Robin Wright: Meeting Amani and the Women of Mumosho

"The women from the Action Kivu sewing center also came out to meet us and asked that we carry their message of triumph and hope back to the U.S."

Read more from Robin Wright and JD Stier about meeting Amani and the women of Mumosho's Sewing Workshop here!

Robin Wright, photo courtesy of Enough Project

And if  you've yet to meet Amani via Enough Project's video series, I am Congo - watch now, and spread the message of hope!

Asante Sana, Merci, Grazie, Danke, Dank U, Tack, and Thank You!

How can we say thank you to everyone who donated during Alissa's 3rd Annual Action Kivu Fundraiser, contributing $17,570.00 to fund the sewing workshops, education assistance and other programs that empower and engage the women and children of eastern Congo?  We'll start by saying it in as many languages as are spoken by our generous donors!   Merci, Grazie, Danke, Dank U, Tack, and Thank You!

Through Handmade by Alissa, we heard and felt the support and love from 43 states of the U.S., Washington DC and Puerto Rico, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Quebec), New Zealand, Australia, UK, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, France and The Netherlands.

From the women and children learning to sew, to embroider, to speak and write Swahili and French, studying math and science and poetry and farming and human rights - a huge ASANTE SANA.

"To leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."     

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nzigira and Tantine, graduates of the Mumosho Sewing Workshop.

Email of Hope: Amani Dreams Peace for Congo

Don’t give up hope for Congo. Amani hasn’t.  In an e-mail last week, he wrote, “You are giving me HOPE! Thanks for your compassion and love to the people of MY country and myself. No matter what's happening here right now, if I were to be born again and if that was to happen during this period of time, and should someone ask me to chose a citizenship, Congo would be my choice!”

Who is this man, whose name means “peace,” whom, after losing both parents to the conflict in Congo, started his own non-profit (ABFEK, supported by Action Kivu) to educate and empower the women and children of his country? This e-mail of hope came the day after Amani returned home from visiting the IDP camps in North Kivu, where he witnessed families on the run from the recent and on-going upswing in violence due to the M23 mutiny. Gathering reports for The Enough Project and Falling Whistles, Amani was heartbroken to see so many people without homes, access to water or shelter.  According to a report by Aljazeera, an estimated 280,000 Congolese have been displaced as they flee the violence in villages surrounding North Kivu, violence that threatens stability and safety across the region. 

When we visited eastern Congo in January of 2012, Cate and I (Rebecca) sat down to interview Amani at the Swedish Mission, our Bukavu home away from home. Sitting in the shade of a tree, surrounded by flowers, with birds chirping in the garden, Amani hung up his ever-ringing cell phone. Speaking to a friend who had lost family members in a recent attack on Shabunda, a territory in South Kivu, Amani tells us that reports are mixed, but anywhere from 39 to 79 civilians were killed by militia members there. Amani has direct information from his friend about soldiers using knives to cut open the stomach of a pregnant woman. Despite having heard horrific stories like these many times over, Amani is stunned, and speechless, for a moment.

“People who haven’t experienced life here, don’t know what life here looks like,” he says. “So, in a situation like this, I think, ‘Okay, let’s go where I can. Since I can’t go to Shabunda, I have no helicopter to go there, I have no car, let me do what I can, where I am.’  And if everyone can decide [that] and do what they can, where they are?  (He pauses.) You have also your part,” he tells us. Talk to people, about what has happened here.”

“Congo is a tunnel of darkness, and we need people to light, light, light,” Amani’s fingers illustrate sun-bursts, “until it filled with light. Everyone needs to do something, to raise this country up. It is down. Everyone needs to start where he is,” he says. He tells us of his goals for his work with ABFEK/Action Kivu. “At the community level, we want to engage more people by raising their awareness, and making sure each and every one stands up and says, ‘Hey guys! I’m doing my part! No more domestic violence in my household.’ To that person, we would say, ‘Hey, congratulations!’ The local leaders, soldiers, military commanders, police, everyone, they have no money, but we want them to contribute. Fight HIV where they are. Fight discrimination where they are. Fight domestic violence where they are. And talk about peace, everywhere they are.”  

Amani continues to go where he can, to encourage his community to contribute, to fight HIV, discrimination and domestic violence, to talk about peace, everywhere. His projects of educating children, teaching women marketable skills and literacy programs, animal husbandry, shared farming, microloans and more, have direct, visible effects.  We witnessed it in Mumosho, when we heard the women sharing their stories, asking for forums to explore their rights further. 

Amani, too, has noticed a marked change. “These women today are very eager to learn to make an income. Which is the total opposite of what was happening two to three years ago, and what is still happening with many women who are not part of our program, in Mumosho. There is a big change between women who are not part of the project, and women who are part of the project. Today some of the women are making income through the microloan project, through the sewing program, with the sewing kits, they are making an income. Women have been empowered. They are proud, they are proud of themselves.”

