Spreading the news!

So far this month has been a time of preparation - preparing for our stay in Congo, Svenja applied for her visa (which she received the past week!), collecting ideas and writing them down, researching, contacting and calling people around the world who are willing to contribute with their skills, prayers and finances towards the project.

Already throughout the past couple of weeks we could see God opening doors and sending people our way in many unexpected, miraculous and great ways. We are thankful to God and all of you, who have blessed us so immensely!

We have also had the opportunity to speak at different places about the project.

On the 10th of February, Melanie invited us to speak at her church "Treffpunkt C" in Rudersberg, a village in the outskirts of Stuttgart, a city in the South of Germany. Melanie is a good friend of ours, who will be visiting us in the Congo for almost a month. As we were speaking, the church truly was filled with the Holy Spirit who was moving in people's hearts and stirring up a passion for the people of Congo. We were immensely blessed with words of encouragement, words of wisdom - words from above - during a time of prayer and intercession. Thank you for joining us!

The weekend of the 14th until the 17th of February, I was invited by good friends of mine, Margit and Mikkel, from Copenhagen, Denmark, to share about the project and what is happening in my home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. There was an open platform for questions, ideas of how to get involved and, as I spoke, I felt the openness and willingness to get involved. Thank you for your open doors and friendships!

God is moving, He keeps us going and we are expecting great things to come! 

About us

We welcome you...

This blog is dedicated to keep you updated on our journey to The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

On the 16th of March 2013 we, Svenja and I, will fly from Frankfurt (South of Germany) to Kigali (the capital city of Rwanda). From Kigali we will take a bus to Bukavu, a city in the eastern part of the DRC, located at the southern tip of lake Kivu right at the boarder to Rwanda. From there we will start our research for the documentary: 
„CONGO - The place I call Home“.

As we will be traveling around the eastern regions of the DRC, we will meet with victims and survivors, with perpetrators and child solders, with different organizations that are working on the ground and people in higher levels of government. We will go to places where atrocities have happened, the rich mines where mineral resources are being exploited, but also places where restoration is already taking place. 

Thus we will not only hear stories of devastation and brokennes, but also try to find where sparks of hope and light are restoring the lives and souls of the Congolese population. 

We want to share with you our experiences and invite you to become a part of it!!!

What is happening in the DRC? 

The eastern part of the Congo, especially the Kivu-Regions, have faced war for nearly two decades. It is estimated that since the conflict began in 1996, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped. Regional advocates have told stories of unthinkable atrocities that are taking place, including cannibalism, chopping off body parts, rape with tools and weapons or sexual assault of minors, as young as 10 months, and elders, as old as 87 years. A large number of the female population have endured sexual slavery, kidnapping, unlawful detention, recruitment of young girls into armed forces and forced prostitution. The DRC is considered, by the International Community, to be the most dangerous place on earth to be a woman or kid. 

A new study about the ongoing rape epidemic in the Congo has some rather terrifying statistics to offer. According to USA Today, 420,000 women are raped in the DRC every year. The Boston Globe estimates 1,152 women are raped every day. The Guardian reports that 48 women are raped every hour. The Sydney Morning Herald ups the ante even further by putting the number at one rape every minute. 

According to “V-DAY,” a global movement to end violence against women and girls, the atrocities being perpetrated against the female population in the DRC are nothing less than a “femicide” – the systematic destruction of the Congolese female population. 

The aim of our Project:

"CONGO - The place I call Home"

Who are we?

Under the umbrella of „PhotogenX“, a ministry of Youth With A Mission (Hawaii), a number of passionate and professional film makers from around the world have joined together to creatively express their vision of seeing the congolese women and children set free and become a part of ending the monstrous conflict in the DRC.

Our aim:

To create a documentary that will educate the international community about the crisis of war rape in DR Congo in order to:

1) Raise significant funds to support organizations in the DRC that are working to: 

     a. Protect women at risk from sexual violence

     b. Ensure rape victims are provided with adequate services to cope with their abuse 

     c. Help in the resulting health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS 

     d. Ensure adequate protection and services for children born of rape 

     e. Provide resources and support for community based women’s groups.

2) As Christians we recognize that Ephesians 6:12-18 comes into play when dealing with such evil. Especially in Africa - it seems common to hear of demonic forces blatantly driving rebel groups. As Christians we would like to couple our humanitarian relief efforts with church-planting initiatives to see spiritual revival and reformation in the DRC. 

We are still on the first stage of our documentary but as we travel to Congo for 5 month on this first phase, we are going to be researching for potential interviewees for the documentary, leading organizations supporting war rape victims that can receive funding through the campaign, and also investigating the Christian/church-planting environment so we will know how to better engage Christian organizations in the DR Congo through this campaign. 

"Congo- The place I call Home"

"I have expressed the positive emotions I have felt while looking at the people of Congo" 

(Joon Nomad)

This painting was painted by our friend Joon Nomad from South Korea, who travelled with us to Congo in 2007. It is a combination of different images of how she saw Congo, its women and their struggles in everyday life. In the midst of all suffering and pain, there is hope and light for Congo.