Action Kivu

Geena Davis on Adding Women to the Picture - How You Can Help

2012-05-13T10:20:00.002-07:00

At the Women's Network Funding conference, actor and activist Geena Davis gave the women gathered there a powerful metaphor to add women back into the picture of society, and to take conscious action to do so. After watching videos with her two-year-old daughter and realizing that females were represented at a rate of one to every three male characters, and often highly sexualized and stereotyped, she started the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. : I have learned first-hand the power of research," she told the conference. "And the fact that research, data, facts, dispel myths and rumors.”

“The fact is that women are seriously under-represented across all sectors of society," she continued. "For the most part, we’re not aware of the full extent. About two years ago, the White House Project released a benchmark report where they looked at 10 sectors of society, like academia, business, law, politics, media, sports, etc., to find the percentage of women in positions of authority. And the average, across the board, of all these important sectors of society, was 18%. With just little variations. How is that possible? Across all sectors of society, everything is stalled out at about 18%? But that number, is all around us, if you look for it. For example, the number of women in congress is 16%. 17% of movie narrators are women, and that’s also the percentage of women in the animator’s guild. My body fat is 17%. It’s strange, how often that comes up.”

“So why did the percentage of women in leadership stagnate at about 17 or 18 percent? Here’s another figure, the percentage of women in crowd scenes, in movies, is 17%. So could it be, that, if all the media that we are consuming, the entertainment media, has this huge imbalance, couldn’t it be, that that looks normal to us. That we cease to see it, we don’t recognize it, it looks normal. So that when there’s one or two women on a board, we have a couple of tenured professors, we have a couple female law partners, they feel done. It’s normal to us. We’re not seeing images of women and men sharing the sandbox equally. We’re not walking into situations and saying, hey this body of people is not half women, it looks weird. It doesn’t look weird, because that isn’t what we’ve ever been exposed to.”

ADD WOMEN

This is the solution: Add women.

“Put it in the script,” Geena told us. Though it was a specific reference to the fact that quite often filmmakers aren’t aware of the status quo, and need to be told, in writing, how to set a scene. “A crowd gathers, 50 percent of whom are female.” Seems obvious, no? But it isn’t. “Put it in the script” can be a metaphor for all of us, whether we’re in media or education, agriculture or the arts. Remind people that women hold up Half the Sky, as Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn did with their book and subsequent multi-media movement by that title.

Here at Action Kivu, we're doing just that: sharing women's stories, bringing them out from behind the curtain of silence to share their visions for their communities. Training them in a marketable skill to start a business and provide for their children and families. The sewing workshops in Mumosho and Bukavu are graduating 60 women this month, who will stand out and add their voice to the unfolding story of the Congo. You can help "put it in the script;" we're still in need of funds to provide sewing machines for each of the graduates to start her own business! Click here to learn more about what the $175 / sewing kit provides, and follow the link to donate. No donation is too small, and every dollar makes a difference.

“In medicine,” Geena said, “very often the cure comes from the same source as the disease, right? So the good news is, as powerful as media is, it can have a positive impact, it can actually create opportunities to overcome social and cultural barriers. For example, we know that if girls watch female characters in un-stereotyped activities, they are more likely to pursue non-traditional vocations. In other words, if they see it, they can be it.”

“The time for change is now. And the great thing is, that we have incredible agents of change, filling this room. All of us, all of us are powerful agents of change. And we embrace what Dr. Martin Luther King called the 'fierce urgency of now.' We cannot wait to see if real gender equality happens in the natural course of time because all the evidence shows us that it will not. The lives of too many girls are at stake, as the Nobel Prize winning economist Professor Amartya Sen tells us, at least two million girls die worldwide, every year, because of inequality and neglect. Girls are disappearing, not just as fictional characters, but in the cold light of day.”

“What we need, across all sectors of society, is to add women. Boys and girls need to see an abundance of female characters doing interesting and important things and in leadership positions in the media they consume. And we need more women behind the cameras. If there’s a woman producer, writer, director, the number of female characters on-screen goes up. We need more women in the realms of business, academia, law, the military. From the people reporting the news to the people making the news, we need to add women. And to the ranks of policy makers, corporate boards, justices, presidents and prime ministers, we need to add women, include women, encourage women, vote for women, and hire women.”

Read more of Geena Davis' speech at World Pulse.

I am Congo: Amani, the Community Builder

2012-05-12T13:11:00.004-07:00

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet Amani Matabaro, the man behind Action Kivu and the heart of the work we do, we're excited to introduce you to him, via a short film. This video gives a sense of the warmth of his personality, his heart for his country and the women and children there, his history and his sense of humor. Created by the Enough Project as part of a series to highlight the courageous people of Congo, the video captures the juxtaposition of the beauty and horror that is the history of Congo, as well the indomitable spirit of the Congolese, and gives you a glimpse into who Amani is, and why he does what he does. Please click here to watch, and share with your family and friends!

Help Purchase Sewing Kits for the May Graduates of the Sewing Workshops

2012-04-15T22:01:00.003-07:00

The women of the Bukavu and Mumosho sewing workshops are graduating! Excited and ready to begin their own businesses, 60 women in eastern Congo, ranging from teenagers to mothers of many children, will graduate this May.

This is momentous for these women, many who chose to attend the program to avoid prostitution on the streets of crowded Bukavu, one of the more horrific options in a place of few choices available to women to survive and feed their families. Now, with a glimmer of hope and a better future, each one of them will graduate, trained in sewing and designing skills, and armed with a sewing kit. But it won’t happen without your help!

Each kit costs $175.00 and includes:

•One pedal powered Singer sewing machine ($150.00, and most useful with the lack of electricity in remote village areas)
•One bolt of fabric to begin business ($15)
•One pair of sewing scissors ($5.00)
•One tape measure, plus oil for the machine ($5.00)

Your donation goes directly to the graduates, who have worked so hard towards self-sustainability and helps them gain immeasurable pride as they provide for their families. No donation is too small!

