, Ben!!! Glad you're on board!

With love and gratitude,

International Women's Day, Bukavu DRC

2010-03-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

I’ve been in Bukavu one week now, driving last Sunday with my friend Gunilla from Kigali through Rwanda to DRC, in time to march in the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY parade with the Ushindi Center women.

And what a parade it was! Thousands of women waited for hours to march in solidarity down Patrice Lumumba, the main street in Bukavu. The parade was 3-4 times larger than I remember it being 2 years ago.

The women marched, sometimes 3 groups wide, each carrying their own banner and dressed in matching libaya. They came from neighboring towns and villages as well as Bukavu-- Ciriri, Bunyarkiri, Walungu, Mumosho, Nyangezi, Mudusa--some walking several days to participate in the event.

Our Administrator, Hortense Barholere wrote the Ushindi Center banner, which read:

USHINDI CENTER – EMPOWER CONGO WOMEN, USA

Leo ni siku mpya mama, Amka!

Today is a new day Mama, Get Up!

One of my favorite groups was the Conglese women soldiers, who marched and sang with great pride.

This large group marched in front of us and sang for hours during the parade. These are women who were taken as wives by the rebels, sex slaves who were rescued and are now being repatiated by CARITAS.

Alice was ill and sat in a UN vehicle with the Bangladeesh policemen until she felt better.

Overall, the march was a great success. The women's voices sang out to stop violence against women and children and demanded peace in DR Congo.

With love and gratidude,

Tune into 60 Minutes Tonight

2009-11-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

"Tomorrow is a New Day" - Billboard at entrance to Panzi Hospital

Tonight 60 Minutes will show an expose on what is driving the war in Congo: Not tribal conflict, as you might imagine, but control and exploitation of Congo's vast mineral wealth. Coltan, gold, copper, cobalt and tin are what many are now calling "conflict minerals," -- contraband minerals that are smuggled out of the country through Rwanda and Uganda and continue to finance a war that causes the deaths of 47.000 people, mostly innocent women and children, each month! and makes Congo the most dangerous place in the world to be woman.

Don't miss it! The International Rescue Committee will take you into North Kivu Province where much of the fighting and many of the mines are located. This should be a fascinating program!

With love and gratitude,

Elisabeth's Story

2009-11-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Elisabeth is a tall, statuesque woman in her mid-forties, and like many Congolese women her age, is a grandmother. She is also a widow who still has three school-aged children to care for, so she does laundry for wealthy people in Bukavu to support the family.

For some years now, Elisabeth has had stomach problems but not enough money to get medical treatment. She has lived with the pain, hoping it would go away, until recently when both she and her friends thought she might be dying, so sick had she become.

Ushindi Center contributes to a fund at Ciriri Hospital, which allows its women members to get medical treatment without having to pay out of their meager resources. A small hospital located in the hills above Bukavu where many women members live, it is run by a Belgian doctor, Dr. Mary Jo, who specializes in women's health. When Elisabeth decided to get treatment, she went there for help.

Dr. Mary Jo and I standing in front of Ciriri Hospital.

Last month, Elisabeth was hospitalized and had surgery, for what I don't know. What I do know is that the surgery was such a success that she recovered completely, regaining not only her will to live but her energy and high spirits. So healthy did she become that jealous neighbors guessed that she had had surgery, which in Congo means you are wealthy, broke into her house one day looking for money, and stole everything she had.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the next night three armed soldiers banged down her door and demanded she give them everything she had. The children managed to escape, and when the soldiers saw that she had nothing to give, one ordered her to take off her clothes so he could rape her; otherwise, he would kill her.

Ellisabeth stood up to her full height, looked him in the eye, and said, "You can kill me right now, because I am not going to take off my clothes and let you rape me again! I would rather die here than be raped by you!"

The soldier hesitated and looked to his superior for direction. The superior shrugged his shoulders and said, "Let's go", and they left.

When Elisabeth told me this story, she was elated, bouncing with energy, smiling and laughing. She had stood up to a rapist, to soldiers with guns who could easily have killed her, and she had prevailed! Her bravery is a huge personal achievement, signifying that she is a victor now, no longer a victim.

Equally important, her bravery indicates that a shift in consciousness in happening with Congolese women. Because rape is epidemic in DRC, Congolese women almost expect it to happen to them; they believe that rape is just what happens to black women and don't fight back. Training programs like Ushindi Center empower Congolese women by teaching them their rights, giving them microloans to start small businessses, and providing a safe, supportive environment where they can heal and rebuild their lives.

If you would like to be part of this powerful, life-changing process, please DONATE NOW at www.empowercongowomen.org

Support the good work at Ushindi Center by contributing to the medical fund, school fund, and/or general operating costs. Help these courageous women get back on their feet!

(for security reasons, Elisabeth's photograph is not included with her story)

With love and gratitude,

Energy Therapy in DRC

2009-11-04T04:29:00.000-08:00

My friend Gunilla Hamne is a Swedish trauma therapist who has worked with genocide victims in Rwanda and Uganda for several years. She has perfected the use of energy therapy to treat trauma in war suvivors. When we met last March in Bukavu, I asked if she would work with the women at Ushindi Center, who continue to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms years after the traumatic events occurred.

Gunilla treating woman at Ushindi Center with Roger translating, March 2009.

I was trained in energy psychology before my first trip to Africa, but I didn’t take it seriously: I didn’t believe a process so simple could have much effect on profound trauma. How could I ask women who’ve been raped, tortured and abandoned to believe that tapping their faces would make all that horror somehow disappear?

And yet it does. A month after treating several women at Ushindi Center last year, Gunilla did a follow-up visit and found that two women who had had insomnia for 4-5 years after being raped had been sleeping regularly since the treatment. And now they are happy to tell you they’re still sleeping well after nine months!

Women learn energy therapy in Sud Kivu Province, DRC.

Since then, other women have reported that 1) headache pain feeling like an arrow shot in the head disappeared, 2) overwhelming worries dissipated and floated away, to stay gone, 3)mistrust of others has been replaced with a feeling of belonging to the group, 4) distorted vision is gone, and 5) love instead of irritation guides them in caring for their children. The most often cited improvement is return of normal sleep patterns, but for the therapist, the most obvious change is a lightness of being that shines through in their brilliant smiles.

How can this be? We don’t really know. Gunilla believes that tapping acupressure points allows blocked traumatic ideas and emotions to loosen and move out of the body. It does seem as if something has been dislodged and released.

Gunilla and I teaching energy therapy to psychosocial caregivers in Goma, DRC.

In the meantime, I have dropped my skepticism and now practice energy therapy whenever I can here in Congo. We have begun administering pre- and post-tests to measure behavioral change, and we have videotaped a few of our therapy sessions. Look for us at the next Energy Therapy Conference!

With love and gratitude,

Child Prostitutes (Part II)

2009-11-04T04:27:00.003-08:00

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The girls had been arrested on a Saturday night. By the time I returned to the transit house the following Friday afternoon, four of the five had been returned to their families; of those four, three had already run away and were back living on the streets.

I was prepared to enroll the girls in school and then job training at Ushindi Center where the women members want to mentor young girls and help them rejoin society. However, in a country where few social programs (including NGOs) have funds to house these girls, the rationale is to return them to their families as quickly as possible, regardless that their families do not want them or are too poor to feed them. In this case, a long shot is better than no shot at all!

Bahati, the fifth girl who remained at the transit house, says she is 18 but is probably around 14 or 15. She is obviously pregnant, most likely in her third trimester. She says her parents live in Goma, and the agency is trying to “reinsert” her before the baby comes. She is willing to return home, but worries because she has no money for baby clothes, which places an additional burden on the family, now with two more mouths to feed instead of one.

My interpreter, Hortense, a very wise Congolese woman, says in addition to baby clothes, she will need some little money for the delivery, and a monthly stipend of $20 so she can do small business selling food, clothes, etc. Bahati says she can easily make a living selling bananas on the street; she just needs start-up money to fund the new business; like all these children, she is penniless and has no way of getting financed.

