Seen LUMO? Now What?
If you've seen the film LUMO and want to know how to help bring about change in the situation in Goma, here are three simple ideas that can have a great impact in spreading the word and bringing healing to DR Congo.
1. Hold a LUMO Showing
Hold a showing of the film in your home for your friends, or at your book club, in your high school, to your church group, or at a meeting of your professional association.
2. Send a Letter
Here is a suggestion for a lobbying letter to your MP or elected representative. Change it as you wish to make it personal (replace *** with the name of your country).
Dear ….
I have been informed of the horrible violence against women in the ongoing conflict in Eastern DR Congo. I am now aware that there are over 750 000 internally displaced people in the province of North Kivu alone as a result of this conflict.
As a member of the *** electorate, I wish to know:
1. How is *** supporting the peace process in D R Congo? How did *** vote on the mandate of the UN peace keeping mission in DR Congo? What suggestions has the *** government made to strengthen the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping mission in D R Congo? How much does the *** government contribute to the UN peacekeeping mission in D R Congo?
2. As a concerned ***, I wish to know how much *** is contributing to the World Food Program in D R Congo. The UN World Food Programme has had to cut rations to many essential programs assisting vulnerable children in the province of North Kivu, in order to meet the survival needs of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the ongoing war in the east. Does *** plan to increase its contribution to the WFP, in the light of this crisis, and by how much?
3. The Humanitarian Agencies working in D R Congo have developed a Humanitarian Assistance Plan for 2008. Donor governments have so far committed funding for only 27% of this budget. What is ***’s contribution to this budget and by how much could it be increased urgently in 2008?
4. Are the Justice Minister and the Foreign Minister aware of the Security Council Report on the Illegal Exploitation of the Resources of the D R Congo? Has the *** government taken any action against the companies and individuals named in this report? I would like to suggest: examination of the assets of these companies, a ban on doing business with these companies and their subsidiaries and affiliates, regulation of the source of minerals, gem stones and hard woods illegally exported from eastern DR Congo through neighbouring countries (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda).
Documentary evidence of the connection between the war, the warlords and the mineral exploitation can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.mediastorm.org/0022.htm
The UN Security Council report on the Illegal Exploitation of the Resources of Congo can be downloaded at the following link:
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N02/621/79/pdf/N0262179.pdf?OpenElement
Documentary footage on rape used as a weapon of war, and the impact of sexual violence on young women is contained within the documentary film Lumo: http://www.gomafilmproject.org.
Yours faithfully, etc.
3. Make a Donation
We greatly appreciate your donations, which help support the work of HEAL Africa in healing those affected by the ongoing conflict.