War Peace & Terrorism: DRC: Still Recovering

By Courtney McCaw

Despite a peace deal and the formation of a transitional government in 2003, people in the east of the country remain in terror of marauding militia and the army. –BBC

The Democratic Republic of Congo remains a fragmented country where people are still healing, communities are rebuilding and the economy is still struggling. The land is rich in diamonds, timber, copper, gold and tin yet the Eastern Congo remains extremely poverty-stricken. These materials are known as “conflict minerals,” Conflict Minerals areminerals mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights abuses, notably in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, by the Congolese National Army, and various armed rebel groups” These conflict minerals fund wars in the nation. Not only is the land stripped of its resources, but so are the people.

A study in the American Journal of Public Health last year reported that 1,152 women–or 48 per hour–are raped daily in Congo, a rate higher than previous estimates by aid agencies. –CNN

The City of Joy is a program for these women, located in Bukavu, DRC. It is a 6-month program that changed pain into empowerment, providing women with therapy, skill training and education and equipping them with leadership skills to mend the wounds of communities. More specifically, The City of Joy provides “up to 180 women a year with an opportunity to benefit from: group therapy; storytelling; dance; theater; self-defense; comprehensive sexuality education (covering HIV/AIDS, family planning); ecology and horticulture; and economic empowerment. The City of Joy will provide women a place to heal emotionally as they rebuild their lives, turn their pain to power, and return back into their communities to lead.”

The City of Joy is a necessity because living standards remain the lowest in the world. The life expectancy of a person is around 47.8 years compared to 80.1 years of a person in the United Kingdom. The gross national income per capita is $320.00 compared to $36,590 in the UK, and the literacy rate is 67%.

The DRC is in dire need of improvement but it has been a slow and arduous change. The UN has stepped in, but more must be done. What more can we do? How can average people in the United States, for instance, make a difference for people half a world away? One book I read that inspired me was A Thousand Sisters by Lisa Shannon, where the author participates in marathons in order to raise awareness for the women of the DRC.