Day 2~ April 2nd~ Congo

“The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than five million lives – making it the planet’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

But despite the horrific levels of sexual violence and millions of people displaced from their homes and schools, it remains Africa’s forgotten war and rarely makes the headlines of the world’s media.

Although the conflict has officially finished, much of the country remains desperately poor and the continuing violence in the eastern regions make it one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a woman.” war child

The statistics are staggering and the reality is even more difficult to face. Being in Congo and seeing the faces of its children while knowing the fate most of them may face adds another dimension to our responsibility as humans to try to make a change. And there are so many that do offer their time and dedicate their lives to help, but it never seems to be enough.

The journey into Congo will not be easy or comfortable, it is facing and unsettling. But our planet is filled with injustice, with poverty, hunger,wars and I always find the need to remind myself that so much is needed still to be done and to give thanks to those who do and keep on doing to make the world a better place.

In this post, I want to give a special thanks to Mr Ross Mountain, an amazing humanitarian who helped facilitate my trip in Congo and without whom it never would have been possible. Mr Mountain was running MONUC in Congo when I travelled there in 2009 and after his 26 years of amazing service in the UN, he is now working as director general of Dara in Madrid.