| Hi jay, Here’s the latest on what’s been happening around here, including information on a briefing that took place at ARC headquarters on Wednesday. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President *********************************************** *Briefing on Congo* On Wednesday, we held a briefing for supporters and the public about the emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – and what we are doing to help. Ward Brehm, an ARC board member, spoke about his recent trip to DRC. Ward has been to Africa 35 times and was appointed by President Obama to the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) in 2010. President Bush had previously appointed him chairman of USADF in 2004. As Ward crossed the border from Rwanda into Congo, he said “it was like leaving heaven and going into hell.” At a hospital he visited, he said his heart was broken by what he saw – teenage girls who had been raped multiple times having babies and requiring fistula surgery. “We heard stories of 3- and 4-year-old girls being raped,” Ward said. The lucky ones are the people who were able to flee the country. More than 18,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo – mostly vulnerable women and children – have crossed the border into Rwanda to escape horrific violence. Thousands have also fled to Uganda, and it’s estimated that 200,000 people have been displaced inside of Congo by the violence since April. New arrivals in Rwanda register at Nkamira Transit Center and will eventually be relocated to Kigeme Refugee Camp. About 11,000 people remain at the transit center without adequate health care, protection, clean water or latrines. We have teams on the ground putting up tents in Kigeme Camp and establishing the camp’s infrastructure. We’ve constructed emergency kitchens with stoves and firewood for cooking. And we built a temporary health post. We’ve also reinforced the terracing system that is used throughout the camp. We’ve welcomed thousands of people to the camp already. When families arrive from the transit camp, our teams provide them with an orientation of the camp and help them understand what services are available and how to access them. Ward is a strong advocate for the people of Africa – and urged others to be advocates, too. “I hope you may share a bit in the responsibility to do something about it,” he said. “Many, many lives are on the line.” *Safe Motherhood Campaign in Darfur* The Sudan team recently conducted a five-day safe motherhood campaign in Ditto, South Darfur, Sudan. The campaign stressed the importance of seeking ante-natal care services, having babies delivered by skilled birth attendants and the benefits of child spacing. To date, we are the only organization that has conducted safe motherhood campaigns in Darfur. The topics were discussed through speeches by community leaders and staff, household visits and through the distribution of T-shirts, hats and educational leaflets. Our health providers also provided pregnant and post-natal women with iron tablets and Vitamin A supplements. *London Summit on Family Planning* On July 11, World Population Day, the U.K. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with the United Nations Population Fund and other partners, hosted a summit to provide an additional 120 million women in the world's poorest countries with lifesaving contraceptives, information and services by 2020. The London Summit on Family Planning called for unprecedented global political commitment and resources to transform the lives of millions of women and girls, which will save lives and help lift families, communities and nations out of poverty. We worked to make sure the needs of women in crises were heard at the summit in two key ways:
*Giving* At the request of readers, I always include these links so they’re easy to find when you need them. Thanks so much. Donate Online: http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate Become a Monthly Donor: http://www.ARCrelief.org/givemonthly Give Us a Call: (800) 875-7060 Send in a gift: American Refugee Committee
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