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Brenda Thonsgaard - My Blog
Brenda Thonsgaard - My Blog


Remember the Forgotten Victims of the Democratic Republic of Congo: Women and Children of Mitwaba
Related to country: Congo, DR

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Remember the Forgotten Victims
of the Democratic Republic of Congo:
Women and Children of Mitwaba

The Problem / Need / Situation:

War and continuous conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have left many victims. These people are predominately widows and children who have little to no resources. Kisumu Project, Inc. (a nonprofit organization - 501c3) is in the process of helping COSCCET (a collective of NGOs in DRC) bring victims from Mitwaba, DRC, to Lubumbashi, DRC, to testify in the trial of Gedeon Kyunga Mutanga. Mutanga is the Mai-Mai chief who mercilessly killed villagers, tortured the living, and ate the victims. Surviving villagers were forced to watch these horrific events.

Mitwaba is 600 km from Lubumbashi. Due to the poverty and lack of resources, victims in Mitwaba will be unable to testify at Mutanga's trial if aid is not provided. Our cause is to raise money to pay for the travel, care, and up keep of the testifying victims who will insure Mutanga's conviction in the horrific crimes he inflicted upon thousands of innocent people.

The Pitch:

HELP US SAVE HUMAN LIVES by supporting the widows and orphans in Katanga North in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Katanga North province has more disaster victims from successive wars from 1999 until July 2006.

COSCCET and Kisumu Project, Inc. are committed to assisting the victims of these wars. Victims are predominately women and children who have not only been raped and molested but have also been humiliated by being left out of much humanitarian aid due to the continuous conflicts and uprisings. These survivors live with the horrors they have experienced. The DR Congo court system has charged the Mai-Mai rebel leader Gedeon Kyunga Mutanga with the murders of thousands of fellow Congolese. In order for Mutanga to be convicted, survivors must testify against him. The majority of these victims are poverty stricken women who have nothing left. Our goal is to help bring the victims of Mitwaba to the city of Lubumbashi so that adequate testimony is given to solidify the conviction of Gedeon Kyunga Mutanga. Without adequate testimony, Mutanga could be set free to continue his criminal activity.

Your support in this endeavor will solidify the conviction of a murderer. Additionally, you will help us reach out to those people who have had little assistance after such traumatizing events. Survivors have been left with nothing in their villages. Rebel troups plundered and pillaged homes, stealing or destroying all of villagers possessions. Many villagers were not even left with the clothes on their backs!

PLEASE REMEMBER THE FORGOTTEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN of Mitwaba Democratic Republic of Congo. COSCCET and Kisumu Project, Inc. propose to create an outreach to these forgotten souls so that they may have their dignity and human rights restored to them. This outreach will begin with bringing many of them to testify in the trial of a Gedeon Kyunga Mutanga. We will provide the victims with transportation, food, shelter, and clothing. When these individuals are returned to their village, out-reach services will be implemented to assist in the redevelopment of this ravaged area to help the survivors become self-sufficient.

Everyone who assists in this endeavor is a volunteer. It is our sincere hope that you will volunteer your vote to assisting the forgotten souls of Mitwaba.

You can help remember these victims by voting in a "Razoo Speed Granting" contest on Facebook. Our project proposal is titled, "Remember the Victims..." We appreciate any and all assistance you can provide.

** PHOTOGRAPH: This is a photograph of some of the women of Mitwaba who had been assaulted and abused by the Mai Mai rebels and Gedeon Kyunga Mutanga.

January 2, 2008 | 10:08 PM Comments  0 comments



A Dream for East Africa
Related to country: Kenya

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

A Dream for East Africa

Kenya, in East Africa, has been one of the most stable African countries since its independence from England. Although its government has been fraught with corruption, Kenya has shown slow but steady economic progress. The largest city in Kenya is Nairobi, the capital, followed by Mombassa, a port city on the Indian Ocean. The third largest city in Kenya is Kisumu which is located on the far western end of the country on Lake Victoria. Kisumu is 212 miles from Nairobi.

Kisumu Project, Inc. was conceived in November 2004 as the brain child of Kenneth Osore. Kenneth was born and raised near Kisumu. When returning home to the Kisumu area in 2004, Kenneth was horrified by the economic situation that had developed as a result of slow economic growth and an increase in the HIV/AIDS virus. Although Kenneth knew the area and people well, he was shocked by the ravage of disease and poverty.

Kenneth's fervor and desire to make the world a better place led him to form Kisumu Project, Inc., a nonprofit organization (501c3). Kisumu Project, Inc. achieved status as an official nonprofit organization in December 2004. His goal was create a support network for schools and medical facilities in the Western Province. This support would be derived from shipments of medical and school supplies to area facilities that had been neglected by governmental programming and assistance.

Beginning in January 2005, Kisumu Project, Inc, with the help of numerous friends and family members started shipping needed medical supplies, equipment, food, and other needed supplies to Kenya. Since 2005, a shipment is quarterly sent to Kenya thanks to donations provided by the generous people who share Kisumu Project, Inc.'s desire to help the needy.

Kisumu Project, Inc. - Kenya, is a nonprofit organization that works with organizations in the United States and Kenya to bring improved education, health care, spiritual guidance, and related services to Western Kenya.

American & Kenyan schools, organizations, churches, and individuals work to:

1) Refurbish Schools through upgrades like restrooms and water wells, provide for repairs, and shipments of books and supplies,

2) Assist needy clinics, dispensaries, and hospitals through shipments of medical equipment and supplies,

3) Provide Christian Communications through Radio Tower Installations with community distributed fix-tuned radios and Solar Powered I-Pods with the New Testament installed,

4) Construct water wells for communities and schools without a clean water source,

5) Provide care for orphans and children of poverty through the building of free vocational boarding schools for children. It is the intention of this school/project to provide students not only with an academic education, but a foundation in micro-enterprises so that each graduate has the opportunity to make a strong impact upon the development of Kenya as an economic stronghold.

Kisumu Project – Kenya volunteers raise funds to not only rebuild schools and communities in East Africa, but to raise cultural awareness about the global crises occurring throughout Africa. Volunteers visit schools and organizations to present on topics such as water and sanitation development, plight of the orphans of Africa, cultures of Kenya, Kenya through the Eyes of a Child, to name a few.

Kisumu Project, Inc. also works with other nonprofits to provide support and input in other projects in the Western Province. As of 2007, Kisumu Project, Inc. has begun assisting individuals in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in addition to Kenya and Southern Sudan.

You can learn more about Kisumu Project, Inc. and its projects by visiting: http://www.kisumuprojectinc.org or http://kisumuprojectinc.blogspot.com

Everyone who works for Kisumu Project, Inc. is a volunteer. You can contact our volunteers at kisumuprojectinc@gmail.com.

** Photograph: Esibila Primary School in Western Kenya is one of the schools in Kisumu Project, Inc.'s "Adopt a School" program.

January 2, 2008 | 8:00 AM Comments  0 comments





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