Another girl living in the transit house asked to speak with us: Adolphine, who has had much tragedy in her short life. Eighteen years old now, she has a 14-month old daughter named Ingrid, a child born of rape. Originally from Kinshasa, Adolphine came to Kanola 2 years ago to help an older sister and her husband, who had just had their first child, a baby boy. They lived together for several months until one night when five Interahamwe broke into their house demanding $350. The husband had only $50 to give them, so they beat him and raped her sister. He still had only $50 to give them, so they took the baby from Adolphine’s arms and tied her to a tree; then they locked the sister, her brother-in-law, and the baby in the house and set fire to it, burning them alive, forcing her to listen to their screams. She was gang raped later that night and taken into the bush, where she lived as a sex slave for eight months.

Adolphine escaped by threatening a guard with his knife; then she and two other girls walked for a week to Kabare where they found safety. She was admitted to Panzi Hospital and stayed many months after giving birth, because she was suicidal. She has lived at the transit house for seven months and is no longer severely depressed, although she does suffer from traumatic stress syndrome. She wants to go home to her parents in Kinshasa, but because airfare costs about $500 for her and the baby, she still lives in Bukavu.

These are the stories you hear told by women and girl survivors of sexual violence. Those of us fortunate enough to live in relative safety all our lives have difficulty grasping the desperation and despair this kind of trauma causes. When I listen to these women’s stories, I am deeply touched and want to help each one: return home, get medical help, send their children to school, fund a small business, provide trauma healing to ease the pain.

But of course, I cannot help each one. If any of you reading this blog feels moved to help Adolphine return home where she will have family love and support and begin healing, please email me and we can begin the process of getting her papers ready and buying the ticket home. We can’t help all the suffering people in the world, but in this case we can help one very deserving young woman rebuild her life, perhaps even find joy in living again.

P.S. I cannot post these girls' photos online for security reasons.

With love and gratitude,

Child Prostitutes

2009-10-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night, Danielle and I went with Major Honorine and her Bukavu city police officers to apprehend a group of teen-age prostitutes.

Major Honorine is charged with protecting les femmes de Bukavu from violence, abuse and exploitation —a big job. Earlier in the day when Danielle interviewed the Major, she explained how young girls abandoned by their families quickly become prostitutes in order to survive on the streets. Being fascinated, we asked if we could come along on a stake-out they planned that night.

This group of teens solicits Tanzanian truck drivers who park their big-rigs, stuffed with Chinese goods arriving from Mobassa, near the Post Office in a deserted part of town.

We could hear the girls singing to announce their arrival. Listening to their sweet voices, I thought they were a choir until Roger, our interpreter, started laughing and translated for us: “I love you, you love me. Let’s make love together.”

There were over 12 girls in this group. The police managed to snag five of them; the others being forewarned had jumped onto moto taxis and disappeared into the night. The girls were taken to Federation de Solidaritie des Hommes (FSH), a transit and treatment house for the many unwanted children living on the streets of Bukavu.

Roger and Danielle prepare to interview girls.

On Monday, Danielle, Roger and I went back to interview the girls, accompanied Fernando, the agency director. He explained that the girls’ placement is temporarily; their faces were not to be photographed as they are minors.

Fernando

The girls ranged in age from 15 to 18 years. All lived on the street, three of them for over one year. Besides the Tanzanian truck drivers, they find business in small pubs. All said they were beaten and often left unpaid. All said they wanted a chance for a better life, off the streets. Two are pregnant.

One girl was thrown out of house with other siblings when her mother remarried; another had been brought into the business by her older sister when she was only ten years old, the family so poor the children were starving. One had lived at Ek’Abana until she was 15, then turned to prostitution when she had nowhere to go. The 16-year old had married young, had two children, and then been banished by her husband who wanted to take another wife. . . all tragic stories told matter-of-factly.

Today I go back to the half-way house with Fernando to talk to the girls again, this time about their future. FSH first choice is to return them to their original homes, although this seems improbable to me since the families were too poor to support them in the past.

The girls have also run wild for some time now and are unaccustomed to living by the rules of others. How sincere they are about changing their lifestyle we shall find out later today. I will keep you posted.

With love and gratitude,

Ek'Abana - Saving the Children

2009-10-30T23:02:00.001-07:00

Ek’Abana means “save haven for children” in Mashi, the language spoken by most country people in this area of Congo. Since 2002, Sister Natalina of the Catholic Archdiocese in Bukavu has been creating just that for girls accused of witchcraft and abandoned by their families.

Last Friday, I visited Ek’Abana with Danielle Shapiro, a free-lance journalist from NYC, who is writing about the lives of women and girls in Congo.

Spotlessly clean, radiating peace and orderliness, Ek’Abana is nestled in the hills overlooking Lake Kivu. The facility houses over 30 girls ranging in age from 6 to 14; each has her own bunk bed and a cubby with neatly folded clean clothes. For girls who come from stark poverty, where a family of 10 can live in a one room mud hut and go several days without food, this must seem like paradise.

Yet the girls yearn to go home, to be “reinserted”, which means to be reunited with their family. Sister Natalina and her staff devote much of their time to teaching parents that children are not sorcerers who bring misfortune to the family; it is not their daughter who is responsible for a new wife’s barrenness, the early death of a loved one, or financial ruin.

A 10-year old girl was abandoned by her family because her crippled leg did not heal after surgery. Facing hospital costs she could not afford, the mother blamed the child for her handicap and banished her. Despite this cruelty, the daughter cries when speaking about her mother and wants to go home. Sometimes it takes years to reconcile a child with her family.

Sister Natalina is doing a wonderful job caring for girls who would otherwise be homeless.

With love and gratitude,

Child Socerers

2009-10-24T15:46:00.001-07:00

I've been learning how girls become street children and prostitutes in Bukavu. As with everything else here in Congo, the most oft cited reason is poverty. But there is a cultural wrinkle you might find interesting.

When something inexplicable and bad happens in poor families, which constitute most of Congo, a child can become the scapegoat and take the blame for the problem. The child is called a sorcerer by a family member or neighbors and driven from the home to forestall more bad luck striking the family.

This can happen when a parent dies, or when several family deaths occur simultaneously, or when a family falls on hard times and is ashamed of their poverty.

And these child "socerers" are most always girls. This is so, it is explained, because boys tend to wander while girls stay at home and are not valued as highly as boys . . . so if one less child seems the answer to family problems, it will be the girl who is sent out to roam the streets.

This can also happen when a parent remarries and the new step parent is jealous of the child, or if a child is ill and needs expensive medical help the family cannot afford.

In these cases, an itinerant pastor is brought in to collaborate witchcraft, always for a fee. These fees keep nefarious pastors in business, and it is a thriving business. Some girls are sentenced to life on the streets for as little as a cell phone.

Girls as young as 8 years are banished from their homes, turning to begging first, then to prostitution as a way to survive.

Look to my next blog to learn what is being done to help these girls.

With love and gratitude,

New Friends

2009-10-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

(l. to r.) Greg, me, Danielle, Roger, and Scott at Swedish Mission

I always stay at the Swedish Mission when I'm in Bukavu because it has a peaceful spirit and beautiful garden, and I always meet interesting people there.

This past week brought Danielle Shapiro, a free lance journalist from New York City, and two urology surgeons, Greg and Scott, from University of Chicago Medical School. The surgeons came to share their surgical expertise and, in turn, gain more experience treating fistulas from Dr. Mukwege at Panzi Hospital.

Danielle came to document their journey and ended up with 4 or 5 more stories as she learned about life in Congo. To my good fortune, I was able to accompany her on several interviews. Roger, probably the best interpreter in Congo in my humble opinion, came along to translate.

We visited the construction site of City of Joy, V-Day Foundation's project to house and train 100 women survivors of sexual violence. Construction began mid-September and is scheduled for completion mid-March, weather permitting.

Danielle spoke with Christine Deshryver, the project manager, while I took photographs. First of all, the site is huge. Bricks, sand and rock are piled high, waiting to metamophose into buildings. At least half of the 10 buildings to house the women have walls up; elsewhere foundations have been laid for offices, guest suites, and classrooms. There will be a large garden area with trees and flowers planted throughout the complex. It's a massive undertaking, and it seems to be progressing well . . . I was impressed.

