RAISE HOPE FOR CONGO CAMPAIGN

Enough Project RAISEs Hope for Congo

ince 1996, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has 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, eastern Congo is caught in an epidemic of appalling sexual violence, as militias use rape as a military tactic to destroy communities and exert control over natural resources. The conflict has been marked by cycles of violence, and the international response has been wholly inadequate.

The Enough Project plans to change that with the launch of their RAISE Hope for Congo campaign. The campaign's ultimate goal is to build an organization of activists that will raise awareness and advocate for the protection and empowerment of Congolese women and girls. The campaign's first objective is to collect signatures asking President-elect Obama to announce his administration's intention to end the violence against women and girls in eastern Congo. After this initial announcement on International Women's Day (March 8, 2009), the campaign asks that the Obama administration report back on his progress toward this goal one year later. RAISE Hope for Congo has also launched a speakers' tour of college campuses across the country, as well as a "Congo Teach In" program in partnership with V-Day and STAND.

www.raisehopeforcongo.org