Tag: #congo

Supporting the DRC: Key Organizations Making a Difference

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I admit it. There are so many things about Africa that I just do not understand. I feel that may be deliberate, based on the United States education system and the format of the US’s version of history and current politics.

However, the things that I have learned about Africa recently have proven that the continent and diaspora have a very rich history, but even more complex government and political systems. And most of that complexity has to do with interference and the stealing of its valuable resources by the US, UK, France, and other westernized countries.

Understanding the Situation in the DRC

Focusing in on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the primary resource that is being illegally mined–by women, men and children–is cobalt, a substance used in most, if not all, tech. From laptops to electric and hybrid cars, from cellphones to video game consoles, cobalt is essential. There has been an increase in awareness of the treatment and conditions children and families in the DRC face because of forced mining. But there just isn’t enough mainstream media coverage. This leaves everyday individuals who read, listen, and watch what is really happening around our world to post about it.

In terms of finding legitimate places that source and collect resources for the people in the DRC, I have only found a few. I am still looking into other places for Sudan. The most challenging aspect of these humanitarian crises is that a lot of the western organizations that claim to raise money for these countries do not actually give the money and aid to the people.

There seem to be countless cases over the decades of organizations stealing donations. And in light of recent months, there have been even more individuals stealing funds, donations, and aid from the DRC, Sudan, and Palestine.

Organizations Making a Difference

The best I can do at this moment in time is to elevate the organizations and voices of those actually trying to help these individuals. Even small donations can make a difference. My aim was to focus on Congo-related accounts that are on the ground in the DRC and providing regular updates and information. Here are the most consistent sources that I’ve come across:

Focus Congo: An organization that invests in young people and leaders in the Congo to build partnerships with local grassroots organizations. It creates access to resources necessary for survival. This organization promotes a vision of justice and peace for the country.

Get Involved
Focus Congo’s website.

Friends of Congo: An organization established in 2004 to work in partnership with the Congolese to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the DRC. Their mission is to raise the consciousness of the world community about the challenges of the Congo and support Congolese institutions in bringing about peaceful and lasting change. Their goal is to eventually have a peaceful and prosperous Congo wherein Congolese are able to fulfill their rightful human and natural potential.

Raising Consciousness About the Challenge of the Congo
Friends of Congo website.

Juice Bae in the Wild: A volunteer nurse living in the heart of the DRC’s refugee camps, providing aid and medical care to its residents.

Video featuring Juice Bae in the Wild (Joy).

Pappy Orion: An activist and Congolese filmmaker who spreads awareness and uplifts the voices of the people living in the DRC. He is also the founder of Focus Congo.

Re-post on instagram by Pappy Orion

It is crucial to support these organizations and individuals who are making a real difference on the ground. By spreading awareness and donating, even a small amount, we can collectively contribute to the welfare and future of the DRC and its people. Likewise, consider buying refurbished electronics and having your tech fixed rather than buying new ones.

What steps can you take today to support the organizations making a difference in the DRC, and how can we collectively raise more awareness about the humanitarian crises in Congo?

Please comment down below.

Until the next time,

Gia

#ReadPalestine Week

Join us for an international #ReadPalestine week, starting Wednesday, November 29, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Here, you can find more than 35 free ebooks in nine languages from publishers around the world.—Publishers for Palestine

Hiya,

With my focus turned to the Middle East in recent weeks, a personal curiosity has been ignited, prompting me to actively seek out more stories and authors from the region. The last few weeks have been difficult seeing and reading about the conditions the Palestinians have been facing not only the last fifty-six days seven decades. Regardless, I know it is important to bare witness, share their stories, voices and help in the cause to bring awareness.

My initial encounter with the Palestinian conflict occurred over a decade ago during an Anthropology class where the movie “Munich” depicted the events of the early 1970s. The narrative began predictably, with a strong militant objective of retaliation and espionage. However, it was only at a pivotal point halfway through the film that the true plight and hardships faced by the Palestinians were revealed. This revelation led the lead character, Avner, to question his actions, his assignment, and his morals.