Men and women construction workers at City of Joy building site.

With love and gratitude,

Ushindi Center School Fund

2009-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ushindi Center now has a School Fund for the 68 children of women survivors of sexual violence who are members there.

On my return, the women made clear how important it is for their children to be in school; some can pay school fees for half their children, but none can pay fees for all their children. The children left behind are usually girls, who are expected to do chores at home while their mothers work. Sending boys to school first, then the girls if there is enough money, is the cultural norm here. And as many of you know, educating girls correlates highly with stable economies and reduced conflict.

The School Fund was founded by a generous grant from Charlie Dawson, Empower Congo Women Board Member, who asked that his contribution go towards starting a fund to send these children to school. Having young kids of his own, he realizes how important education is for children.

So yesterday, I paid the school fees for 68 children for one month. Then we gathered for photos, and the children celebrated by gobbling heaping plates of rice and beans.

The children were very appreciative and several older ones stepped forward to give thank-you speeches, praising God first, then me and the donors. They said we are their first school sponsor, so this is a very worthwhile cause.

October is the beginning of the school year, so the children were able to enroll the first week of school. To be fair and make education available to all the children, the program will pay basic school fees for primary and secondary grades for the entire school year. We will take it one year at a time, with the intention of following these childen through Level 6!

Please make a contribution to help all these children attend school now and for years to come. We're off to a good start, but we need your continuing support to make a real difference in their lives!

To donate: www.empowercongowomen.org

With love and gratitude,

Interahamwe attack school near Nyangezi

2009-10-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Weza University in Nyangezi, an hour's drive south of Bukavu, was attacked by Interahamwe soldiers last night.

A Catholic school staffed by Belgian priests, Weza has a long history of teaching excellence in the primary and secondary levels; students come from as far away as Kinshasa to attend. Additionally, a medical school was established there last year.

The rebels attacked around midnight and closed off the priest’s compound. The head priest, who arrived from Belgium only this year, was able to ferry a call for help to the Governor, who in turn called the Congolese National Army stationed in barracks above Nyangezi. The troops arrived quickly, and after some shooting the Interahamwe escaped back into the hills. No one was reported injured.

Pushed back into the mountains by the KIMIA II offensive and cut off from their regular supply routes, the Interahamwe are becoming increasingly desperate. Last week they kidnapped a priest in Walungu territory, demanding $5000 ransom for his return; he was released several days later unharmed.

This time the Interahamwe hit pay dirt. October being the beginning of school year in Congo, Weza University had just collected boarding fees from the students and received a sizable sum from the Congolese government, which subsidizes the school in part. The bandits stole 5 computers, cell phones, and upwards of $12,000, leaving the school without operating funds.

The teaching staff and 1300 students have relocated to the safety of Bukavu, where several army garrisons are located. The school is closed until further notice. The school had just reopened last year after having been shut down since 1999 when it was attacked by Interahamwe and the priests recalled to Belgium.

With love and gratitude,

Bukavu Rotary Club

2009-10-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday evening I met with members of the Bukavu Rotary Club to discuss a grant I recently wrote to expand services at Ushindi Center. As is often the case, my friend and Administrator at Ushindi Center, Hortense Barholere, accompanied me as translator.

I am a member of the International Committee of the Montecito Rotary Club, one of seven clubs in the Santa Barbara area. In that capacity, I applied for a grant to Rotary International this September, and we are awaiting news about funding.

The Rotary Club of Bukavu was formed in 1955, and although it is a small club with 22 members, it has a long history of service.

The President of Bukavu Rotary for year 2009-2010 is Sylvain Mapatano, a soft-spoken man with a strong presence who is both an agronomist and Insurance Broker. Speaking for all its members, he said his club is most happy to act as Host Partner for the grant: They sympathize with the plight of women in Congo and are willing to help improve the lives of women survivors of sexual violence. One of their current programs supports the education of girls and orphans.

After a year of successful operation, the Ushindi Center is ready to expand and help more women survivors heal and rebuild their lives. The grant we are co-sponsoring will enable the Center to increase capacity building by hiring more teachers and buying more sewing machines, fabric, supplies and furniture; a large copier and generator are also included in the grant, a purchase intended to generate income from students needing copies at a nearby university.

While I'm here in Congo arranging grant details with the Bukavu Club, my associate, Larry Thompson, Chair of the Montecito Rotary Club International Committee, is working hard to generate funds within our District, 5240.

We are looking for funding from other Rotary Clubs. If your Club is interested in contributing to this very worthwhile project, please contact Larry Thompson, Architect, at medesign@verizon.net

With love and gratitude,

Updates on Ushindi Center

2009-10-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

Since returning to Bukavu last week, I’ve met with the women survivors at Ushindi Center three times, and I am happy to report that they are well and thriving.

The women have set up a store where they sell children’s school uniforms, shoes, and plastic kitchenware to passersby. They are better-kept and more self-confident. I have been encouraging them to speak up about how they want to run the Center, and now they are!

As always when I return to Ushindi Center, there is much singing and dancing which I enjoy as much as the women. This time they presented me with a live chicken and ripe tomatoes, saying that although they have little to give, they want to thank all those who donate to the Center by giving me these small gifts.

I accepted their gratitude and tomatoes in proxy for all you generous donors. However, I declined the chicken as I have nowhere to keep her, and I did not want to eat her. I asked instead that they bring me local eggs with the bright orange yolks. The next day I was gifted 20 little eggs, which I have to say are very tasty!

Supported by two interpreters, Victor and Roger, I negotiated a one-year lease for the building that houses the Center. The new arrangement adds an upstairs apartment, consisting of a large salon, three smaller rooms, and a real bathroom (meaning it has a toilet!), to the already-existing two smaller rooms downstairs. This addition allows the Center to move its classes and sewing machines upstairs off the street, while the rooms downstairs can be converted into income-generating retail space.

Also important was the installation of The Rules and Regulations for Ushindi Center, which the Administrator and Governing Committee asked me to write. That done and duly read to the assembled group, they are now being translated into Swahili for future reference and operating instructions.

My long-term goal for Ushindi Center is that it becomes self-sufficient. My vision is for the women to run the training center and store as a collective, sharing work responsibilities and profits. As they become more independent, I will fade into an advisory position, ultimately turning Ushindi Center completely over to the collective to run.

With love and gratitude,

Back in Bukavu

2009-10-05T03:44:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bukavu on Monday, Sept 28th, but I haven't been able to post blogs because the settings for bogger.com are all in Arabic!

Right now the power is on again, off again, and there is no water. . . ah, Bukavu, how I missed you!

Bukavu seems more prosperous than when I was last here six months ago— more traffic, more people on the roads, and more private cars than white SUVs (the standard charity vehicle), a sure sign of local prosperity. Construction on major buildings downtown has been completed, so the town has a tidier look. And I’ve noticed new stores all around town—internet cafes, grocery stores, guest houses, stereo stores blasting pop music, and two fancy new gas stations, built by Ugandan investors I am told.

Word is that security is good in Bukavu; people are out at night and cars fill the streets after dark. But reports from the countryside are another matter: Random attacks by Interahamwe are occurring in some mountain areas and on the roads from Nyangezi to Kamanyola and from Uvira to Ngomo. Walungu is a dangerous place these days; two priests were kidnapped there, their convent burned, last week. Everyone knows someone who has been stopped or shot at or raped south and east of Bukavu, so people are moving cautiously outside city limits.

This round of violence is attributed to KIMIA II, a joint offensive which began last January of the Rwandan Army, the Congolese National Army, and MONUQ, the United Nation troops in DRC. Their mission is to rid eastern Congo, once and for all, of Interahamwe, Hutu soldiers who were given asylum in Congo by then-President Mobutu after perpetrating genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Over 1 million Hutu soldiers and their families relocated to IDP (Internal Displaced Persons) camps in northeastern Congo, then disappeared into the vast mountain jungles and began a reign of terror that continues today: unspeakable atrocities against women and girls, AIDS, looting and burning of villages, and random murder of innocent people.