We saw the results with our own eyes on our trip to eastern Congo this year, when we met Nzigira, age 20, and Tantine, age 18, two of the graduates from last year’s sewing program in Mumosho. Parking our truck on the main village road, we wandered down a dirt path, beneath the green of banana trees and lush foliage that surrounded small homes and thatched huts. Approaching the women’s workspace, we were confused. A pedal-powered Singer sewing machine sat out in the open, situated in the corner of a maze of wooden beams that we soon realized formed the frame of a future house. The only sound was the occasional whirring of the machine’s needle, the chirping of birds, and the chatter of curious kids who’d followed us, pied-piper style, as we’d wound our way into their world.

Nzigira and Tantine have set up shop in one of the corner "rooms" of the construction site. They run their business there, protected by a roof, but otherwise open to the air, sun, rain, a few chickens and one duck who roam freely through. Nzigira’s uncle is building this house next to his current thatched, round hut, and has offered the space with a roof over their heads for the women to work. However, when the house is finished, the seamstresses will have to find another location to run their sewing shop.

Nzigira and Tantine decided to team up when they met at the sewing workshop. Both hard workers, they recognized in each a partner, and told us that two are better than one. That adage has proven true; they’ve needed no marketing for their work, as word has spread through the local community about their talent. Women buy fabric and bring it to the makeshift workspace, where they take measurements, press fabric with coal-heated irons, and pedal power their designs into beautiful blouses and skirts, for wedding parties and daily wear. They live at home with their parents and family, who do not work, and from their shared small business, in which they charge a mere $4.50 for a complicated blouse, they meet their families’ basic needs.

They are ever grateful for the Action Kivu supporters who helped purchase their sewing kits for graduation, and offered a blessing for those who helped them: "May you live as a lake, being replenished and refilled, never dying."

Donate today, and know that you are making a huge difference in one woman’s life. No amount is too small. We are 100% volunteer in the U.S., which means all of your donation goes toward the purchase of the sewing kits for the May graduates (minus nominal banking fees).

Want to know more about the women? Read the story, hopes and dreams of Ernata, a graduating student, here.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Give Peace a Chance: Amani's Dream of a Peace School

2012-02-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

Amani Matabaro, our partner in Congo, works to empower and educate women and children in his native eastern Congo via Actions for the Welfare of the Women and Children of Kivu (ABFEK). A college graduate and former teacher, Amani speaks several languages fluently, is a husband, a father of six, and is known as “Papa Amani” to the 115 vulnerable or orphaned children he sends to school through an education assistance program. In Congo, where years of war have decimated the population and over 5 million people have died from the fighting and the resulting poverty, HIV and other illnesses, education offers hope for a different, better, peaceful future. Through the support of American non-profits including Action Kivu, Kids4CongoKids, Rotary Clubs and others, Amani is making this happen.

The current village schools, mud rooms with little light or equipment, are not up to the challenge, and Amani dreams of opening a Peace School. Using the land where his childhood home is built in the village of Mumosho, Amani, whose name is translated “Peace” in Swahili, has plans for a school to serve all the at-risk children in the district. To offer a free and safe education, teaching not only the basic Congolese curriculum, but to build up the future leaders of a peaceful Congo through the education of human rights, the arts, non-violent communication, good-governance and community building.

The cost to build the infrastructure of the school, including a health care facility and an area for a goat and cow husbandry project to provide milk and nutrition for the kids and bio-fuel and fertilizer for the ABFEK shared farm, is approximately $100,000.00 USD. All donations via ActionKivu.org are tax deductible, and nearly 100% (minus nominal banking fees) go directly to the work on the ground, due to the all-volunteer staff in the U.S. To support the building of the school, please note “Peace School” on your PayPal donation or check.

In the current village schools in the Mumosho district in eastern Congo, the kids sit shoulder-to-shoulder on rows of short wooden benches, their knees acting as desks, their feet clad in dusty rubber sandals rest on the dirt floor, a blackboard the teacher’s only tool. A sunny day, the window cut out of the mud wall allows a bit of light into the dark room. The school uniform is a bright, cobalt blue skirt for the girls and shorts for the boys, their white shirts ranging from button downs to tee-shirts, all yellowed with age and dirt, frayed and torn. Almost every child sports a pair of rubbery plastic sandals in a variety of neon colors that are dulled by dust.

On Action Kivu's recent visit, we were introduced to Shukura, a 10-year-old girl in the 4th grade, sponsored by ABFEK / Action Kivu, who is at the top of her class. In fact, all girls had taken the top three spots of the fourth grade, the other two sponsored by Kids4CongoKids. Sponsoring kids, especially girls, whose families cannot afford the 4$/month school fees, makes a marked difference in a community where poor families often choose to educate sons over daughters.

Shukura tells us shyly that she wants to be a teacher when she graduates. Most of the children in the schools we visited plan to be doctors or teachers, two of the only professions they see in their villages. Zawadi, however, whose name means "gift," wants to be an agronomist. The land here is wildly rich, but despite the beans, bananas, corn and cassava growing like weeds, many of the children are malnourished.

Zawadi is in the second grade at APSED, a sort of charter school formed by neighborhood parents who wanted to ensure war orphans and poverty stricken kids receive an education. ABFEK / Action Kivu sponsors 19 kids there. With so many children at the school, and only three small, dirt-floored classrooms, the kids only go a half day, so the other classes can meet the second half.

We waited to meet 11 of the sponsored kids in the principal's office, a few chairs and two desks filling the room, posters of basic anatomy and a hand-printed list of the school's objectives decorated the mud-brown walls. The first girl, around eight years old, walked in and confidently shook our hands with a clear "Bonjour! ça va?" An extremely serious boy wearing a torn shirt with a brick red collar somberly shook our hands, then solemnly gave Amani a fist-bump.

The principal explained that the kids at APSED school come from particularly bad situations, and that it is his job to encourage them. Many live with extended family or host families, having lost parents in the conflict. He singled out one little girl, showing how her right ankle and leg curved unnaturally out, making it difficult for her to walk and play. She was scared speechless by the cameras and the muzungus (white people), her lips moving, but making no sound. The serious boy, Bisimwa, volunteered to take her place, putting her out of her misery. Without cracking even the smallest smile, he told us how he likes science and nature, and plans to be a teacher. He lives with his dad, after his mother died.