Over the years, this movie has lingered in my thoughts, leaving me curious to delve deeper. While my reading habits have embraced diverse books and authors, my nonfiction collection has not evolved as much as other genres.

Enter #ReadPalestineWeek—an opportunity for me to read in solidarity for Palestine and expand my knowledge of its people, culture, history, stories, and struggles.

Amidst various humanitarian crises, deplorable treatment, forced occupation, displacement, and ethnic cleansing occurring not only in Gaza and the West Bank but also in Sudan, Congo, Haiti, and many other places worldwide, I invite you to not only join the #ReadPalestineWeek challenge but to explore, share, and continue reading books by Palestinian authors, as well as those from Sudan, Congo, and Haiti.

To track my nonfiction reading goal for the next year, I’ve created my own Non-Fiction Reading Challenge on TheStoryGraph. While I’ll share updates on this journey here, you’re welcome to check it out for yourself here.

Here are a few titles I’ve picked up from the Publisher for Palestine website. It offers a wealth of great book options in multiple languages, and I highly recommend exploring them. The website also features several events this month with Palestinian authors, activists, educators, and a historical timeline.

  • In this poetry debut, Mosab Abu Toha writes about his life under siege in Gaza, first as a child, and then as a young father. A survivor of four brutal military attacks, he bears witness to a grinding cycle of destruction and assault, and yet, his poetry is inspired by a profound humanity. These poems emerge directly from the experience of growing up and living in constant lockdown, and often under direct attack. Like Gaza itself, they are filled with rubble and the ever-present menace of surveillance drones policing a people unwelcome in their own land, and they are also suffused with the smell of tea, roses in bloom, and the view of the sea at sunset. Children are born, families continue traditions, students attend university, and libraries rise from the ruins as Palestinians go on about their lives, creating beauty and finding new ways to survive. Accompanied by an in-depth interview (conducted by Ammiel Alcalay) in which Abu Toha discusses life in Gaza, his family origins, and how he came to poetry
  • ***Winner of an English PEN Award 2021*** During the 1948 war more than 750,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were violently expelled from their homes by Zionist militias. The legacy of the Nakba – which translates to ‘disaster’ or ‘catastrophe’ – lays bare the violence of the ongoing Palestinian plight. Voices of the Nakba collects the stories of first-generation Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, documenting a watershed moment in the history of the modern Middle East through the voices of the people who lived through it. The interviews, with commentary from leading scholars of Palestine and the Middle East, offer a vivid journey into the history, politics and culture of Palestine, defining Palestinian popular memory on its own terms in all its plurality and complexity.
  • In Hamas, journalist and historian Paola Caridi covers the history of Gaza, from its golden age as a port city, to the Nakba, to the present day. A clear-eyed account of Hamas’ birth and slow militarization, Hamas offers an unbiased look at the complex feelings that Palestinians have toward getting behind a government that also supports violent resistance. In doing so, Caridi tells the story of an anti-imperialist movement caught between the desire to resist its oppressor and the need to provide support for a refugee people. Hamas paints a picture, with empathy, intelligence, dexterity, and heart, of a people trapped in the most historic of political battles, revealing all of the complexities of this key player in the global struggle against imperialism.
  • Finalist for the 2023 National Book Award, this is subtle psychological portrait of the author’s relationship with his father during the twentieth-century battle for Palestinian human rights.
  • A young Palestinian named Usama returns to his homeland after several years working in the Gulf. Now an operative in the resistance movement, his mission is to blow up buses transporting Palestinian workers into Israel. But Palestine and its people are not as Usama remembered them. He is shocked to discover that many of his fellow countrymen have adjusted to life under military control. Despite mounting unease, Usama sets out to accomplish his objective … with disastrous consequences. First published in Palestine in 1976, Wild Thorns was the first Arab novel to offer a glimpse of everyday life under Israeli occupation. With uncompromising honesty, Khalifeh pleads elegantly for survival in the face of oppression

Thank you so much for reading.

Until the next post,

Gia