thoughts of concern

Some of today’s young adults and teenagers are spoiled, self absorbed, and only seem to care about what may affect them personally, and nothing further. I agree that some people have the sense that their problems are the most important, because they are their own. There is little we have to complain about. Let me tell you, there is a larger responsibility we need to own.

As an adult, I dedicate my education and career to showing the world what we can do to better ourselves as the human race. This need is expressed through many avenues- music, television, film, literature. Visual art is my forte. People are drawn to things that are unlike themselves, it adds mystery to an already curious mind. Art evokes emotion, and much of it is meant to be disturbing on some level. However, the following is not art. It is truth. The following photographs and video clips are depictions of the reality in the Congo. If you are not aware already of the tragic happenings in other parts of the world, WAKE UP!

The neglected crisis in the Congo is described by the International Rescue Committee HERE.
The war in the Congo officially ended 5 years ago, and yet STILL the death rate has not improved! The crisis is clearly not over. The below photo, from the New York Times, is a child, 1 year old, at a feeding center for children in Goma. "A new survey estimates that 45,000 people continue to die each month in Congo." EACH MONTH!!! "The Congolese government spends just $15 per person each year on health care, according to the World Health Organization, less than half of what is recommended to provide the most basic but lifesaving care, like immunizations, malaria-fighting mosquito nets and hydration salts." Your lunch cost you one person's health care for a year. Read the full article HERE.



Congolese children of conflict:

In another New York Times article from October 2007: "Eastern Congo is going through another one of its convulsions of violence, and this time it seems that women are being systematically attacked on a scale never before seen here. According to the United Nations, 27,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2006 in South Kivu Province alone, and that may be just a fraction of the total number across the country. 'The sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world,' said John Holmes, the United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs. 'The sheer numbers, the wholesale brutality, the culture of impunity — it’s appalling.'" Read full article HERE.

Thankfully, there are organizations out there who are working to deliver aid to families and children displaced by conflict and civil unrest. You can help by donating your time and voice to these issues. Come together and promote public dialogue. If you care, it is your responsibility.