Amani leads a Trauma Training session for women in Mumosho. Photo by Cate Haight.

“At the beginning, I was still very young,” Amani told us. “I was scared about what was happening here. I was losing hope. But when I started getting in touch with different people from the U.S. and Europe, talking to people, I felt that there are people who are for peace here,” Amani gestures to his surroundings. “And seeing that there are people who are for peace here, it gives me hope. It aroused a kind of hope inside, that people like you, people like the Enough Project, people like Jewish World Watch, Falling Whistles, all those people, I feel I have some people I can lean on, and fight for peace, and today, I am 100% sure of that. Peace, sustainable peace, will come, one day.  And since I haven’t lost hope, I will keep on struggling, fighting. I know other people at the civil society level, there are people who are dreaming peace to be restored, and with support from outside, with support from people at the grassroots level, of course, involving and making much noise to our local leaders, the government, we are hoping that the day is coming.  And it has to come.”

Amani teaches kids in Mumosho how to play frisbee.

Amani and the ladies of the Mumosho Sewing Center, graduating class of June, 2012.

"Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth's treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal... To hope is to give yourself to the future - and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable." ~ Rebecca Solnit

Bienvenie's Dream: Fashion, Fabric, and a Future

Growing up with a love of fashion and fabrics, Bienvenie always dreamed of learning to sew. Her dream didn't seem possible, though. Raised in Mumosho by a single mother who had to support all her children after their father died in a mining accident when Bienvenie was only two years old, she admits, "It is a hard life."  We sit outside the simple biulding that houses the Mumosho Sewing Workshop, on small stools, surrounded by lush green trees, red earth, and a family's round, thatched home to our side. Bienvenie looks directly at the camera, her perfect posture never changing, portraying her pride.She is proud of her mother, who cares for her and her siblings with the food she harvests from their farm. She is proud of her new sewing skills, and her dreams to have her own business. Denied a basic education, she dreamed of learning to sew, but her mother could not afford to send her to the sewing school."I’ve been dreaming for a long time, how I could learn to sew," Bienvenie tells us in Mashi, her first language. "Because I didn’t get a chance to go to school, I asked my mother to send me, to pay tuition for me to learn to sew. But my mom is too poor, she could not afford it.  But the people who started this program, I don’t know what I could give them. People who are supporting this program, I don’t know what to tell them, because for me, it has been a dream to have a place where I can learn sewing, and here I am. I am very happy."What will she do with her new sewing skills?  "I like mixing different fashions, blouses, skirts, different fabrics," she says. "People will look for me, I will make their clothes, and I will make money."Bienvenie's dream came true. Because of the people in the United States and around the world who support Action Kivu's work in Mumosho, Bienvenie graduated with a sewing machine in the summer of 2012, and is now one of the women who will make the school uniforms for the children Action Kivu sends to school with education assistance."To the people who support the program and purchase the sewing machines: I am weeping inside my heart, I am grateful." — Bienvenie

Photo by Cate Haight, Mumosho, January 2012

Learn more about the sewing kits and other graduates of the Mumosho Sewing Workshop here.Read more about the 2012 Sewing Graduation here.Take a look at the fantastic giveaways on Alissa's Action Kivu fundraiser, and donate today!

Connected to Congo

The more I travel, the more people I meet, the more stories I hear, the more this quote from Madeleine L'engle rings true.

A day at the shared farm Action Kivu supports in Mumosho - photo by Rebecca Snavely

"What connects us human beings is far more central that that which separates us."
~ Madeleine L'engle

Where do you feel most connected with others? On a bus? At your office?  On a bar-stool or cafe chair, chatting with a stranger?

What Does Hope Look Like?

One of the students sent to school via Action Kivu's education assistance program. A French lesson at Orebu Elementary - photo by Rebecca Snavely, Actionkivu.org

Action Kivu Fundraiser with Giveaways!

How can you tell it's August? It's the record-breaking heat, the sound of a fan oscillating, and the third annual Action Kivu fundraiser on Handmade by Alissa!

Alissa has once again compiled a great giveaway to benefit the women and children of eastern Congo. If you're crafty or a costumer, you might want to donate $25 to enter the giveaway of a $50 gift certificate to Sew Modern‘s great online or brick & mortar shop! Plus win a charm pack of super cute Sew Stitchy.

For those of us who can't stitch in a straight line, check out the gorgeous, finished quilts donated.

