Dear Friends,

When the Enough Project asked me to join a panel discussion on the sexual violence against women and girls in eastern Congo, I was nervous. At the time, I had little knowledge of the scale of violence in eastern Congo, and of the widespread use of rape as a weapon of war. Despite my fears of getting up in front of an audience that included members of Congress, government officials, and other Washington insiders, I decided to join the discussion anyway. I knew that there were so many others like myself, who didn't know how imperiled the women of Congo are. The staff at Enough convinced me that I could be a catalyst for others to learn about the crisis and get involved. I figured that if I can help shine a light on this invisible crisis in some small way, then it was worth the nerves.

As I listened to the panel discuss the conflict and how rape is tearing apart women, their families and communities, I immediately felt the urge to become more involved in helping to protect Congolese women and girls. So I decided to get involved with the Enough Project's new campaign, RAISE Hope for Congo: Protect and Empower Congo's Women.

My first step as an advocate for the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign was simple. I signed the petition to the future president of the United States and encouraged my friends and family to sign it as well. In the next year, I am going to raise awareness about the issue by hosting a house screening of "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo," and call my Representatives and Senators to urge them to support I-VAWA, an important piece of legislation that will help stop violence against women and girls.

As you can see, it doesn't take expertise, or a lot of time and resources to become an advocate for Congolese women and girls. We all have a role to play, no matter our level of experience or anxiety about getting involved. It just takes compassion. If I can do it, I know that you can too. So I hope you'll join me in raising hope for Congo. If we all work together, I'm confident that we can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Robin Wright Penn