It’s difficult to put into words what these last days have been like, and even more difficult to fully account for my feelings and emotions. What we saw, what we heard, and what we experienced, has made my heart ache. I still can’t quite believe all we heard. Did we really hear about young boys and girls who were kidnapped, forced to serve as child soldiers, forced to serve as sex slaves, forced to witness the murder of their parents and siblings? Did we really hear about men forcing alien objects and even discharging weapons into the reproductive organs of young girls so as to cause maximum suffering and pain, all the while destroying their ability to later conceive? Did men really slash open the pregnant bellies of young mothers in order to discard their children in front of them? These are the things of nightmares.
With our hearts heavy from these stories, I think we were all still so deeply inspired during those moments when we heard about the Congolese people’s hope for the future- and the hard work they are doing to get there. On our last full day, we met with three young men, one of whom talked about being a child of rape. He cried to us, lamenting that he didn’t want this legacy. He mourned that he would never have a father who would be proud of him, who would encourage him and hold him. He called himself Black Man because he wanted the world to know that he was proud to be both black and to be a man. He knew from where he came, but he was committed to reclaiming those two titles in a way that rejected the violent legacy left by his birth father. He was going to be a different kind of black man than the perpetrator modeled by his father. He would be a protector. At just over 21 years old, we were all struck by his dreams.
We heard countless expressions of hope and of vision for a peaceful Congo, for an end to the sexual violence that has earned Congo its dubious title as one of the “worst places on Earth to be a woman.” For me, juxtaposing the trauma we bore witness to with the recovery and hope shared with us by remarkable and heroic young people paints a very powerful image, one that illustrates the impact all of us in the JWW community, in partnership with the many humanitarian actors in Congo, are making. We are, together, having a lasting and real impact on people here.
Positive impact is happening in two different, but related ways.
One form of our impact is on the more immediate, acute crises facing survivors of atrocities in Congo. We support the urgent needs of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and other atrocities perpetrated against Congo’s most vulnerable through projects like those at Panzi Hospital, the Chambucha Rape & Crisis Center, BVES and LAV. The survivors who utilize these services come to our partners with broken bodies, minds and spirits. Through our programs they find some measure of physical and emotional recovery that helps them overcome the acute trauma with which they arrived. This is, essentially, our emergency response: working with our partners to provide immediate, urgent support to heal and rebuild bodies, minds and spirits. This model is essential.
At the same time, we also take a more long-term approach. Programs like our Educational Assistance Project and Generation Hope focus on changing the attitudes of young Congolese through education, training and leadership development. This approach is fostering a new generation of Congolese who will one day be able to change their society with a different understanding of such issues as justice, the importance of going to school, developing leadership skills, fostering greater gender equality, and rejection of sexual and gender-based violence.
These programs are preventive, forward-looking and truly inspiring. A few days ago we met with students in the village of Mumosho, where JWW supports 169 studens in the Educational Assistance Project. While there we met Bridgitte, who talked of becoming a lawyer to fight for the rights of women in Congo. We spoke with a young man who participates in Sons of Congo, a men’s group that discusses gender roles and the role of men as protectors, not perpetrators. He talked about wanting to become a general in the army so that he can end corruption and the culture of impunity in the military, which has often been one of the worst perpetrators of atrocities against civilians The young boy who nodded to me at the Youth Leadership Conference (see my last blog) spoke to us the day before about how he wants to change the political landscape that is currently infected with corrupt political officials and processes. He is just 13 years old.
Our group discussed the merits and challenges inherent in providing both of these two different forms of support: the urgent care vs. long term investment. I’m so unbelievably proud that our community supports both types of approaches. With a great deal of thought and due diligence, JWW supporters are investing in both the acute and long term recovery of the Congolese people. Incredibly, this relatively young organization has been able to make a tremendous impact in both areas.
So, when people ask me if I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the problems in Congo, I say absolutely not. After hearing all these stories in the last 10 days, I’m more hopeful than ever. I can look you in the eye and tell you that what your support does is nothing short of life-saving, life-changing and life-affirming. The medical care for women in remote regions of Congo, the urgent fistula surgeries to repair the broken insides of rape survivors, the housing and social group support for the most traumatized young men and women are giving these Congolese a chance not just to survive, but to join the fight to build a new Congo. The tuition support and economic empowerment projects, like our many vocational training workshops, as well as leadership and educational programs, are emboldening young men and women to speak up and take responsibility for changing their own country from the inside out, with a lot of moxie, I might add.
I am not overwhelmed today because I feel stronger than ever about JWW’s approach to working with local, community-based Congolese organizations that know the culture, the needs, and how to sustain their projects in their communities for the long term. Note that JWW doesn’t just send goods and materials, or develop our own programs and try to get the Congolese to adopt them. The recovery of Congo is coming from within.
To be sure, there are some major challenges ahead, some of which we learned more about during this trip. Since the M23 rebels laid down their arms in December 2013 (a VERY good thing), we now see an upswing in the statistics of rape taking place within the communities as opposed to by the militias. We also see an upswing of rapes of younger girls. There is consensus that while the demobilization of the militias is a good thing, there has not yet been sufficient efforts to help these men reintegrate into normal society. They learned to rape and kill with impunity while in the militias. How will Congo retrain them and help them reintegrate? Sustaining Congo’s recovery depends very much on attention to this issue. As we continue our critical work, we will surely learn more about how we can play a role in advocating for more resources to reintegrate these former militia members so that they do not simply perpetuate the behaviors they learned while in the armed groups.
I share this challenge not to discourage anyone, but as an example of how on each of these trips JWW makes to Congo, we learn of new issues, shifts and trends that must be addressed. We are a nimble and creative organization that works with reliable Congolese partners to respond to those shifts.
There is much to celebrate and to feel proud about in Congo; despite the challenges ahead, I really am optimistic. I invite you to play the long game with us as we continue to support the people of Congo. The unspeakable atrocities that have devastated millions there cannot be forgotten. But, the hundreds if not thousands of individuals who are building a new Congo deserve our greatest admiration and respect. JWW will continue to support them. Please continue to do what you can to join the fight.