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March 8th is
International Womens Day. One of
the many campaigns in support of women is Faithful Americas campaign for Hope
for the Women of the Congo. Faithful
America is an online community of tens of thousands of citizens of diverse faith
traditions motivated by faith to take action on the pressing moral issues of
the time, to restore community and uphold the common good in America and across
the globe. This mission includes working to end poverty and promote economic
security for all; promoting peace and restoring America's commitment to human
rights and diplomacy; preventing the catastrophic effects of climate change;
countering hate speech and misinformation in the media pertaining to people of
faith; and working for welcoming communities where immigrants and people of all
faiths are welcome.
The Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) is a very large country in East/Central Africa. In 1994, dicator Mobutu Sese Seko, who
had ruled neglectfully since the country gained independence in 1965, was overthrown by rebel groups both from within the DRC (then Zaire) and from
neighboring Rwanda. In the wake of
that overthrow, conflict between many factious groups has raged through the DRC
without any secure end, especially in eastern Congo. As is the case in many conflict zones, women are
particularly susceptible to the violence of rival groups warring over
possession of the land. As the
Faithful Americas urge for action writes: Congo has been the epicenter of the
deadliest war since World War II, and it remains a place where combatants on
all sides routinely use rape and sexual violence as a weapon to destroy women,
families, and communities.
And yet hope lives and grows.
Even in the face of such crushing realities as the pain
suffered by women and children (and men) in the war in the eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Sue Kalloch points to the hope that exists in the
commitment of people working in whatever way they can to make a difference, to
bring and be hope for those suffering greatly. Sue writes:
Jim & I were fortunate to
be camping with a group of young professionals who were taking a couple of days
of R&R along the Nile in Uganda. Two of them were British nurses who were
working across the border in the Congo and told their story at the campfire.
These young women were so alive, fun, giving, exhausted, and felt that there
work was vital and rewarding there. May we pray for HOPE in the Congo.
-Susan Kalloch
Teacher, which commandment in the law
is the greatest? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. Matthew 22:36-39
In our globalized world of the
21st century, a fact we feel all the more so in this time of
shifting economies, we are called to love our neighbors who are far away from
us in addition to those close by.
We are called as disciples in Christ to feed, be company to, to listen
to, hold, lift up, celebrate, support, to love those whom we have yet to meet in person but who we know
through our interconnected economies and breath; to help them just as we would help our family or a nearby neighbor in need; just as we love and
care for ourselves.
To read Faithful Americas advocacy alert to help the women of the DRC click
here
To read more about the war in the DRC and advocacy
opportunities for you, click here& here
To watch an April 2008 broadcast on Bill Moyers Now Journal
reviewing the situation of humanitarian aid in the DRC click here.
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