I recently met two American women who told me what it was like to live in Congo 20-30 years ago. Both were Peace Corps volunteers at the time, single young women who traveled wherever they wanted in Congo without fear. They explained that the family unit and community morality were intact then: There was no rape, no AIDS, no guns, no tortured women, or kids hopped up on drugs carrying AK47s. In short, Congo was a nice place to live, so much so that each woman opted to stay another year.

So is it possible that this latest military action will bring peace to Congo? Many are doubtful. The Congolese National Army is stationed in the hills above Nyangezi, and many other places, ostensibly to protect villages from the Interahamwe living nearby. But peace will depend on the troops being well-disciplined, and whether or not the Congolese government pays the soldiers' salaries. If discipline is lax and the pay not forthcoming, then the army will simply take the place of the Interahamwe, raping and looting without impunity, living as bandits off innocent villagers.

With love and gratitude,

Layover in Kenya

2009-09-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in Nairobi, a necessary layover when traveling to DR Congo due to flight availability. The weather is hot and dry; two years into a drought, Kenya is a dustbowl with everyone waiting, praying for the seasonal rains that should have begun in August.

Found a good internet café in one of the big shopping malls, the Village Market, where just about everything I need is available. Because it's Friday, there is also a Mini Maasai Market upstairs that I'll check out later.

I am fortunate to be able to stay with friends here, women I originally met on the internet who have become great friends. Both Johara Bellali and Sonia Nugent work for the UN, building capacity in countries threatened by the effects of global warming. Johara has been busy all week chairing a workshop she designed that takes a holistic approach to solving these problem, and which has been a great success. Go Johara!

More exciting news is that we are traveling to Lake Baringo tomorrow, a 5-hour drive to a peaceful lake where bird-watching is supposed to be fantastic. We'll be staying at a camp on an island in the middle of the lake! Can't wait to take a break for a couple of days!

With love and gratitude,

Back to Bukavu

2009-09-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Today I’m taking off for DR Congo, this time from Boston’s Logan Airport, after spending 10 days here on the east coast visiting friends and fund raising for Empower Congo Women.

Before beginning my African leg of the journey, I want to thank all the “large-hearted” people, to use President Obama’s term, who have contributed to my projects in Congo in the last 3 months:

First, I want to thank my Bay Area friends for their generosity: Bill and Gloria Symon, John and Judy Black, Robin Fine, Cara Brown, Karen Friedman, and Gena O’Neil. . . and Gary Paudler, who although not from northern CA has given generously to ECW.

My trip east has been both beneficial and lots of fun, full of new and old friends. Many thanks go to three special women who graciously hosted events to support Empower Congo Women: Ellen McCurley, from Newburyport MA, Executive Director of www.PendulumProject.org in Malawi; Margaret Johnson and her loyal group of friends in RI; and Pam Driscoll, of Concord MA, for the creation of her brilliant new non-profit, the Singing Bowl, which sponsored an event that paired me with Iyeoka , a beautiful woman of Nigerian descent with enormous talent as singer and poet, and a fellow sister activist.

Many thanks also go to the Dawson Clan: Charlie in Montclair NJ for his generous donation and loyalty to my cause, to his parents who opened their home to me and taught me how to celebrate Labor Day “Italian style”, and to his two lovely young daughters who are activists in the making!

Wonderful folks and new friends along the way include: Michele Bonner, who is helping import bags from Ushindi Center to Salem MA; Alice Locicero, an email acquaintance who turned into a good friend and talked me into getting a GPS with my rental car; Mark Johnson, husband of Margaret, for introducing me to the Wakefield Rotary and serving on their International Committee for me; Ashley Johnson for helping me bake 3 cakes for the event; and John Swallow, last but not least, the best friend/cousin a girl could ask for.

Thanks for Larry Thompson, of Montecito Rotary, who is now carrying the ECW torch for me to the District: Go Larry, and Good Luck! And to Carolyn and my awesome daughters, Kether and Sarah, for hanging in there with me, doing “just one more event” cheerfully! The last 3 months have been very busy while Empower Congo Women got non-profit status, a website, and an amazingly poignant DVD, directed and edited by Mark Manning.

I am learning there are many large-hearted folks out there, people who did not know me or anything about the women’s plight in DR Congo, but who support our cause nonetheless.

I am traveling to Bukavu again, this time to expand the Ushindi Center so that it can be both a training center and retail store. This will allow the women to become financially self-sufficient and the Center to become self-sustaining. I feel like this project has turned a corner, become more substantial with more potential to achieve its goals than ever before. So stay tuned to this blog—I am committed to bringing you all along with me on the journey, wherever it is headed.

With love and gratitude,

Become a Fan of Empower Congo Women!

2009-09-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

If you have a Facebook account, you can become a fan of Empower Congo Women by putting our name in the Search box, and then clicking the Fan button on the left.

Or you can become a fan by clicking http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1696412186&v=feed&story_fbid=132843558894#/pages/Empower-Congo-Women/142494657782?ref=ts

I'd love to see you all become fans, which will help spread the word about the need for Peace in DRCongo.

Every little bit helps, and Congo needs your help more than ever now that the Congolese National Army has joined forces with the Rwandan Army in an attempt to rid the countryside of Hutu rebels, who settled in eastern Congo after committing the genocide in Rwanda 15 years ago. Although many rebels are said to have repatriated, civilians continue to suffer horrendously. Human Rights Watch estimates that 1.7 million Congolese have been displaced since January when the campaign began. To read more, go to:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7USPSR?OpenDocument

With love and gratitude,

Much progress and good news!

2009-09-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

So much has happened that I've neglected my blog and summer has flown by! I hope you all enjoyed the last couple of months-- juicy ripe tomatoes, time spent outdoors, trips out and about, and just plain ole down-time with friends and family. Santa Barbara was hot this summer, but the beach was great. No complaints on this end!

The Good News:

Earlier this year, I founded Empower Congo Women (ECW), a public charity dedicated to helping Congolese women heal, rebuild their lives, and prosper. After a 6-month process and convincing Homeland Security I could be trusted, ECW achieved non-profit status on August 11, 2009. We are now a legal 501(c)3 charity, an incorporated not-for-profit business registered with State of CA and Internal Revenue Service. This gives us credibility and allows your donations to be fully tax-deductible.

Another big step forward is the completion of the Empower Congo Women website www.empowercongowomen.org. Now you can get an overview of the projects we are doing in eastern Congo.You can also DONATE online through paypal . . . and you can still send a check to the address listed on the site.

The website was designed by Amber Wallace at Dowithcher Designs in Santa Barbara (a dowitcher is a sea bird-- not Amber's last name!) www.dowitcherdesigns.com. I think she did a great job! Take a look at the geometrical background design-- it is based on a pattern on a piece of Congolese fabric on display in the Metropliton Museum of Art in NYC. The fabric piece dates back to the mid-1800s.

Amber and Jill have also been helping me get my social media act together. I've been on Facebook for a while under Vicki Bentley. If you aren't already, make me a friend of yours today so we can stay in touch.

With love and gratitude,

Dreaming of Peace

2009-06-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning dreaming of Peace-- Peace for the world, especially Peace for the beleaguered people of Democratic Republic of Congo.

When will it end? Twelve years of brutal war fought ostensibly as a tribal war between Hutus and Tutsis, but in reality a bloodbath of innocent civilians perpetrated by diverse military groups, backed by larger interests, competing for Congo's enormous mineral wealth.

The Congolese people have a long, tragic history of being exploited by more "civilized" nations. For three centuries, Portuguese slave traders decimated tribes along the Congo River. Later King Leopold of the Belgiums (1885-1908) killed half the population of Congo, an estimated 10 million men, women and children, in greedy pursuit of ivory and rubber for his personal wealth.

Then there was Mobutu Sese Soko, the biggest thief in African history, installed in power by western countries during the Cold War, who stole over 5 billion and left the country bankrupt, the infrastructure built during Belgian rule in shambles from neglect.

Now, huge international mining companies and corporate giants of the electronics industry are reaping the benefits of Congo's wealth, and, once again, the Congolese people are paying the price -- almost 6 million dead at last count.