Ashuza stepped into frame, wearing an over-sized tee-shirt that nearly covered his blue shorts. He balanced easily on his right foot, his left foot twisted inward at a right angle. The principal explained that he was born with the defect, another reminder how few medical treatments are available or affordable here. Ashuza loves to read, and wants to be a doctor. They took the gifts of crayons and candy (snack-sized snickers, m&ms and twix) with a whispered "merci," and carefully put the chocolate in their pockets, to savor later.

These children in eastern Congo have experienced only uncertainty, and seem to have a hard time envisioning a bright future. In response to Amani's question, "What is wrong with Congo," the kids at Burembo Elementary answered:

• Hunger
• Killings
• People robbed going to and from mining areas
• Rape against women should stop
• Theft
• Teachers should be paid

When you were 6 or 10 or 12, did you even think about what was wrong in your country? How would you have answered the question? How can we create change so the next generation of Congolese kids answers differently?

From Amani: Sub-Saharan Africa has over 30 million kids who have no access to education. Their countries governed by ill-intentioned politicians and warlords, they are often used as child soldiers for armed groups. The peace school will offer conflict besieged children a chance for an education, and act to prevent conflict by educating the young generation.

Hope from Mumosho Sewing Workshop: Ernata's Story

2012-01-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Just pretend that we’re not here, said the two American Muzungus (white people). As the women of the Mumosho Sewing Workshop huddled around the two instructors, we hovered over them with cameras, trying to find the right light in the small, dark room, lit only by two windows. The workshop was at capacity with peddle-powered Singer sewing machines, tables for ironing with a heavy iron filled with hot coals, and over 25 women, a couple who carry quiet, wide-eyed babies.

One woman, Ernata, had a hard time looking away from the camera, her smile wide and friendly and frequent. A bright red-orange scarf added color to her simple white tee-shirt, and like every other woman in the workshop, a measuring tape hung from her neck. Amani, who started this sewing program in his home village of Mumosho in 2009, explained the importance of the women sharing their stories with us, so that people in the U.S. and around the world could connect to them, individually, and feel a sense of sharing life and building this community through their support of the sewing workshop.

Ernata volunteered to be the first to talk with us, meeting us behind the building where ABFEK rents the room for the center. Sitting on a simple wooden stool, ignoring the crows of a rooster and the questioning looks and giggles of a few neighborhood kids, she eyed the camera with confidence, and looked directly at us as she answered the questions Amani translated for her.

Ernata was her Christian name, she told us, but her grandfather also named her Barhadosa. "Simply because my mother was suffering a lot," she explained. "She was facing domestic violence, and when she gave birth to me, my grandfather said my name would be Barhadosa. My mom didn’t ask (permission) if she could marry my dad, into that family." Barhadosa means "they never ask," Amani said.

Born into a society where women have very little rights or value and can be divorced without recourse for not bearing a male heir, Ernata’s own story has not turned out well.

"My first marriage, I spent two years in my household. I didn’t have any children, and I suffered a lot from my husband. He kicked me out because I didn’t have any children. After being kicked out by my first husband, I returned home, and spent six months at home. Another man married me. After about 6 to 7 months with my second husband, I could not conceive. He also kicked me out, divorced me."

Then came another man, from a different village, whose wife had died and left him with seven kids. Ernata married for the third time, and after only three months, she conceived. "I was blessed to have one child, a boy, but it was after surgery (a cesarean delivery). After two years and three months, my only child died. I was there, living with my husband, but I was afraid. Six months had passed after my child died, and I hadn’t conceived again. I was afraid, and things had changed again, become negative, with my husband."

Though he already has seven children, he wants another from Ernata. "And me, too," she said. "Because if I have a child, I’m stable there."

"I have a big wound inside my heart," Ernata told us. "If I don’t have children with my husband, he will kick my out. I’m noticing some changes, bad behavior, from his family members, who might urge him to chase me (from the home)."

When asked what the village needs, to grow as a community, to provide better for its people, Ernata responded, "I don’t want to sound selfish, but I’m going to talk about the needs of women in this community. The women need to learn more professional skills, to make sure they can take care of themselves."

The sewing workshop is well-known and respected in Mumosho, especially after its first graduation last September. Due to support from quilters and seamstresses who donated through a fundraiser on Handmade by Alissa, Action Kivu / ABFEK was able to purchase sewing kits for the graduates, providing each women with her own sewing machine to start her business.

"Tell those women we love them, we are thankful for them," Ernata said with a smile. "They helped the first program graduate. I am in this program, and my hope is that I also get my own sewing machine, to make sure I can start my own business. You understand, my life is very difficult. I’m not sure I’m going to stay with my husband. But if I’m not with him, I’ll have my sewing machine, I’ll go back to my parents, and I’ll be working for myself."

Ernata, who left school after the 5th grade and had never sewn before, is proud to be part of the sewing workshop. "I heard about the sewing workshop from one of the trainers, who knows my story, who knows how I’ve been suffering, how men have been treating me. I decided to come here, because I’m not sure if I’m going to stay there, in that household. I want to learn professional skills to make sure I can take care of myself, that I can do something, become helpful to myself."

From California to Congo, Notes from the Field: Hope Happens

2012-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Bukavu, Congo! We crossed the border into eastern Congo last week, to spend just over two weeks in the presence of Amani and the women and children he serves via ABFEK and Action Kivu. To see firsthand the sewing workshops, to meet the women gaining valuable skills and building community there, to say "Jambo!" (Hello!) to all the children who giggle wildly to see themselves on our cameras' digital displays. To visit the children sent to school by ABFEK's education assistance program and observe their classes. To shake many, many hands as we walk through the Peace Market to see the newly built latrine soon to be dedicated to the community there. To visit the goat project and the shared farm, and see the land where Amani envisions a Peace School, where the girls and boys in the surrounding villages can study without worries about tuition fees. Where the curriculum can be flexible to meet their needs, teaching not only maths, science, languages and art, but trauma therapies, animal husbandry and how to grow food to sustain the community. Amani wants a school that will educate and inspire the future leaders of the Congo in human rights.

We already knew that every penny we raised was going directly to the programs Amani has instigated, but being here, seeing it all in action, is inspiring. Amani is the unofficial Mayor of Mumosho, where he was born and raised, and a local celebrity in Bukavu, where he taught secondary school. Driving or walking down roads in either area, we are frequently stopped as people call to him, and he takes time to greet them warmly.

