How to help

I was asked how a person might help the women in the Congo.

(sidenote: There are two Congos. One is the Republic of the Congo and one is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire. I will be referring to the second one, the DRC.)

There are two ways to help the women in the Congo. One is to give money. Women For Women is an organization that financially supports women in many countries, including DRC. For $27 a month, you are matched with and financially support a woman in the Congo. You can also make a one time donation.

Another way to help the women of the Congo is to raise awareness and money at the same time. Run for Congo Women is an organization that helps you do just that. This is a typical "run for charity" type of event. But, you can also get creative! Or, you can educate others and push for change.

Please click here to read portions of letters written by sponsored women.

Here is what Lisa wrote on Run For Congo Women about how her awareness of the violence in the DRC began.

"Watching Lisa Ling's report on Oprah about the conflict in the eastern Congo, shock waves went through me. 4 million people dead. Women gang raped and tortured daily, many held captive as sex slaves, sometimes for years. Innocent children tortured, starved, and left to die. 6 out of 10 children die before the age of 5. Yet no one is talking about it.

...I remained haunted by this horror, which continues to be met with stunning silence by the world. What would I have done if I lived in 1939 Germany, or if had been aware of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda? Oprah's challenge lingered, 'Now that you know, you can't pretend you didn't hear it.' I had to do more."