lilchelle:

A lot of us haven’t even been caught up on what’s going on in Congo. There is rarely ANY media surrounding it. One of the largest, bloodiest resource wars is going on— people killing off villages just to gain the minerals, worth millions, that the Congolese land holds. Over six million people have been killed. 70% of rape occurs in Congo. Rape is used as a scare tactic, to degrade and instill hopelessness and despair into women and villages. The boys of villages are abducted and forced to serve as soldiers, forced to kill. Rebel armies severely mistreat their young soldiers, mostly under 15 years old. These soldiers are beaten and starved and tortured with no chance of escape. Children who are too young and weak to hold weapons are armed with only a whistle and pushed to the front lines of battle, where their only purpose is to make enough noise to scare the enemy and receive the first round of bullets, creating a temporary barricade against the enemy. 

Falling Whistles is an organization that is campaigning and fighting for peace in Congo. They partner with Congolese visionaries to work with war-affected women and children and aim to end the largest, deadliest war in the world. They travel all over the country— our land of the free, of the brave, of the CAPABLE; we can DO something— to advocate and create awareness for what’s happening right now. Their symbol, the whistle, is a weapon of power. We can use our voices to push for this change. We wear our whistles as a way of protest. 

On December 10, as a part of Human Rights Day, Falling Whistles will be sending pictures of any participant with the words “I want peace in Congo” to the White House. Download this app to be a participant in this global force: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fw-faces/id468548063?mt=8. Also, FW aims to paste these pictures together, side by side, on walls across the country to raise awareness. Start one in your city! 

Spread the word. Really makes us think of how much we have to appreciate in this country. Despite problems on Wall Street, in politics, etc, we are NO WHERE as mistreated and unequaled as those in countries like Congo. Let’s use our resources and voices to achieve peace.

Just wanted to reblog this to show the importance of this movement. Let me reiterate some problems in Congo:

- Every year, an estimate of over 400,000 women are raped.

- At the height of the conflict, 30,000 children were fighting in all of the region’s two dozen armed groups.

- Boys and girls from ages 8-16 make up 60% of combatants in the region.

- Children are sent to the frontlines of the war, armed with only a whistle. 

Falling Whistles is launching their Face campaign. They are pairing with Congolese visionaries to work with women and children who are profoundly affected by the world’s deadliest war. They are aiming to form a single, united petition urging President Obama to appoint a U.S. special envoy to the Great Lakes Region. This Face Campaign requires very little of us— all we have to do is take a picture of ourselves through Falling Whistles’ app (which I will provide more info for at the end of this post), with the words “PEACE IN CONGO” pasted on the picture. Take pictures of as many people you know. On Saturday, December 10, 2011, Human Rights Day, Falling Whistles will personally fax all of these pictures, one by one, to the White House. We are one step closer to solving the impossible. This isn’t just about us in our comfortable, first-world lives… there’s a world out there that is suffering and affected by so much. We will never be able to comprehend the severity of the war in Congo, but we can urge for something to be done.

Want to help? Follow these steps:

1. Download the free iPhone app “FW Faces” to instantly take pictures and have them faxed directly to the White House.

2. Don’t have an iPhone? Go to www.fallingwhistles.com/face to take a picture, hit send, and have it faxed over to the White House. (This site may not be launched yet, but keep checking in!)

3. Spread the word at your school, in your city. Start a wall of these pictures somewhere. Post them everywhere. 

4. Let people know what you are fighting for.

5. On December 10th, 2011, 6pm, gather around common walls in your city. Post your faces side by side to show our solidarity and desire for peace in Congo.