In only a few days of visits along the rutted road to Mumosho, a bone-jarring ride termed a "Congolese massage," we have met women who are leaders in their community. Excited by the trauma therapy training they're receiving from Gunilla of The Peaceful Heart Network, the women had the space and opportunity to share the stories of trauma in the community, from domestic violence that is too often the norm, to women's rights around marriage, land rights, and the birth of a son as heir. Amani listened with a troubled face as the conversation in the local Mashi dialect grew louder and more heated, and when we asked him to translate, and why he looked so upset, he said, "Because I am man, and men are doing such terrible things."

The women's stories are not falling on deaf or uncaring ears. Amani is a man of action, and before returning the class to a semblance of order to complete the trauma therapy training, he began brainstorming ideas for group meetings to discuss violence against women and women's rights, to provide a forum for discussion of women amongst women, men with men, and then bringing them together with the local leaders to educate men about equal rights. It might not change their behavior immediately, he admitted, but they will know they are doing wrong, and that others will be watching.

Everywhere we go we see faces of people, some traumatized and withdrawn, some open and smiling. The stories of atrocity and trauma are as numerous and varied as the handshakes we receive, but so are the stories of healing and hope. In her research for the book The Gifts of Imperfection, Dr. Brene Brown discovered that "hope is not an emotion, it's a way of thinking or a cognitive process." She quotes the research of C.R. Snyder, who defines hope as a trilogy of goals, pathways, and agency. "Hope happens when

We have the ability to set realistic goals.
We are able to figure out how to achieve those goals, including the ability to stay flexible and develop alternative routes.
We believe in ourselves.

Amani is the face of hope in Congo. In over a year of partnering with him, and in the week we've spent in his constant peaceful presence, we have witnessed him set realistic goals, find the necessary resources, move with grace and flexibility through the obstacles he faces from both people and the physical terrain. He not only believes in himself, he believes in the power of the people of the Congo, particularly women and girls.

More times than we can count, he has expressed overwhelming gratitude for you, the people who support Action Kivu and make possible all that is changing the lives of these women and children. We can't wait to share more stories, photos, and videos with you when we return to the U.S. and consistent power and internet connectivity.

"The human face is an artistic achievement. On such a small surface an incredible variety and intensity of presence can be expressed. This breadth of presence overflows the limitation of the physical form. No two faces are exactly the same. There is always a special variation of presence in each one. ... In a certain sense, the face is the icon of the body, the place where the inner world of the person becomes manifest. ... The face always reveals the soul; it is where the divinity of the inner life finds an echo and image. When you behold someone's face, you are gazing deeply into that person's life."
~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara - A Celtic Book of Wisdom (pp 38,39)

Human Rights Day 2011: Faces of Action Kivu

2011-12-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

This year, for Human Rights Day, we're celebrating the great work Amani Matabaro and his Action Kivu/ABFEK team does for the communities of Bukavu and Mumosho. We honor the awareness he is raising and the daily actions made for expanding women's rights through the sewing collectives and the Peace Market, amd his fight for education for the most vulnerable children.

After a week of contested elections in the Congo, here's a look at the people affected by the play of politics, the women and children Action Kivu works with, living daily in hope for peace and freedom.

Take action this Human Rights Day. Visit Amnesty International to find out how to use the power of the pen (or computer) to Write for Rights. For a soundtrack to spreading the word about human rights, stream Amnesty International's Bob Dylan tribute album on Facebook. And make a donation to Action Kivu! Every dollar makes a difference in the lives of the women and children you see here.

Robin Wright Helps Kick Cholera in the Congo

2011-11-22T10:08:00.001-08:00

After months of trying to raise the money for a latrine for the Peace Market in Mumosho, writing "poop" in more emails than I ever imagined necessary, I got a call from JD Stier at The Enough Project, informing me that a lovely and amazing woman would fund the full amount needed to build the latrine. Robin Wright donated the funds to save lives now, knowing it will be the first step toward building the biogas latrine to provide sustainable energy to the women at the market. Wright met Amani when she visited eastern Congo with The Enough Project this year. "Mama Robin" as Amani had written about her after her visit, is making a huge impact on the lives and well-being for so many in eastern Congo, and we can't thank her enough.

(Robin Wright, photo courtesy of The Enough Project)

It was like I'd drunk three cups of coffee, I was so excited. I tried to dial Amani immediately to share the news, but didn't get through (thankfully, since eastern Congo is nine hours ahead of us, and I would have awoke his entire family). His e-mailed response was filled with great gratitude and relief. He has been so worried about the risk of a cholera outbreak from open defecation, a horrifying threat to the lives of children, where 1 in 4 children who die before their fifth birthday in Eastern Congo die of something entirely preventable – cholera and acute diarrhea. With the rainy season upon them, the women started using the market as a safe, dry place to buy and sell their goods, despite the lack of latrines.

We're wiring the money, Amani will hire the construction crew, and the latrine will be in working order in just two weeks. The biogas component that will green the latrines and provide a renewable energy source for the women at the market is in the works. Amani is scheduling a site visit with an expert from Rwanda who will oversee that project, and when we get the details and budget from the visit, I will write grants to foundations for the full funding for the construction and upkeep of the biogas latrine.

We are thrilled with all the good things that are happening because of your support and thankful to generous donors like Robin, who see and meet the critical needs in the Congo. We're excited to visit the DRC in December to see the market and the new latrine. We'll take plenty of photos and report back here soon!

Read more about the Peace Market here, and if you can stomach it, watch an oddly entertaining and very informative short documentary about the world's toilet crisis here.

World Toilet Day: Peace Market Latrines Under Construction!

2011-11-18T23:05:00.000-08:00

The Peace Market latrine, prior to construction.

What? You didn't know that November 19th is World Toilet Day? I didn't either, until I read Amnesty International's post about "giving a crap for human rights," and immediately thought of Robin Wright and Amani Matabaro. Neither one who approved my using his/her name in conjunction with "crap," but both have given time and money toward making sure the women, men and children who use the Peace Market have a safe and sanitary place to ... well, poop.