Equally horrifying is the rape epidemic that curses this country. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been viciously tortured and raped, their lives ruined -- and who comes forward to stop these atrocities?

Rape is the weapon of war used by these armed groups-- first they rape the women, then they move in and rape the earth. Rape is cheap, and a man with a gun can do anything.

Now things are heating up again in eastern DRC, and peace seems even further away. UN forces and the Congolese National Army are initiating a joint offensive named KIMIA II to rid the eastern provinces of the FDRL. Perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, the FDRL have lived in the mountains of North and South Kivu, pillaging, burning villages, raping women, and killing innocent people since they were given asylum by Mobuto in the mid-1990s.

All involved agree the FDRL should be rooted out and their reign of terror stopped. However, 68 relief agencies have voiced grave concern that this military operation "will lead to more atrocities against Congolese civilians". Since the beginning of 2009, over 800,000 Congolese have been displaced through war. Already overwhelmed, relief agencies managing IDP camps are bracing for the next influx.

For more information on KIMIA II and other solutions:

ttp://us.oneworld.net/article/363246-new-offensive-congo-will-cause-civilian-crisis

And so I pray for the Congolese men, women and children who will be displaced once again, destitute because their homes have been burned, everything they own stolen, hiding in the bush without food or shelter. I pray for their safe journey and their survival.

When I ask Congolese women survivors of sexual violence (SGBV) what they want, invariably they say Peace. They don't want charity; they just want to go home, back to the village where they grew up and their children played, back to the fields and the life they knew before the war began.

The challenges these women face are enormous, their losses so great by any standard, it amazes me that they continue to function at all. Some don't and choose suicide, and others are profoundly depressed. But the majority of raped, displaced women struggle on, each day finding a way to feed their children, or not . . .

And so I dream of Peace and pray for the Congolese people. They could use your prayers, too.

With love and gratitude,

Eve Ensler on Women in Congo

2009-05-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Eve Ensler is a gifted writer, known to most people as author of the Vagina Monologues. She is also an activist dedicated to stopping violence against women worldwide. Her foundation, V-Day, began to focus its efforts on DR Congo several years ago and, through her efforts, has raised awareness about the desperate plight of women there.

This is her most inspired, poignant article yet.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/05/18/ensler.congo/index.html

If you do nothing else today, or this week, please read her article. Hopefully, it will change your life and move you to action, as her writings and the women of Congo have changed mine.

Pygmy women in Kamanyola, DRC

With love and gratitude,

International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)

2009-05-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Little girl stands with friends in Nyangezi, DRC

OK, this is the big enchilada-- an initiative set before the US Senate to take a stand to protect women worldwide against violence.

To quote www.womensedge.org:

Imagine a world without violence against women.

Finally, after decades of silence and inaction, there is one bill that will bolster US efforts to end violence against women across the globe:
The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)
Violence against women is a major cause of poverty and a huge barrier to economic opportunity. In addition to being an extreme human rights violation, it keeps women from getting an education, working, and earning the income they need to lift their families out of poverty.

To support this bill, go to the link below. It's an easy 1 minute sign-up, but registering against violence is a HUGE step toward respect for women and world peace.

http://www.womenthrive.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=133

This is the opening, the opportunity, we've been waiting for to make violence against women a crime! Hopefully, when the USA takes a stand, the world will follow. Let's all add our voices in support of this bill!

With love and gratitude,

Getting the Goats (3)

2009-05-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

At Nyangezi market, many goats were for sale, but none were quite right.

But I still wanted to get pictures of the goats being bought and loved by their new owners, so you could see where your donations go. . . and again, things don't always turn out as planned in Congo.

The idea was to go to Nyangezi on market day, buy the goats, and bring them back to the compound where I would photograph them with the midwives. First problem was that majority of midwives live 1-4 days walk away from Nyangezi; it seemed excessive to ask them to walk all that way for photos.

The main problem was that the goats offered at market were not of good quality.

The Nyangezi market is very busy, sellers and buyers walking for hours to get there. Many booths were selling clothes, much like flea markets in the US.

In the food areas, women merchants sold corn and cassava flour.

Small beans that look like lentils were selling well, and . . .

there were bignets, my favorite, which are cooked right there and still warm when you eat them.

And although many goats were for sale, we could not find what we wanted. We searched for sweet young female goats that would bear kids, give milk, and increase the herd, but most were too old,

(see the horns)

or they were male.

(you get the idea)

Finally, we decided it would be best to buy the goats from neighbors, since their quality would be assured, and if any got sick, there was reciprocity. This is one of the cute, young goats we finally bought, tethered in the grass near the compound. I have been told the calf is on its way.

I am always reminded to stay with the process here, hold tight onto the goal, and don't quit until you get what you want . . .it's just that process takes a long time and lots of effort here in DRC !

With love and gratitude,

Getting the Goats (2)

2009-05-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Midwives stand in front of soon-to-be finished goat shed. Georgette is far right.

In the meantime, I had become better acquainted with a group of 21 women who call themselves, Midwives of Congo. I first met them last August in Nyangezi where they were being trained by American midwives, Jennifer Vanderlaan and Tammy. Their training lasted 10 days and covered all areas of pregnancy, delivery and infant care.

Midwives are a brillant solution to lack of medical care in the rural areas of Congo. Women can be 2 days to a week's walk away from medical help, which is a major cause of infant death and obstetric fistulas, which cripple women for life.

Her T-shirt says: Life Chain, Saving Moms and Unborn Babies

The Midwives of Congo are scattered throughout Walungu Territory, where they educate pregnant women and make their expertise available in isolated areas. Their goals are: 1) to promote birth ontrol as well as healthy pregnancies, 2) insure safe delivery of babies, and 3) advance the health of both mother and child through education.

Their leader, Georgette, is in the process of developing a farm, where pregnant women can grow nutritious food for themselves and their children, as well as make money to support the midwives' work in Walungu Territory.

So far, they have built a compound where rabbits, ducks and guinea pigs are raised for protein. It made sense to pass our largesse on to this project, so I donated 6 goats, 10 chickens, some chicken food, and a cow. Due to inflation, we could afford only one young cow, but its manure will fertilize the garden while the animal grows into a calf-producing, milk-giving adult.

Empty shed waiting for calf.

I think this is a great group, one worth supporting as they grow. These women are dedicated, educated and willing to work hard to achieve their goals.

So how did we get the goats, finally? Tune in for the next installment!

With love and gratitude,

Getting the Goats (1)

2009-05-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Walungu Territory is about the size of Belgium.

OK, remember I told you that I’d have photos of the goats that I bought with your donations . . . Well, things don’t always work out in Congo as planned.

First off, I had planned to give the goats to widows in Mususu, Walungu Territory, which is a 2-3 hour drive away depending on weather and road conditions. What I did not realize (had not asked nor even imagined!) was that we had to buy the goats in Bukavu, then transport them ourselves to Mususu by pick-up truck. Apparently, there are few goats in and around Mususu, which is why we had to buy them in town, then transport them to the country.

Our guard, Edou, and the Chief of Bozonga.

Now picture 18 goats in the back of a pick-up truck, with two of us sitting in back holding onto their leads so they don't jump out, bumping along on roads with potholes the size of craters. Pretty wild, eh? That’s what I thought, but I continued to consider the idea until fighting broke out in Ulvira, which is in the vicinity of Mususu, and it became clear that giving goats to widows in Walungu Territory was NOT happening.

Country kids bringing home firewood.

Traveling around Walungu without a guard with a truck-load of goats would not have been a smart thing to do. Not only would the goats probably not get there, but we might have been confiscated as well!

Driving in Walungu on a good day.

So I decided that giving microloans to the widows next trip would be with wisest thing to do.

What happened to the donations meant for goats?

Well, check in tomorrow and you'll find out . . . .

With love and gratitude,

Mothers at Panzi Hospital

2009-05-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

When I reviewed the photographs from my last trip to DRC, I realized I had some wonderful portraits of mothers with their babies at Panzi Hospital. I'd like to share them with you.

