OUTCRY FOR CONGO:

* The State Dept has told us repeatedly they need a public outcry in order to act. This is it!
* Since August, we have hammered the State Department and prompted 21 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to write a “Dear Colleague” letter to Secretary Clinton urging well-vetted, stronger U.S. policies and international leadership to help stabilize Congo.
* A few dedicated women will be spending a long, cold, sleepless week outside of the State Dept. in D.C., from 6 AM Dec. 6th thru 11:59 PM Dec. 10th, demanding a comprehensive Congo Plan. And we are calling on people across the country to join us in a virtual campaign supporting those efforts in the cold.
* For background on our well vetted policy asks, see

1000 sisters blog!

a) Dear Colleague Letter to Secretary Clinton; b) Eastern Congo Initiative White Paper; c) Nicholas Kristof’s 4-point plan for Congo d) anything on the Enough Project or Raise Hope for Congo websites.
* Our efforts will count ONLY IF YOU, YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS join us virtually on the internet! Please help us create an internet firestorm of support for Congo! The time is now!

The Plan:

1. Take at least 5 photos of yourself holding a differently messaged sign for each photo. Wrangle family members and friends to do the same. Have each person upload at least 5 photos to the Outcry for Congo Facebook Page while we are outside of the State Dept 12/6-12/10.

2. Not on Facebook? email photos to: outcryforcongo@gmail.com

3. For those willing to lead: Pledge to enroll 5/10/15/20 of your family, friends, colleagues!

4. Start posting photos (at least 5 differently messaged per person) from 6 a.m. on MONDAY, DEC. 6TH to 11:59 PM DEC. 10th.

Our goal is to generate a virtual campaign of 10,000 photos from around the country & world who have something to say to Secretary Clinton. To make it happen, we need 100 people who will commit to rallying 20 friends or family members to join the virtual campaign. Can we count on you, your friends, your family? If not, will you join us? Can you bring 5-10 of your people to the party?

Signs and Messaging:

All signs should be about who you represent or a positive action that Secretary Clinton can take. Signs can be informal, on notebook paper! They can be fun! Gather your friends, make at least 5 signs each, take photos of one another holding signs, then post them on the Facebook group Outcry for Congo Page (not the closed group- false start there!). (Join Facebook if you must, then click “LIKE” on the Outcry for Congo Page to upload a message and photo

Samples:

Location: (Arkansas/Oregon/your city or country-you don’t have to be from the USA) for Congo!

Profession: (Teacher/Lawyer/Nurse/Doctor/Waitress, Student, etc.) for Congo Women

Family Status: Another (family/couple/single mom/man) for Congo; (Dads/Moms/Grammas/kids/etc. for Congo;

Group: (Republican/Christian/Buddhist/Runner/Vegan/Oprah Viewer/Women for Women sister/etc. for Congo

Policy:

- How about a CONGO PLAN? How about NOW??

- REGRET RWANDAN GENOCIDE? Deal w/FDLR!

- CONGO SECURITY SECTOR REFORM NOW!

- RADICALLY REFOCUS U.S. CONGO POLICY NOW!

- GREAT LAKES SPECIAL ENVOY NOW!

- (Feingold) (Gambino) for Special Envoy

-JUSTICE FOR CONGO WAR CRIMINALS

-TREAT CONGO AS THE EMERGENCY IT IS! 5.4 million (2.5 million children) dead.

Policy Resources:

1. Our Dear Colleague Letter (below)

2. Eastern Congo Initiative’s “White Paper”: http://www.easterncongo.org/whitepaper

3. The Enough Project website: http://www.enoughproject.org/

4. Nicholas’ Kristof’s Four Point Plan for Congo: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/opinion/11kristof.html?_r=1

From Nicholas Kristof’s February 2010 New York Times Column, “The Grotesque Vocabulary in Congo”:

“So don’t think of wartime atrocities as some ineluctable Lord of the Flies reversion to life in a natural state but as a calculated military strategy. We can change those calculations by holding commanders accountable.

“A four-step approach would be:

• Pressure on Rwanda to stop funding its pet Tutsi militia in Congo. Rwanda also should publish a list of those facing criminal charges for its 1994 genocide so that more Hutu militiamen not on the list might go back. A Rwandan war shouldn’t be fought in Congo.

• An international regime to monitor mineral exports from Congo so that warlords do not monetize their militias by exporting minerals through Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Legislation to do this, backed by an advocacy group called the Enough Project, is pending in Congress.

• A major push to demobilize Rwandan Hutu fighters and return as many as possible to civilian life in Rwanda or settlements in Congo or Burundi. That should be coupled with a crackdown on leaders in Congo and those who direct action from Europe and the United States.