It's an unsavory subject, but one that is critical to health and human rights. I never thought I'd be so passionate about the toilet, but lately I can't forget the fact that 2.6 billion people don't have access to basic sanitation. Next time you flush, consider that open defecation leads to outbreaks of cholera, which is a horrifying threat to the lives of children, especially in eastern Congo, where 1 in 4 children who die before their fifth birthday lose their lives to something entirely preventable – cholera and acute diarrhea.

Immediately after Robin Wright heard of the need and generously donated the money, the latrine started started construction at the peace market! Amani, who met Robin during her visit to eastern Congo with the Enough Project, sent us the photos of the construction and another thank you to Robin, saying "that she has saved lives with the donation!!!"

Asked about the importance of these latrines, the leadership of the Market committee happily replied:

''These latrines are so important that they are going to prevent people from getting very dangerous diseases such as cholera. And we will be selling our goods, especially food, with no fear of contamination of any disease -- these latrines are going to save lives! They will prevent us from getting problems with people living nearby the Market since they were already complaining about merchants. A crowd of upwards of 300 people gather at this market every day.''

And Amani's thoughts about the importance of these latrines:

''A market is a place with large populations and when it has no latrines, it simply becomes a public danger. Building these latrines ... is a great sustainable solution to the health threat which was already there since community members started using the Market with no latrines. Many community members come to buy food, buyers and sellers both had no rest rooms and they were coming to use the Health Centre rest rooms, and the danger here is there are many communicable diseases in the area. Patients admitted to the Health Centre sharing latrines with sellers and buyers puts everyone at risk--these latrines will minimize and stop once and for all the risk of communicable disease contamination among sellers, buyers, patients, children at school and those who come to attend the church nearby since all these facilities are very close.''

Cate and I are excited to visit the Peace Market in person later this month to see the completed project, and share more stories with you.

In the meantime, you can support human rights on World Toilet Day by supporting the Water for the World Act. Take ACTION and sign Amnesty International's petition today!

Everyone Poops: Take Action to Kick Cholera & Solve the World's Toilet Crisis

2011-09-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

The john, the loo, the WC, the great white throne — for as many loving nicknames with which we've labeled the toilet, we likely take ours for granted. Yet, in this day and age of technology and TOTO toilets with heated seats, built-in bidets and push-button sounds to drown out the noise of nature, more than 2.6 billion people, approximately 40% of the world's population, don't have access to the most basic toilet.

This isn't just a problem for tourist boards trying to turn travelers' gaze from locals pooping in ponds, streams and rivers, this is life and death. "As a result (of open defecation), more than 2 million people — including 1.5 million children — die from complications of chronic diarrhea." (World's Toilet Crisis, Vanguard)

It isn't a sexy subject or one for the dinner table, but as the children's book teaches us, "Everyone Poops." But not everyone has access to or the education to understand the dire importance of a clean latrine. That's why it's crucial that we raise funds to build a latrine in the DRC this month.

This isn't just any latrine. This would fill a gaping, 30 foot hole that was dug in eastern Congo, dug to build the Peace Market, a dream of Amani Mataboro's to provide a place of commerce and community near the border, where Congolese and Rwandans could come together and work alongside each other towards peace and a stronger, healthier economy.

The latrine will serve this area of 26 villages and up to 42,000 people. It also benefits villages from the Walungu territory, as well as some communities on the Rwandan side of the Ruzizi river. With $4,500 USD, the latrine can be up and running, and, if we raise $9,000, it can be built as an environmentally sustainable resource of renewable energy - methane biogas.

"The market is the best site for a sanitary latrine, since it is a focal point for the local economy. Without action, it could become the breeding ground for a cholera epidemic, but now it will be a success case for demonstrating healthy practices," says Amani Mataboro, Executive Director of Action Kivu's partner, Action pour le Bien- être de la Femme et de l'Enfant au Kivu (ABFEK).

"There is an urgency to this action. Because of climate change, we are seeing signs of the rainy season starting sooner than ever before. If we do not act now, people will die, starting with children and the elderly. If we work together, we can prevent these deaths and build a healthier community."

1 in 4 children who die before their fifth birthday in Eastern Congo die of something entirely preventable: cholera and acute diarrhea. Help us change that with a donation to a clean latrine and health education today. Learn more here.

To learn more about the World's Toilet Crisis, watch the Vanguard video. Absolutely disgusting at times (I made the mistake of watching right before breakfast), it's also informative and inspirational, as you watch communities take control of their health and well-being.

(Photos: Everyone Poops, Amazon.com, latrine being dug at the Peace Market, newly built Peace Market, Opening Day Celebration)

Back to School (and to the garden)

2011-09-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

I remember the palpable current of a new year that ran through our house on the first day of school; my backpack at the ready with sharpened pencils, fresh notepads of lined paper, and a box of color crayons that hadn't been smashed or eaten by the odd kid two desks over.

The kids in the Congo are heading back to school this week too, 100 of them because of YOUR support. Via Amani's vision through ABFEK, not only will they study languages, letters and numbers, they're also learning agriculture, and the art of growing gorgeous food for better nutrition.

Amani writes about two children in particular, Manu and Namegabe, who over the summer break used their hands to study gardening, digging in the dirt of the shared ABFEK farm, in order to pass along their experience to their schoolmates. They're very interested in agriculture, and excited to teach other kids.
The rainy season normally starts early in September, but this year has been special with rains off and on since mid-July. When it starts raining on a more regular basis, the garden will grow well. In the dry season people need to water the crops on a daily basis but as rainy season starts, there are no more water problems.

This shot of the shared garden shows cabbages, carrots and onions growing, where the women and children supported by ABFEK learn about agriculture. Most of the vegetables are native to Eastern Congo but not everywhere. In the Mumosho district, Amani writes, "people are not used to growing carrots, eggplant, peppers...we want to do it on a larger scale to fight malnutrition through the schools." Amani plans to use this as a pilot program to expand the experience in other communities based on lessons learned.

As the kids head back to school, we'll be sharing their stories of a new year. What are your favorite stories of going back to school?

Action Kivu Quilting Fundraiser with Giveaways (pssst... Flea Market Fancy)

2011-08-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Alissa Haight-Carlton, the modern quilt guru who writes Handmade by Alissa, is hosting a 2nd Annual Fundraiser for the women and children of eastern Congo, via Action Kivu. For each donation, there's a chance to receive a giveaway of fantastic fabric.

