Justice for all

Here’s a horrifying article from The Guardian, discussing the spread of Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army into Congo. Already 1,200 have been killed and more than 2,000 (about one-third children) have been kidnapped in the DRC in the past year. In one area of Congo, about 360,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. While the situation in Uganda is stabilizing, unfortunately the violence hasn’t truly stopped but has simply been displaced into the DRC. The article states:

In Congo, the confusion and anger is amplified. Father Benoit Kinalegu, the director of the Justice and Peace Commission in Dungu, said Kony was “not a human being”. “A human being can kill with reason, and an animal to eat. But Joseph Kony just kills people for nothing. The only way is take him out.”

Attempts are continuing. Officially, the Congolese army is leading the operation, with logistical support from UN peacekeepers. But it is the Ugandans who are doing most of the hunting. Despite claiming to have left behind only a few “intelligence squads” after Operation Lighting Thunder, interviews with analysts, aid workers, local officials and LRA victims suggest the number of Ugandan soldiers in the Congolese bush could exceed 3,000.

The situation seems to be devastating. I don’t want to go into the gory details of how the LRA is torturing, killing, and terrorizing the Congolese people - you can find that information in the article, and suffice it to say that it is horrifying.

It really disturbs me to hear this news, and realize that despite the efforts of the ICC, nothing has really changed. Sure, things haven’t exactly gotten worse, but the ICC’s warrant doesn’t seem to be deterring Kony one bit. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like he would have agreed to a peace treaty even without the warrant. Basically the situation is just as it was before - violent and relentless. What disturbs me is: what next? Do we just sit aside and hope that the relevant state actors and authorities are able to find and arrest Kony? Perhaps the ICC needs to assemble some sort of force imbued with the ability and authority to arrest war criminals. Honestly, at the pace things are going now, the violence will never end.

The truth is this conflict isn’t going to end unless Kony is arrested. So it’s clear he needs to be stopped. But what is being done to ensure that this is the case? And how much longer can this go on? I’m clearly not an expert on this, yet I find myself questioning the current approach. I just know that some action needs to be taken to halt this horrible violence. What do you think would be a good solution?

Photo credit: here

Today I’d like to highlight a wonderful organization, HEAL Africa, which provides holistic care to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As some of you may know, the DRC has been called the “worst humanitarian disaster since WWII” since about 5 million people have died since 1998. Despite the unstability of the country and the ongoing conflict, not as much international attention is given to the situation as is to Darfur. Yet, many have heard of the mass violence, especially sexual violence, which is widespread in the DRC as a result of the conflict.

HEAL Africa tackles the challenges of working in rural and resource-poor regions of eastern DRC head on, and more than that is taking an effective and unique approach. Here are some of their programs, all of which are very innovative:

• Gender-based violence: The program trains village women as counselors, who become the first stage in the process of healing and refer victims of sexual violence for treatment. There are now over 300 counselors in North Kivo and Maniema provinces. 28 safe houses for women have also been constructed to provide a safe environment for women, including those traveling to access medical care. The program also provides women with the opportunity to learn new skills like literacy and crafts, and can receive small business training.
• Health care: HEAL Africa has a well known teaching hospital in Goma which provides quality care. Community-based healthcare initiatives are also being pioneered, through which health professionals travel to rural areas to provide medical support and supplies. This is one of the few hospitals conducting research in the war-torn area.
• Micro-grants: Thousands of micro-grants have been provided for vulnerable people who live on less than a dollar a day. This is accompanied by financial training, savings collectives, small business training, and community accountability to maximize the impact of the grant.
• HIV/AIDS: This program educates people about HIV/AIDS through education seminars throughout churches in the province. They have a children’s AIDS program which provides children with ARV drugs along with a nutritional supplement to ensure that the children are not malnourished. They also provide home care for those severely ill.
• Gender and Justice: HEAL Africa also works through the law to try to ensure a more fair judicial system to support female empowerment. They work with the American Bar Association to reinforce the justice system, and then work to bring together community members and leaders in a coalition to support gender equity. They also teach gender equity in the classroom, and work to change the attitudes of men (which I argued was so important in my last post.)
• Children Like Us: HEAL Africa actually sends specialized staff into communities to search for disabled children who may need assistance. Then, these children are provided with support and/or surgery, and their families provided income generation grants.

As you can see, their range of programs and services are incredible - not only varied but also each innovative and effective in its own right! I am honestly amazed by how much a grassroots organization is able to accomplish. Beyond just the innovative programs, HEAL Africa takes such a holistic approach to its work and ensures that all the needs of the community: medical, social, and spiritual, are met. This in itself is innovative and proving that such an approach (opposed to specialization) works is significant. Moreover, the organization is setting the foundation for long-term impact rather than short-term fixes. They hire local staff who have an intimate knowledge of the region, and engage in leadership training.

HEAL Africa is doing amazing work to transform communities in eastern Congo even while conflict is ongoing. I encourage you to visit their website (which is also beautifully done) and learn more about them. I only wish more organizations took this approach since it seems to be highly effective.

Image credit: HEAL Africa