Most if not all of these children were born of rape. There are few babies at Panzi Hospital who are not the result of violence. Women who come to Panzi for treatment of obstetric fistulas lose the child over 90% of the time, mainly because they have walked too far and waited too long to get medical treatment.Thus, because these babies are alive, they are most likely the result of rape.

The women do not want a child born of rape. They beg the doctors to abort them, but the doctors say, We are here to save lives, not to take them away.

Often the mother, the newborn, and her other children are sent away by the husband, because she has become the rapist's "wife". Her shame is so great that she dishonors both her husband and the community, so they are cast out.

Yet, I've heard that children to a Congolese mother are as the trunk is to an elephant. People say that a child in Congo is a king or queen in his mother's eyes. So the women are torn between hating how the child was conceived and loving the child because it is hers.

This little guy has AIDS, as do many children at Panzi. The happiest child I have ever seen, he runs through the hospital corridors, bursting with energy, greeting everyone with a huge smile.

Let us cast our lot on the side of Love! Let us all be so happy!

With love and gratitude,

Mushenyi Schoolhouse Gets a Roof

2009-05-04T06:23:00.001-07:00

A school gives these boys hope for a better future.

From previous blogs, you may remember Mushenyi, the remote mountain village that needed help to finish its schoolhouse.

My heart went out to this village, because there are only elders and children left here. Over the years, maurading armies have stolen everything of value, including the young men and women.

Now the elders, who are mostly women, worry they will lose the remaining children. Without an education, the only future for boys is to become bandits and rebels. The girls will be dragged into the bush, victims of sexual, gender based violence (SGBV).

A school can change all this!

Senator Mubalama and I made two trips to the village in April. Thanks to generous donations from people like yourself, I was able to contribute enough to finish this project.

Preparations for construction had already begun when we arrived. Long eucalyptus poles had been collected for the roof transits and stacked near the schoolhouse shell.

When we returned 10 days later, the roof was almost finished. What a beautiful sight it was, glimmering in the sunlight!

The builders, architect (r.) and small friend.

The builders wanted to finish the roof before our return, but the rain prevented that. They assured us there was enough money to buy the sheet metal needed to complete the roof.

Gunilla, a therapist from Sweden, shows off the building from the inside.

Woman to my right is the school teacher; the Chief stands next to her, the is Senator to my left.

We admired the building, then stood happily for photographs in front of the schoolhouse.

This may seem like a small accomplishment in a country, on a continent, with so many problems. Yet I believe that change begins with small steps, one at a time, grassroots to grassroots. Both Senator Mubalama and Dr. Roy, an internist from Nyangezi, grew up in this remote area before the war. Who knows what will be nurtured in this small schoolhouse, given peace and some time, on a mountainside in the jungles of Congo. . . .

With love and gratitude,

Panzi Hospital Caregivers

2009-04-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Psychosocial staff: (l. to r.) Joseph, Sarah, Roger (my translator), Ester, Lidia, Helen, Yvette, Cecile, Pascaline, Rosa (front)

During this visit to Bukavu, I am working at Panzi Hospital to help its psychosocial staff. From previous experience in DRC, I know that caregivers at Panzi suffer from both Burnout and Vicarious Trauma, because they deal with severely traumatized patients.

Women survivors wait to see caregivers.

Violent rape is considered the most difficult trauma for therapists to treat, especially for women caregivers. The patient's sense of vulnerability, as well as despair and helplessness, are often taken in by the caregiver and experienced as her own-- we call this process Vicarious Trauma.

Lidia talks with a patient.

In the US and Europe, therapists have learned that Burnout and Vicarious Trauma are inevitable consequences of treating severe trauma. Sexual, gender-based violence (SGBV), combined with loss of spouse, home and community, is considered by many to be the worst trauma in the world . . . so it is not 'if' Vicarious Trauma will happen to caregivers, but 'when'.

Dr. Victoria and Dr. Mukwege at Panzi Hospital

I met with Dr. Mukwege, Founder and Director of Panzi Hospital, who shares my concern about his staff, and agreed to present an 8-session workshop for the nine caregivers who make up the psychosocial staff at his hospital.

Panzi Hospital Psychologists: Cecile and Joseph

Two psychologists lead a team of seven Social Assistants, some nurses, all women. This small group is responsible for the psychological care of 300 patients on a daily basis. They work six days a week, with 2 days a year off for vacations. Imagine that.

Pascaline poses with women patients in front of the nurse's office.

Yet despite shouldering responsibility that is off the scale by western standards, these caregivers are holding their own, still warm and caring, all in good health. Yes, the signs of Vicarious Trauma are there, all manifesting mild-to-moderate symptomatology depending on the individual. Several are struggling with more serious symptoms of secondary trauma.

Cecile and Pascaline check patient's progress.

When I completed the training, I recommended that the Administration do two things to improve the general health and emotional well-being of the psychosocial staff: 1) encourage caregivers to take at least one weekend off per month, and 2) schedule a peer counseling group once a week where caregivers can debrief their difficult cases.

Ester

This training was a great way for me to give back what I’ve learned over the years. I was delighted that they received value and want to continue using the skills I taught them.

With love and gratitude,

What to do with an abundance of bags?

2009-04-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Nyassa shows Fatuma and Therese how to weave bags.

I've visited the women at Victoria Center several times a week now for a month. In that time, we've discussed a number of hot topics, such as birth control and emergency medical care (yes, they are getting both), microlending, and men. They elected two new members to their governing committee and rented the small room next door to use as a store for the children's clothes they make.

Rosette, Marceline and Silvie pose with their sewing machines at Victoria Center

All this has been made possible by contributions from generous friends and family. Thank you! I was also able to provide all 20 women with a $50 microloan-- not so much money, but enough to start a small business.

Fatuma and Alise work together sorting thread.

When I arrived, they presented me with a bag they'd woven from plastic thread, a brightly striped, handy carry-all that I've used every day since to lug all my stuff--cameras, shawl, water bottle, snacks, and writing tablet. It's come in handy.

The bag that started it all.

Thinking what great beach bags and shopping totes they would make, I told the women I would buy all the bags they could make in 10 days. Because hand-weaving these bags is a difficult, time-consuming job, I imagined they would make one or two each.

Nyassa weaves another bag (she wove six!).

Silly me! These women were on a mission! Working night and day they hand-wove a total of 75 bags! All sizes, colors, with different weaves, like a rainbow!

The women were very happy that I bought all their bags!

That says alot about how motivated they are and how hard they work when given the opportunity. I am impressed, not to mention the proud owner of 75 bags!

So the question now is, How do I get them home?

With love and gratitude,

Kamanyola

2009-04-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

The Ruzzi River defines the border between DRC and Rwanda.

Last Saturday I visited Kamanyola, a sprawling country town that lies south of Bukavu on the Ruzzi River. The three-hour drive took us up and over several mountain ranges, the roads a combination of mud and boulders, then down into the rich delta farmland of Kamanyola.

Kamanyola and outlying fields.

Kamanyola lies on the west bank of the Ruzzi River, directly across the river from Rwanda. Because of its strategic location, Kamanyola has endured much conflict during the past 12 years, initially after the Rwandan genocide when the Interahamwe (Hutus) fled across the river and settled in the hills surrounding Kamanyola, then later when Tutsi forces under General Mutebishi invaded on the pretext of hunting them down. This area is rich in agricultural and mineral resources, which unfortunately makes it a target of military forces supported by the Rwandan government.

Kamanyola at dusk.

I am traveling again with Honorable David Mubalama, a Senator elected fby the Province of South Kivu, where Kamanyola is located. We are here, because it is said that atrocities against women are worse in Kamanyola than elsewhere in Congo, and they continue to occur daily. It is estimated that 60% of women in this area have been brutally gang raped, with cruelty greater than in other areas.

Dr. Amie stands in front of his hospital with patients and staff.

Our first stop is St. Norbert's, a small, general hospital supported solely by its founder and principal physician, Dr. Amie. The hospital serves the poor and is in need of many things, from medicines to an X-ray machine. So far it has been unable to attract grant money, yet it continues to survive by the will and hard work of its founder.