Three words for you: Flea. Market. Fancy. Last year, those three little words that I'd never heard before, caused quite the frenzy. There are so many beautiful fabrics donated for this important work, I'm almost tempted to learn to quilt. Almost. If you are a quilter or seamstress, or know someone who is, please visit Alissa's blog to help us reach our goal of $15,000.

Because we're all volunteers, every dollar you donate, apart from nominal banking fees, goes directly to the women and children of the Congo. Through your help, they're rebuilding their lives after years of conflict, loss and rape, finding strength and hope for the future through education, learning a skill and a trade, and being in community with each other.

Visit Alissa's blog now, and tell your friends!

(Photo courtesy Abby Ross, for Falling Whistles.)

Isn't This Progress? A Thank You, Straight from Bukavu

2011-08-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

From Nabirugu*, one of the women in the sewing collective that is supported by your donations.

"My name is Nabirugu*. I am 21 years old. I have no father. I joined the ABFEK centre 10 months ago and today I am ready to go and start my own sewing workshop based on the skills I have [learned]. Today I am able to measure, cut fabrics and join them. I can now make dresses, skirts, a pair of shorts, pants, and blouses. Isn’t this progress? I learned to use sewing equipments in this centre, before that time I had never used a pair of scissors to cut fabrics or a tape measure. I am very proud of my training in this centre. Now I have hope and confidence. I hope for success in my life. If I succeed to get my own sewing machine, I can start a small business such as making school pupils uniforms,make [outfits] from fabrics when there is a wedding ceremony, make my own clothes without paying as I was doing before. We need to start learning embroidery and then people will not be taking their fabrics to Bukavu if they need embroidery. I am very happy and I thank everyone who has donated his money to provide us with the sewing equipment we are using in this centre."

(*Names are changed to protect the identity of women in the workshops.)

Pass the buck. Action Kivu on Philanthroper.com - log on to donate a dollar!

2011-07-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Do you philanthrop? (Philanthropize? I'm always attempting to coin new verbs.) Philanthroper.com is sort of like those daily deal sites, but instead, they give you the option to do good, one dollar a day, if you choose. And today, Friday, July 22nd, they're featuring Action Kivu!

"Passing the buck" is generally not a flattering phrase, so we're re-defining it, and asking you to pass along a buck to the women and children of eastern Congo. $1. 100 pennies. You've got that to give, right? Log in at Philanthroper.com, give a buck and tell your friends. (If you missed our day and, naturally, you want to philanthropize for Action Kivu, you can always donate here. In fact, you can make it a recurring donation — 4$ / month, the cost of a latte, will send one child to school.)

Since we're volunteers here in the U.S., every bit of your donation goes to the work on the ground in the Congo. (PayPal takes a tiny percentage, as does the bank fee for wiring funds.) Here's a glimpse at where your money goes: to teach women who are victims of the ongoing conflict and violence how to sew, and embroider! Last year, with your generous donations, Amani bought an embroidery machine for the students at the Bukavu sewing collective. And just this week, Amani informed us that with the partnership and grant from the Rotary club, ABFEK bought another embroidery machine for the Mumosho sewing center. Amani's wife Amini is training the advanced students in this art; as the demand for embroidered fabric and clothing is higher, the women will be able to earn more money with this skill.

So go on. Log on to Philanthroper.com (if it's Friday, July 22nd, 2011) or anytime at Action Kivu, and pass the buck. This time it's good for your soul.

Photos from the Bukavu Center

Peace Market Prayers: Time for Hope

2011-07-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

"I cannot wait to see this market construction complete. I have been selling clothes for about 4 years here. Every time when it rains, we have no place for shelter. During the dry season, the sun causes a serious problem. When it rains my goods are wet and nobody buys. My friend lost a basin of palm oil because of rain 3 months ago. She no longer comes here because that was the only money she had. I am very excited about this market. We have a place to shelter. Now I believe there’s time for suffering and time for Hope. We thank ABFEK and their supporters. We’ll be selling calmly [in peace]."

The words of just one of the many women whose lives will change because of the creation of the Mumosho Peace Market.


The women (and a few men) of the Mumosho Peace Market at the opening ceremony.

Opening ceremony - Mumosho Peace Market, July 2011

Tangible Dreams: Mumosho Peace Market is Open for Business!

2011-07-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

The first thing we discovered when we met Amani was that he's a man of many dreams with one overarching vision, to give hope and a future to the women and children of his community in eastern Congo. Then, he told us of a place that he envisioned as a "Peace Market," a safe, communal space along the border, where the Congolese and Rwandans could come together and work alongside each other towards peace and a stronger, healthier economy.

Through ABFEK's partnership with Empower Congo Women, Falling Whistles, and a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Montecito*, Amani's dream of a Peace Market in Mumosho has become a reality. Last weekend, he witnessed his vision become literally solidified, as the community that supports the project traced their names into wet concrete, to mark the spot and space where hope can grow.

We're so excited to witness the changes that are growing out of Amani's visions. From the following email and the abundance of exclamation marks, he's pretty excited as well:

"The Market project is gradually being completed!!! We opened it last Saturday but we still need to do latrines and stalls inside. So many people came to attend!!! Children are also very happy,they told us a market was a real need in the community. After the opening ceremony,we asked people and the organizations who donated and who want to donate to sign in the concrete, and the reason why you'll see AK (Action Kivu) on the banners and in the concrete is because you have been supporting ABFEK and they implemented the project!!!! This project is so important that it will help the women in our sewing centres to sell the fabrics they make. The plans are: while school children are on vacation, the women in the sewing centres have to make school uniforms for the kids and will sell some in this market!!!"

To all of you who support Amani, the women and children in eastern Congo via Action Kivu in spirit and generous funds, thank you. YOU ARE making a difference.

Peace Market under construction - supervised by Mark of the Montecito Rotary Club, an engineer who oversaw the project.

(*Read more about the Peace Market and the other generous Rotary Club donors including Santa Maria Rotary, D.5240, Korea D.3270, and Rotary Club of Wakefield RI, as well as private donors at Empower Congo Women.)

First Action Kivu Intern Arrives in Bukavu!

