Speakers' Tour: RAISE Hope for Congo...On the Road
Help us raise awareness about the Congo by signing up to host our speakers’ tour of college campuses and high schools across the country.
Upcoming and Past Speaking Events
The RAISE Hope for Congo campaign received an overwhelming number of applications for both the fall 2008 and spring 2009 terms. At this time, we are unable to accept anymore applications for these terms, but we will be accepting applications for the fall 2009 soon!
What is it?
In October 2008, the Enough Project partnered with STAND – the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network - to launch a nationwide speakers’ tour of college campuses and high schools to educate students about the conflict in eastern Congo, the resulting epidemic of sexual violence against women and girls, and how they can be a part of the solution that will bring lasting peace to this central African nation.
Potential speakers will include the Enough Project Co-Chairs John Prendergast and Gayle Smith, as well as prominent experts, journalists, and Congolese activists. Past speakers have included Jimmie Briggs, Lisa Shannon, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Dr. Roger Luhiriri. The event will also include video clips of interviews from the field and messages from celebrities and other spokespeople.
At most stops, the tour will be accompanied by “CONGO/Women,” a traveling photography exhibit highlighting the beauty and strength of the girls and women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are currently battling an unprecedented wave of gender based violence and a lack of essential medical care. The installation will weave life size color images printed on fabric and paper panels by photographers Linsey Addario, Marcus Bleasdale, Ron Haviv, and James Nachtwey.
How much will it cost?
The Enough Project will provide the speakers and cover their costs. All you have to do is reserve the event space and promote the event on your campus and in your community.
If you would like to host the CONGO/Women exhibit with the speakers’ tour, there will be a minimal cost to cover the production and shipping costs of the exhibit.
What support will I get from ENOUGH and STAND?
The Enough Project will line up the speakers and their travel needs. You will also be provided with an event-planning checklist and promotional guide to help walk you through the process. Enough and STAND will work with you to advertise the event to the press, as well as line up a local high-profile speaker to introduce the event.
Why DR Congo?
Between 1996 and 2002, the Democratic Republic of the Congo played host to the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II. More than 5.4 million people have died from the ravaging effects of war and its aftermath. Today, DR Congo is caught in an epidemic of appalling sexual violence and is on the brink of its third major war, yet the international response has been solely inadequate.
Following a landmark peace agreement and a tumultuous political transition backed by the world’s largest United Nations peacekeeping operation, DR Congo held largely successful elections in 2006. However, elections were not a panacea to Congo’s ills; 45,000 people die each month, mostly from hostilities and the crippling effects of widespread displacement in the country’s eastern provinces. Some 500,000 people were displaced in 2007, and women and girls are routinely subjected to appalling acts of sexual torture.
Darfur activists are learning that their concern for the crisis in Sudan stretches beyond the country’s borders. Crimes against humanity taking place in Uganda, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Congo, help maintain instability and bring about further human rights abuses to Sudan and these surrounding countries. Crimes against humanity must be addressed and prevented wherever they occur.
The Campaign
The RAISE Hope for Congo campaign aims to develop a permanent and diverse constituency that will work to protect and empower Congolese women and girls. The Enough Project will collaborate with national and grassroots organizations, across various constituencies and the political spectrum, to build this grassroots movement. Enough will also continue to provide policy analysis and recommendations, focusing on the 4Ps – Peace, Protection, and Punishment – plus Prevention.
This multifaceted and multiyear campaign will provide a menu of opportune options, from which activists can select ways to get involved, including:
RAISE Awareness: The campaign will provide activists with informative tools to educate themselves and their communities about the conflict in eastern Congo and the epidemic of sexual violence against women and girls.
RAISE Your Voice: The campaign will provide a menu of actions that activists can take to raise their voices and call for an end to the conflict and sexual violence in eastern Congo. This menu will include a petition to the President of the United States, as well as tools for supporting legislative efforts, such as the International Violence Against Women Act.
RAISE the Profile: The campaign will work with activists to raise the profile of the Congo conflict in the media and on the national stage. In addition to encouraging activists to write sample op-eds and letters to the editor, the campaign will ask supporters to urge the major broadcast news networks to increase their coverage of the Congo through the “Be a Witness” campaign.
If you are interested in hosting the RAISE Hope for Congo Speakers’ Tour, please fill out the application and return it to congocampaign@enoughproject.org.
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