Women with newborns in maternity ward at St. Norbert's Hospital.

Our next stop is a women's collective with over 500 members: some survivors of sexual, gender-based violence (SGBV), others widows, and many "vulnerables", who are women with children and no means of support. Senator Mubalama is hoping I can generate microloans for these needy women.

Senator Mubalama explains that I have come from America to help Congolese women.

There are many pygmy women in this group, as they have been relocated to Kamanyola from the forest where they traditionally lived. Although they were the first indigenous people of Congo, pygmies now represent only 1% of the population and suffer from discrimination and starvation.

Pygmy women listen to the Senator.

The good news is that this women's collective makes beautiful, hand-made clay pots that are becoming popular in larger cities, such as Bukavu. They rent the meeting hall were we met, but they need a larger shop where the pots can be made and sold; their last workshop was destroyed by the rains.

Woman stands with a clay pot she made.

With love and gratitude,

Panzi Hospital

2009-04-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Located in south Bukavu, Panzi Hospital provides treatment for survivors of sexual violence and surgical repair for women suffering from fistulas in the urogential tract.

The hospital was founded in 1997 by Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who wanted to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the rural population. It now serves as a referral source for other health centers who seek expertise in repairing obstetric fistulas and the damage done to women survivors of sexual, gender-based violence (SGBV).

The hospital is quite pleasant. One-storey, brick buildings are lined with tropical plants and roses. Patients sits on low walls waiting their turn to see the doctor.

Although Panzi is a general hospital, it boasts a relatively new women’s compound, which has two wards, one each for pre-op and post-op patients, and two large surgeries dedicated to fistula repair. During my visit, three American surgeons sponsored by Harvard Medical School were in attendence at Panzi, sharing their expertise and learning more from the patient population.

Administration and doctors' offices occupy the front buildings, while the women's wings spread out toward the back, opening to a lovely grass area with a pond, eucalyptus forest, and palapas where the women gather during the day.

There is a luxuriant garden on the grounds. To the side of that lies an area where young children, too large to be carried and not old enough to attend school, spend the day playing. Beyond that is the new nursing school building, soon to be completed.

This is my second visit to Panzi. I came a year ago and toured the hospital, but everyone was inside that day and the women's area had not been completed. Now there are people everywhere, doctors and nurses in lab coats, country women wrapped in colorful cloth, small children clinging to their mothers, crippled men on crutches, and a few muzungus (white people) touring the hospital.

There are over 300 rape survivors and fistula repair patients being treated at Panzi on a daily basis.

During the day, aides provide life skills training and teach handicrafts. All the women survivors are concerned about their future: How will they survive when they leave the hospital? Where will they live? Will they be able to support their children? Many practice handicrafts, learning to knit, sew, weave baskets and rush mats, in the hopes that this will sustain them.

Up until now, my work with rape survivors has been with women several years out of hospital, who had been raped, treated and then released. Being at Panzi Hospital surrounded by so many raped and damaged women, most in pain, all ashamed and trying to make sense out of their shattered lives, is an astonishing, humbling experience.

I feel the full weight of the evil done to these innocent women. So much damage has been done for what? What could ever justify this cruelty, this suffering?

With love and gratitude,

Back in Bukavu DRC

2009-03-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Women survivors stand in front of Victoria Center, Bukavu

So much has happened since I last wrote that I don't know where to start! And it's all good news, so hold on for the ride!

First of all, I want to thank everyone-- family, friends, and the good people of Wakefield, Rhode Island --whose contributions are making it possible to finish the schoolhouse in Mushenyi, give 9 goats to widows in Walungu territory, another 4 goats and 10 chickens to midwives in Nyangezi, and microloans to women survivors of sexual violence at Victoria Center in Bukavu! We did it!

Your kindness and generosity are deeply appreciated, especially in these financially hard times and knowing that Congo is a long way away and often outside our understanding. But you guys came through nonetheless, and I have immense gratitude to each one of you who donated to help these resilient people get back on their feet. To be sure, your donations will improve the lives of many people.

Women sing and dance their greetings.

When I returned to Bukavu a week ago, the women were excited to tell me that they marched in the International Women's Day Parade on March 8th. Not such a big deal in the USA, this parade is very important in developing countries, where participating in it means that women have reached a level of respectability and inclusion. Each group wears their own identifying cloth and carries a banner of their making.

Women proudly march for first time.

Hortense, my translator and Administrator who is employed by Women for Women International, helped with the banner, walked with them, and took photos along the way.

Hortense marched twice in the parade.

I am bursting with pride for these women, who one year ago were dressed in rags, abject, unable to meet your gaze. Now they are filled with hope and confidence, willing to work hard to become self-sufficient. With Hortense's help, the center made its first small loan to each woman in February; so far 14 out of 15 women have repaid 20% of their loan. Repayment funds are being put into a special savings account that will be used to cover medical emergencies.

Their banner expresses my sentiments exactly!

Yahoo, thanks to you our train is moving!

With love and gratitude,

Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege on speaking tour of USA

2009-02-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I am inviting you to attend an evening of discussion with Eve Ensler, V-Day Founder and author of the Vagina Monologues, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, Director and Founder of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC. They are on a 5-city speaking tour of the US to raise global awareness of the atrocities against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Dr. Mukwege is a surgeon who has been treating women victims of sexual violence in DRC since 1996, founding Panzi Hospital for that reason. In 2008 he received both the “African of the Year” award and the prestigious UN “Humanitarian Award in the Field of Human Rights” for his work with rape victims and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Newly constucted women's wing at Panzi Hospital

In partnership with Panzi Hospital and UNICEF, V-Day Founder Eve Ensler is planning to build the City of Joy in Bukavu, which will be a refuge for women survivors and provide them with education, income-generating opportunities, activism and leadership training.

I will be attending their discussion at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco at 8:00pm on February 19th. Come join me and other friends of Congo in San Francisco for dinner before the event. It will be wonderful for everyone to meet each other!

The tour visits New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington, DC.

For reservations, see Itinerary below:

Wednesday, February 11, 8PM – New York, NY"Turning Pain To Power in the Congo - Dr. Denis Mukwege In Conversation with Eve Ensler"
Location: 92nd Street Y - Kaufmann Concert Hall – Lexington at 92nd Street, NYC
Tickets: $27, on sale now
For tickets and more info, visit http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T%2DLC5WL10

Saturday, February 14, 8PM – Los Angeles, CA
V-Day USC Performance of "The Vagina Monologues" with special guest speakers Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege
Location: USC Campus, Bovard Auditorium, University of Southern California, 3601 Trousdale Parkway
Tickets: $18 general admission, $12 students – on sale now
http://www-scf.usc.edu/~vday/Vagina_Monologues.html

Wednesday, February 18, 6PM – Redwood City, CA
The World Affairs Council and Global Philanthropy Forum host Dr. Denis Mukwege interviewed by Eve Ensler
Location: Hotel Sofitel, Redwood City, CA
Tickets: $25 Members and Non-Members, $15 Students – on sale now
http://www.itsyourworld.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=2418

Thursday, February 19, 8PM – San Francisco, CA
City Arts & Lectures "Art & Politics" features Dr. Denis Mukwege interviewed by Eve Ensler,
Location: Herbst Theater, San Francisco
Tickets: $20, on sale now
For tickets and more info, visit http://www.cityarts.net/n.mukwege.html

Monday, February 23, 8PM – Atlanta, GA
Dr. Denis Mukwege In Conversation with Eve Ensler, introduced by Pat Mitchell, V-Day Board Member and President and CEO, the Paley Center for Media,

The Widows of Walungu Territory

2009-02-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

There are many widows in Walungu territory south of Bukavu.

Some of their husbands were killed during war, and others died trying to protect them from sexual violence. Some of these women were disowned by their husbands after being systematically raped and tortured while the community was forced to watch. Although not technically ‘widows’, they call themselves that because their husbands are dead to them.

The majority of widows are subsistence farmers, scratching out a living on rented land, struggling to feed their children and grandchildren. They eat the same food every day: fou-fou (tapioca flour and corn meal made into a gooey ball), boiled cassava leaves, beans, bananas, eggs, and occasionally a chicken. Their larger stock-- goats, cattle, pigs-- are long gone, stolen years ago by scavenging armies.