• A drive to professionalize the Congolese Army and end the impunity for murder, torture and rape, starting with the arrest of Jean Bosco Ntaganda on his warrant for war crimes.

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to eastern Congo last year was a landmark, but it needs more follow-up from the Obama administration. What is required isn’t some new formula but much greater political will. Otherwise, the fighting will go on for years to come — and this lovely, lush land will spawn even more horrific vocabulary.”

Representative Wu’s Nov. 17, 2010 Letter to Secretary Clinton, signed by 21 Members of Congress:

Dear Secretary Clinton,

We write to you to express our concerns over the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to request renewed action from the State Department to prevent further violence against women and children.

Join the Cause!!! Click here!!!!!

We were shocked and dismayed to learn of the mass rapes and violence that took place in eastern Congo and in particular around the village of Luvungi during August 2010. Furthermore, we are disappointed by the recent report from the United Nations on September 9, 2010, that details how the U.N. mission in Congo learned of the attack on Luvungi days after it took place and was unable to provide protection for the civilians in the region.

We appreciate the work you have done to support the country’s transition to democracy and to strengthen its healthcare and education systems. In addition to the humanitarian assistance that the United States currently provides, we support the Fiscal Year 2011 Economic Support Funds to support the government of Congo’s stabilization and recovery program, as well as the International Military Education and Training program to train Congolese officers. However, the nature of the increasing violence in Congo, and in particular the violence against women and children, demands a renewed response from the United States and the international community. Toward this end, we respectfully request action on the following items.

First, the U.S. should coordinate with donor governments and the Congolese government to spearhead a comprehensive security sector reform (SSR) plan for the Congolese army, as part of a package to include training of multiple battalions; payment reform; barracks construction; and streamlining of large, unwieldy battalions. The time is ripe for such reform due to donors’ improved SSR coordination mechanism and the Congolese government’s welcoming of an increased U.S. role in SSR.

Second, the U.S. should help devise a targeted strategy to disarm the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FLDR). The FDLR is responsible for much of the most horrific violence in Congo, while providing an excuse for the existence and criminal behavior for nearly every other armed group in Eastern Congo. A focused effort is needed to target senior FDLR leadership, reintegrate mid-level FDLR officers, and arrest and sanction FDLR leaders and funding sources abroad.

Third, the U.S. should help create a multi-stakeholder certification process for conflict minerals, in partnership with the governments of Congo and Rwanda. Following the passage of legislation on conflict minerals as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill, a certification process with independent monitoring is the necessary next step to stop the flow of conflict minerals that continue to provide funds to the FDLR and other militias.

Last, we believe that the administration should appoint a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes to work directly with heads of state in the region on a regular basis to address the key security issues of the region.

We understand that it will take a sustained effort from the international community on multiple fronts to resolve this conflict and are committed to ensuring that the United States lives up to its role as the world’s leader on human rights. As members of Congress, we look forward to working with you to implement these measures and bring hope to the innocent women and children of eastern Congo.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. We look forward to your response and renewed focus on this issue.

Join the Cause!!! Click here!!!!!

It is sooo refreshing to find a celebrity doing something worthwhile and using their fame to help out others! We have these amazing and adorable shots of Hills Hottie Kristin Cavallari who has traveled to El Salvador to help rebuild schools and to help improve the community for One Kid One World. Kristin was not afraid to get down in the trenches and do some hard work to help out the kiddos. She helped build a new classroom as well as paint and improve the bathrooms for a school. She was able to raise over 20 thousand dollars for that cause! We salute you Kristin and hope others will follow in your foot steps!

If you’d like more information on One Kid One World go towww.onekidoneworld.org

Photo by BuzzFoto.com

Use your texting skills for a good cause! As you know, Haiti was devastated by a terrible earthquake. Thousands are dead. You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting the message “Haiti’ to the number “90999″. The $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and desperately needs humanitarian aid.

Can’t spare $10? Wycleff Jean has set up the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. If you are able, please make a contribution now. You can text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill) or you can visit www.yele.org and click ‘donate.’ Remember, even the poorest American cannot fathom poverty and tragedy like this. Spread some of your good luck around! They need our help now!

Use your texting skills for a good cause! As you know, Haiti was devastated by a terrible earthquake. Thousands are dead. You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting the message “Haiti’ to the number “90999″. The $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and desperately needs humanitarian aid.

Can’t spare $10? Wycleff Jean has set up the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. If you are able, please make a contribution now. You can text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill) or you can visit www.yele.org and click ‘donate.’ Remember, even the poorest American cannot fathom poverty and tragedy like this. Spread some of your good luck around! They need our help now!