2011-06-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's official - Action Kivu / ABFEK has an intern, on the ground, volunteering to assist Amani in all the work, change and growth that he's creating in eastern Congo.

A big welcome to Miriam, who arrived via Rwanda (and Nepal, and a short rest in Germany) just this week, to unexpected rain, open arms, hearts and hope from Amani, his family, and all women and children in the community they work with!

Miriam in the DRC (in purple pants, 3rd from left) with Amani (blue hat, 2nd from right)

In Miriam's own words:

"I'm 27 years old, from Germany. I'll stay in Bukavu from June to December 2011 to work with Action Kivu.

"The fight for women's equality and against gender-based violence has always been a passion of mine, and this is what brought me here. I was part of the staff of the international NGO Women Against Violence Europe for two years when I decided to explore feminist work on a grassroots level. During the research for my final exam for my master's degree in media science I came across the war journalist Kevin Sites. It was through his reports that I became aware of Action Kivu. I had already read about women's situation in Eastern DR Congo so when I learned about Action Kivu I knew I had to get in touch with them.

"Before my stay in DR Congo I spent half a year in Nepal to learn about the situation women are facing there.

"I refuse to let frustration and resignation take over in the face of the overwhelming plight of Congolese women. Instead I would like to learn from the Congolese people and try to support them, one by one and face to face. "

We're thrilled to welcome Miriam, thankful for her giving spirit and adventurous, open heart, and excited to see, through her eyes, camera, and experience, the challenges facing the people of eastern Congo and the changes being made.

Action Kivu Update: These things matter

2011-05-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

There’s been a flurry of media attention surrounding the Democratic Republic of the Congo this past week, with newly released statistics regarding the number of rapes in 2006 / 2007. “A study released this week in a U.S. medical journal concludes that more than 400,000 women are being raped a year, with between 17 percent to 40 percent of women in the east reporting sexual assault during their lifetime,” writes Jason Stearns.

Reading all the statistics, old and new, can be overwhelming, which is why we’re excited to share the new projects, growth and personal stories that we’re hearing from Amani this year. Via ABFEK, partnered with Action Kivu, Amani has been working tirelessly, with an abundance of passionate energy, to serve the women and children who are victims of the ongoing conflict.

Here’s what your donations are doing in eastern Congo:

The Sewing Collectives

From Amani: "The sewing project is growing since the time ABFEK got new sewing equipment from Action Kivu, USA. New women participants coming from here and there want to get registered and become part of the project. Given this, a graduation event is prepared for June 2011, where about 15 women are to graduate from the program and start their own business based on the skills they got from ABFEK sewing collectives. To make sure the graduation ceremony is a success and the impact is sustainable at the community level, ABFEK needs to provide the women graduating sewing kits for them to start their own workshop in their respective villages and streets."

Education Assistance

Amani: “This school year, 2010-2011, thanks to the support of Action Kivu USA, ABFEK has been able to provide support to 100 school children by helping them get re-enrolled in school. All of these school children are so happy to be attending classes with no fear of being expelled for lack of school fees. This has positively impacted the results of these school children in school as stated by the Musisi elementary school principal:

“‘The children ABFEK is sponsoring are now doing better in school if we compare their results when they were getting expelled for lack of school fees and today, time when they are calmly and peacefully attending all the classes, most of them are very intelligent kids but they are only unlucky to be orphans and poor. In my opinion, ABFEK could take all the kids if possible. May God bless whoever is helping ABFEK implement this incredible work and this new generation has to take advantage of it.’

“The challenge is still big since there’s a great number of children who cannot go to school for lack of school fees, school kits, food and medical care ….many families in the South Kivu province are unable to meet the basic needs of the household and this causes lots of damages, mostly on the lives of children.”

Amani shares the story of a 10-year-old boy, whose big smile belies his frustration and sadness that his parents are unable to send him to school:

“Look at me, I am very dirty but if I were in school I’d be wearing clean cloths but as my parents are so poor, they cannot afford sending me to school, we even difficultly get food to eat. I do not hope for anything in the future as I am not in school but I wish I were in school like other children like me. I am not happy to have given up on school when I was in grade 2.”

“There are families with a great number of children but ABFEK is financially limited and hence unable to pay for every single child.” ~Amani

I Am Over
A world that could allow, has allowed, continues to allow 400 thousand women, 23,000 women, or one woman to be raped anywhere, anytime of any day in the Congo.
The women of Congo are over it too. When I was there last month they told me they were going to begin a story strike and stop telling about their rapes. They want peace. They are not entertainment. Their suffering is not for consumption. …

I Am Over It.
No more studies of raped women
No more statistics
No more breaking news that is 14 years old
No more pretending you didn't know
Pass the Obama law
Get Rwanda and Uganda and Burundi and Angola out of Congo
With diplomatic pressure
Train women soldiers and police officers
Support local Congolese women's groups on the ground -
Not with directions and agendas but with money
Make noise
Let It Be Over.

~From OVER, by Eve Ensler, Huffington Post

Make noise, make change – support Amani’s work today. Every. Dollar. Counts. $4, the price of a latte, will send a child to school for a month. We pass on to you the overwhelming gratitude that Amani, his family, the kids he sends to school and the women he helps educate feel for your support from so far away. In the face of the overwhelming statistics, these things matter.

Poems and a Play

2011-03-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

In honor of International Women’s Day, the women and girls of ABFEK / Action Kivu wrote and performed these poems and a play for all to hear:

RAPE

Rape! Where did you come from?
Who gave you a name?
Who brought you to my home country?

Those who use you have taken my sister like a cow to slaughter.
They have taken my friends to unknown countries, where are they?
Rape! Why can’t you answer me? Do you hear me?
They have taken my mom in front of me! You have no mercy.
Rape! You have damaged our bodies.
Rape! Because of you, my family and my community have rejected me
Rape! Because of you, my husband has run away
Remember what you did to me mercilessly in front of my beloved ones.
Rape! Because of you, love on me has changed into hatred.
Rape! You have taken my smile, my joy far away from me. BRING THEM BACK.
Rape! You have traded my happiness to bitterness.
Today, I will ask the whole world to help me and Bury you
They will help me erase your name and what you’ve caused against my community.
Rape! My family, my community, my country, the world and myself, we All Hate you.
~ Author’s name withheld for privacy and security reasons

Violence has no Mercy & Excuse
Violence!
Why do you not forgive?
Why do you not master yourself?