With or without a husband, a woman is at great risk in DRC. Working in the fields here, she is vulnerable to attack by Hutu rebels living in the mountains.

Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the Interahamwe, or Hutu death squads, and their families were give asylum by President Mobutu, in what was then called Zaire. Over 1,000,000 Hutus fled to Congo and relocated in IDP camps. The Honorable David Mubalama, Senator to Province of South Kivu, estimates that only 20% of those refugees returned to Rwanda, many now living in the hills of Walungu territory.

(When I visited Bukavu last December, two Hutu women came down out of the hills because their children were sick. They were known to be Hutu, because they did not speak French, Swahili or Mashi, the language of South Kivu.)

It was after the Interahamwe relocated in Congo, around 1996, that the atrocities and brutal sexual violence against women and children began.

Working in the fields, the widows of Walungu are also vulnerable to the Congolese National Army, whose soldiers believe it is their patriotic right to rape any woman and steal whatever they can find. Most of these soldiers are simple, country people, kidnapped while young, child soldiers who are starving because the government never pays them; or if there are wages, it is taken by those out-ranking them. Basically, the national army is given guns and let loose on the Congolese countryside to rape and pillage.

It is well-known that officers in the national army condone sexual violence against women and children, even promote it by telling young recruits that raping a virgin will make them impervious in battle. Encouraging their men to rape and pillage, as well as to commit unspeakable atrocities, are the macabre means that military officers use to keep soldiers from defecting.

It is also a well-known, unofficial fact that when military commanders stand against raping women and children, their soldiers stop doing it. International pressure needs to be brought against President Kabila and his government to take to responsibility for the actions of his National Army and stop the atrocities against innocent men, women and children, or they may one day be brought up on charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

With love and gratitude,

Shift Toward Peace, Hope for Congo

2009-01-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of NY Times.

General Laurent Nkunka, widely believed to be financed by Rwanda’s extensive business interests in eastern Congo, was captured late Thursday night by Rwandan forces as he tried to flee across the Congolese border.

General Nkunda's capture is a huge step toward peace in DR Congo. Although small, his Tutsi army has terrorized northeast Congo since 2002, leaving brutal rape, senseless murder, and hundreds of thousands of refugess in its wake.

A UN report issued in December, 2008, accused high ranking officials in the Rwandan government of sending money and troops to support his reign of terror. After that report was released, several European nations withdrew financial support to Rwanda, prompting Nkunda's capture and the neutralization of his army. Money talks.

This is an excellent article that explains the complexity of war in DRC and why the atrocities still continue to happen there today. For this reason, I have included it in its entirety.

New York Times article
Published: January 23, 2009

A Congolese Rebel Leader Who Once Seemed Untouchable Is Caught

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

KIGALI, Rwanda — Overnight, the battle in Congo has suddenly shifted.

Gen. Laurent Nkunda, the Congolese rebel leader whose brutal tactics and Congo-size ambitions have threatened to bring about another catastrophic war in central Africa, was arrested late Thursday, removing an explosive factor from the regional equation.

According to United Nations officials and Rwandan authorities, General Nkunda was captured by Rwandan troops as he tried to escape a Congolese-Rwandan offensive that has taken aim at several rebel groups terrorizing eastern Congo.

General Nkunda had seemed untouchable, commanding a hardened rebel force that routinely humiliated Congolese troops and then calmly gliding through muddy villages in impossibly white robes. But he may never have anticipated that his old ally, the Rwandan Army, would take him away.

The surprise arrest could be a major turning point for Congo, which has been mired in rebellion and bloodshed for much of the past decade. It instantly strengthens the hand of the Congolese government, militarily and politically, right when the government seemed about to implode. But it could also empower other, even more brutal rebel figures like Jean Bosco Ntaganda, General Nkunda’s former chief of staff, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes.

Still, analysts and politicians say they hope that General Nkunda’s capture at the hands of Rwanda means that the proxy war between Rwanda and Congo is finally drawing to a close.

A United Nations report in December accused high-ranking Rwandan officials of sending money and troops to General Nkunda, a fellow Tutsi who claimed to be protecting Congolese Tutsi from marauding Hutu militias. This cross-border enmity has been widely blamed for much of the turmoil, destruction, killing and raping that has vexed Congo for years.

John Prendergast, a founder of the Washington-based Enough Project, which campaigns against genocide, called it a “massive turn of events.”

“Finally the two countries are cooperating,” he said.

Kikaya bin Karubi, a member of Congo’s Parliament, said General Nkunda’s arrest “could be the beginning of the end of all the misery.”

“Look what happened at Kiwanja,” he said, referring to a small Congolese town where United Nations officials said General Nkunda’s forces went door to door, summarily executing dozens of civilians in November.

Now, if Congo gets its way, General Nkunda will have to face the consequences. The government is urging Rwanda to extradite General Nkunda so he can stand trial in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, where he could face a war crimes tribunal and treason charges, punishable by death.

But Rwandan authorities were tight-lipped on Friday about what they would do with General Nkunda. “I can’t speculate,” said Maj. Jill Rutaremara, a spokesman for Rwanda’s Defense Forces. All he would say was that General Nkunda was “in the hands of Rwandan authorities.”

Though General Nkunda never controlled more than a handful of small towns in eastern Congo, he was Congo’s No. 1 troublemaker. His troops have been accused of committing massacres dating back to 2002. General Nkunda recently began cultivating national ambitions to overthrow Congo’s weak but democratically elected government, which threatened to draw in Congo’s neighbors and plunge central Africa into a regional war, something that has happened twice before.

General Nkunda’s confidence may have been his undoing. On Thursday night, hundreds of Rwandan troops cornered him near Bunagana. Congolese officials said he refused to be arrested and crossed into Rwanda, where he was surrounded and taken into custody. It is not clear how many men he had with him at the time, but it appears he was taken without a shot.

Just a few days ago, Rwanda sent several thousand soldiers into Congo as part of a joint operation to flush out Hutu militants who had killed countless people in the 1994 Rwanda genocide and were still haunting the hills on Congo’s side of the border.

Few expected the Rwandan troops to go after General Nkunda. Not only is he a Tutsi, like Rwanda’s leaders, but he had risen to power by fighting these same Hutu militants. Several demobilized Rwandan soldiers recently revealed a secret operation to slip Rwandan soldiers into Congo to fight alongside General Nkunda. He had been trained by the Rwandan Army in the mid-1990s and was widely believed to be an agent for Rwanda’s extensive business and security interests in eastern Congo.

But it seems that the Rwandan government abruptly changed its tack, possibly because of the international criticism it has endured for its ties to General Nkunda. Several European countries recently cut aid to Rwanda, sending a strong signal to a poor country that needs outside help. Rwanda may have figured the time was ripe to remove General Nkunda, analysts said.

Earlier this month, some of General Nkunda’s top commanders split from him, saying they were fed up with his king-of-the-world brand of leadership. One of those commanders was Mr. Ntaganda. Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have accused him of building an army of child soldiers, a war crime.

But Mr. Ntaganda suddenly switched sides, denouncing General Nkunda and saying that he and his men were now eager to join the Congolese Army, which they had been battling for years. Many analysts believe that the Congolese government promised to try to protect Mr. Ntaganda from being sent to The Hague.

According to Jason Stearns, an analyst who recently served on a United Nations panel examining the conflict: “It’s fairly clear that Kigali and Kinshasa have struck a deal. Kinshasa will allow Rwanda onto Congolese soil to hunt down” the Hutu militants, “and in return Rwanda will dethrone Nkunda.”

Congolese officials are now talking about restoring full diplomatic relations with Rwanda, which had been suspended for years, and reinvigorating economic ties. But many uncertainties remain, including a possible power scramble by other militant groups hoping to fill the vacuum.

“Nkunda’s arrest is part of a larger, radical realignment,” Mr. Stearns said. “There are, however, many unknowns and risks.”

Josh Kron contributed reporting.

With love and gratitude,