Donate $35 and be in the running to win this vibrant, fun baby quilt by Heather Jones. This quilt measures 35″ x 35.″

Donate $100 and you are in the running to win a finished quilt by Elizabeth Hartman from her book, the Practical Guide to Patchwork. This gorgeous quilt is a large lap quilt at 68″ x 68.″

The sewing workshop has already started new classes in Mumosho and Bukavu, focusing on the exquisite skill of embroidery, which is in high demand in Congo.  Click here to read about the recent sewing workshop graduation made possible by our generous donors. As we gear up for fall, the graduates of the sewing workshop will sew new uniforms for the vulnerable and orphaned children Action Kivu sends to school.  We're excited to share more photos and stories, but we rely on your support to make this a reality.  Help us reach our goal!

Visit Handmade by Alissa to see more of the giveaways, and know that your donations are tax deductible, and 100% goes directly to the work on the ground.

Sewing Workshop Graduation: Independence Day Comes Early in Congo

The people of Congo will celebrate their Independence Day this Saturday, but for the women of the Bukavu and Mumosho Sewing Workshops, independence day came a few days early.

Accepting their hard-earned sewing kits that include a pedal-powered machine, 60 women in eastern Congo celebrated their graduation on the 22nd of June, and celebrated the possibility of financial and societal independence that comes from earning one's own living. With the gifts of the sewing kits, made possible by your donations through Action Kivu, the women will start their own small businesses, to earn the ability to provide food for their families and education for their children. They are individual stories of inspiration in a community looking for hope amidst continued violence and uncertainty.

Independence also comes in the form of further education for women of the community. In response to the needs and requests of the women in surrounding villages, Amani has rented a larger space for the Sewing Workshop in Mumosho, which will include a place for graduates to work as a collective, as well as a new literacy program to teach women in the community to read and write.

Proud Mama and her daughter who earned a sewing certificate.

"I am very proud of my daughter," said one of the mothers present at the ceremony. "This sewing certificate is a symbol of victory and respect. And I will be the first to register in the literacy program because I was not happy with the last November 2011 presidential elections, when I asked people to help me vote but they did it according to their own will. I want to make sure next time I am able to read the name of the candidate of my own choice."

It is because of your support that these women are finding their voices, their talents, and ways to live independently, to break free from the cultural restrictions that have bound them in poverty. The women of Mumosho and Bukavu send their deep gratitude and respect for your generosity, and share their excitement for the future empowerment of women and girls in Eastern Congo. Remember them as they celebrate Independence Day, and what that means for them as they work toward peace in Congo. 

Sewing graduates walk the main Mumosho road toward graduation.

Amani, friends, and a Falling Whistles guest greet the graduates.

Who can forget Ernata's smile? Thank you to those who made it possible for her to receive her sewing kit!  Read Ernata's story here.

Read the story of new graduate Evelyn here!  If you'd like to know how to partner with Amani's work via Action Kivu, click here.  All of your donation, minus nominal banking fees, goes directly to the work on the ground, empowering and educating the women and children of eastern Congo.

Evelyn's Dreams: An Education & Sewing Machine for Small Business

Evelyn, 24 | May 2012 Graduate, Mumosho Sewing Workshop

 
Evelyn’s mother thought she had no other way to support her daughter’s education than to sell her land, land rights that for a woman in Congo are precious and rare. After her husband was killed in the 1996 war, Evelyn’s mother was granted the land by her late husband’s family, because she had sons to inherit the property when they came of age.

But it is her daughter who is strong, determined and finding a way to educate herself without giving up their land, farmland her mother and family harvest to support themselves and send her brothers to school.

To the soundtrack of children shrieking in play, chickens clucking nearby, and the occasional rumble of thunder from an approaching storm, Evelyn shares her dreams.  At 24, she hopes to marry someday, but as much as marriage is viewed as security here, it is not her priority. Instead, she is diligently learning to sew at the Mumosho Sewing Workshop to make sure she is able to take care of herself, to continue taking care of the household. Her mother is her inspiration, an educated, strong woman who refuses to marry again and risk a man who will take the few things she has, but instead is doing everything it takes to educate and provide for her children.

Evelyn is grateful for the opportunity to study for free at the Sewing Workshop, and to the supporters of Action Kivu who make that possible. She is one of the graduating class this summer, and says, "If I am lucky to get a sewing machine, I will start a small business at home. Apart from that, I am still eager, I still wish to go back to school and get a secondary school diploma.  So I have two dreams, those are my two big dreams."

Please consider donating toward Evelyn’s dreams! Each sewing kit costs $175 and includes a sewing machine, fabric, thread, scissors and more. No donation is too small, and almost 100% goes directly to the women and children's programs. It is because of you that Evelyn will fulfill her vision of an education and encourage other women in her community by her example.  In the midst of fighting and uncertainty, these women are making a difference in their lives, and by doing so, in their community, and finally, in Congo.

(Read more about the success of last year's Sewing Workshop graduates here.)

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

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.