Why do you not have reservations?
Why do you only do evil against evil?
You sow terror wherever you go.
You fear no one
You spare no one
You do not negotiate
But you treat with force
And everyone complains about you
For you are the enemy of peace.

La Violence est sans Pardon
Violence!
Pourquoi tu ne pardonnes pas?
Pourquoi tu ne te maitrises pas ?
Pourquoi tu ne te réserves pas ?
Pourquoi tu rends le mal contre
le mal ?
Tu sèmes la terreur partout où tu passes.
Tu ne crains personne
Tu n’épargne personne
Tu ne négocies pas
Mais tu traites avec la force
Et tout le monde se lamente de toi
Car tu es l’ennemie de la paix.

~Author’s name withheld for privacy and security reasons

ABFEK also performed a play to highlight the plight of women’s lives without equal rights and understanding. Using humor and pathos to educate and inform, the play covered a range of issues facing these women, girls and men in their community on a daily basis.

Using hyperbole to show the disparity of home life and housework, the play asked the question, do men think women have a thousand hands? They must, if they don’t offer to help as she goes to collect firewood, fetch water, cook food, mop the dirty floor, take care of the kids, go to market for trade and when she comes back she gives the earnings to the “king” husband.

The play addressed the lack of basic, equal rights in marriages where men can decide at any time to reject their wives for no reason, can divorce their wives simply because they never give birth to baby boys. Men who say women have no right to inheritance. Who make decisions about everything in family life, able to sell the property of the family without asking the opinion of the wife. An opinion that doesn’t count in bed either, for men who decide when to have sex, regardless of how the women feel. Men who decide what types of food a woman is allowed to eat. Families who cannot afford to send all their children to school and discriminate against girls for being born a girl, and choose to educate a boy, even when he is not as good a student as their girl.

We’re so thankful for the women using poetry, plays and songs to change their lives, and the men who are awake and aware and are fighting alongside them for equal rights! Your support helps send girls to school alongside their brothers, teaches women a trade to support themselves and their families, and reminds us all that we stand together, and what affects one of us affects us all.

International Women's Day

2011-03-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

In a country that has been deemed one of the worst places to be a woman, girls, women and men walked together, proudly bearing banners and marching to the beat of drums to celebrate International Women's Day. "Over 2000 women joined forces in Mumosho. It was wonderful," wrote Amani, Action Kivu's/ABFEK's leader, who has been working with the communities in Kivu and Mumosho in preparation and anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the day. He shared his excitement that local authorities, leaders, and police came to witness the performance of plays and poems that denounced gender based violence. To engage the men in the fight, they catered their messages in sports speak and sang songs to invite them to jointly end violence on a larger scale.

We'll share more of the poems, plays and video as we receive them from Amani. We're thankful for your support of these strong women, giving voice to their lives, shaping and changing their future.

Running Marathons for Action Kivu

2011-01-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Kevin Sites and his finacée Anita Paul are running the Los Angeles Marathon in March, and they’re doing it all in the name of Action Kivu! Each of them is aiming to raise $5000 by March 20th, the day they hit the pavement. But they’re not only competing on the race course, they’re racing to $5000! Who will reach their goal first?

Visit their fundraising page and pick a side - who will you help over the finish line first?

If you’d like to run a road race in order to raise awareness and funds for Action Kivu please contact us. We’d love to partner with you and help you achieve your goal!

Christmas in Mumosho

2011-01-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Who knew that Santa was a relatively unknown Congolese man with a giant heart? After Amani heard from the kids ABFEK sends to school that they were too poor to celebrate Christmas or the New Year, he organized a day for the children in Mumosho.

This year was especially hard for families, as the lack of rain caused a food shortage, denying families the beans they usually survive on this time of year. As one of the parents on the committee helping to gather and organize the children relayed, "There has been lack of rain. Our beans are not ripe, how do you want us to celebrate Christmas and the New Year? This is the first time in our history, we used to celebrate Christmas by boiling beans and offer some in our churches as symbol of thanking God to have kept us strong up to the end of the year. Is it this time a punishment by God ...? We are all hungry.''

Your financial support helped ease that hunger and add the joy of Christmas for 298 children. Amani and his helpers passed out packages filled with biscuits, sweets and, as a special gift, toys for 12 of the children who volunteered to be a part of the day by sharing their stories of Christmas and the New Year. The kids call Amani "Papa Amani," so in addition to his own six kids, he is the father to 100s. "These kids are our own!" Amani claims with joy.

The start of a new year offers a time for great hopes and dreams -- the symbolic end of one year allows us to learn from our mistakes, to celebrate the good, to mourn the losses, and to move forward. From all of us at Action Kivu, we want to thank you for your financial, emotional and practical support this year.

Amani writes, "May 2011 bring Joy and Peace to each of us, wherever we may be, that we may each be a source of happiness and peace in our troubled but extraordinary world."

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

From Action Kivu to you and yours.

New website

2010-11-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - welcome to the new Action Kivu website. Take a look around and let us know if you find any kinks we need to work out! We’re really excited about it and hope you like it as much as we all do.

Update

2010-06-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone.
We've recently partnered with home&community, inc. who will be our fiscal sponsor while we're working towards getting our own non-profit status. We're grateful to be working with them and are pleased that we are now able to receive tax deductible donations. Only 3% of your donation goes to the administrative costs of fiscal sponsorship, while the rest goes directly to Action Kivu's work in Congo.
We hope that you'll be generous in your giving as every dollar helps the women and children of eastern Congo. A $40 donation funds the education of a child for an entire school year. A donation of $100 will provide housing, food and supplies for a student at the sewing workshop for a month. A $500 donation will pay the rent at the sewing workshop for 5 months.
The conflict in Congo has been devastating and we're grateful that with your donations we'll be able to help Amani with his important work. You can donate by clicking on the 'donate' button. If you'd like to send a check instead of donating online, please contact us for our mailing address.
We also hope you'll help us spread the word by forwarding this info along to anyone you think might be interested, and please also join us online:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/actionkivu
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/actionkivu