Hursts in Africa

This post is about the mass rape that is happening all over Congo, but particularly in the Eastern parts. In writing it I had to choose a "label"....I looked through my labels and chose "Congo Life"....yet what a sad commentary - that massive rape is part of "Congo Life", yet it is. Gender based violence is happening on a horrific scale here, earning the DRC the title "The Rape Capital of the World" (according to some UN personnel).

The most recent and publicized atrocities happened the end of July, when over 200 women, children, and enfants (the count so far) were raped over one weekend by rebel troops. Below is a recent link on these attacks:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11162177

Because of the human rights nightmare that is happening in Eastern Congo, there does seem to be a rather steady stream of celebrities that go through there, most recently Ashley Judd. Now I do not condemn nor advocate celebrity involvement; I applaud anyone who would try to use their influence in an effort to bring about positive change. On the other hand, just because someone is famous does not mean that they know what they're doing and that they're automatically doing things in a helpful manner. So I always read the articles with interest, curious as to what they have to say and what they advocate. The article on her visit was pretty standard as the many others who have gone before her, until the end.....where something really caught my eye. She was asked by the CNN reporter how people could help Eastern Congo. She recommends several aid organizations, emphasizing how the money is being spent to help the victims of sexual violence, and she says, "Learn the difference between pity and empathy, charity and self-efficacy. Abandon the former, which is patronizing; practice the latter, which builds capacity."

Wow, now that's a great quote!! It's easy to see such horror and suffering and to have a knee jerk response on what should be done, without realizing that there are ways of helping that are much more effective than others.....and that some are downright harmful in the long run. I took a course on disaster relief this summer and one of the professors talked about being at the scene of a massive disaster a couple of months after it had happened. Efforts for relief and rebuilding were still underway. One of the nationals from that country - an aid worker himself - was talking about what some of the groups went in and did - and how now it's creating so many problems.....he said "they came to do good, but they didn't do it very well." Something to think about........

To read the entire article on Ashley Judd's visit to Eastern Congo, follow the link below:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/09/02/judd.congo.conflict.minerals/index.html?hpt=Sbin#fbid=qYX6ZTZoG52&wom=false