A WAR-RAVAGED COUNTRY NEEDS A MIRACLE!Donate $1 or more!
A Six-Year War - 4 Million Killed - Schools Dismantled!
“THE 3 MILLION FRIENDS OF THE WAR-TORN CONGO” CAMPAIGN:
An Appeal to Students and Children to help rebuild Africa’s Youth Education in the War-Shattered Congo. Borders Can’t Stop Compassion!
Dear Friends:
In an increasingly global world economic order and in the aftermath of growing acts of violence around the world, Americans are becoming more aware of the close ties between their own freedom, rights and responsibilities and those of people in poor and ravaged countries like Kosovo, Afghanistan, or Indonesia (Tsunami crisis). Another such a nation is the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
“The war in the Congo has been one of the bloodiest conflicts known since the Second World War,” according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Four million people killed, Economy Halted, and Schools Dismantled. Congo Youth biggest victims of enduring crisis! They are a forgotten emergency. They suffer, alas, in silence. They don’t always suffer in front of international TV, thus it’s difficult to dramatize. They suffer nonetheless, and much help is needed to rebuild destroyed education and social services.
To shed light on a forgotten crisis, the United Nations and the European Union launched in Brussels, on February 17, 2006, Congo aid plan to appeal to the International Community. Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said, “ We can, must, do more to alleviate such extreme suffering. Now is the time to act.”
The effect of that war is only partly symbolized by the ruins of a once great university, “Université Franco-Américaine de Kinshasa”. In order to rebuild the school, the Massachusetts-based American University of Kinshasa Foundation, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, is launching “The 3 million Friends of War-Torn Congo” campaign. It is a Student and Children-run response to the crisis. The Campaign counts on the Students’ energy, and power of advocacy to raise awareness and engage fellow students, school and college communities and beyond, to take concrete action to help the cause. Nobody understands the needs of young people better than young people themselves. The “Friends” are Children, Students, Parents, Youth groups, Student Clubs, Teachers, Schools, Colleges, Churches and Organizations willing to raise money to rebuild the school. The nationwide campaign goal is to contact about 3 million Friends who will contribute whatever they can, $1 or more to respond to this crisis.
Education will prepare the youth for the key challenges faced by the nation: the fight against Poverty, AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. The objective is to acquire a classroom building, support faculty and students who are in desperate need, including women, an issue of grave concern.
Every dollar is needed to help meet these immediate and humanitarian needs of the youth education.
“The 3 million Friends of War-Torn Congo” campaign is asking all “the Friends”, Students and Children to send $1 or more to help rebuild the school and education. It hopes many of them will compassionately respond and organize fellow students to donate dollars on behalf of the Congo’s youth education.
Students can raise money through their youth groups, clubs, classes, schools, or campuses. They can contact and email closest Friends elsewhere to ask them to join this charitable movement. The campaign urges students to speak on the issue at elementary, Middle & High Schools, Colleges’ clubs, and youth groups. The hope is that such a worldwide student-run campaign can reach thousands of caring Friends to help “alleviate extreme suffering” and rebuild the Congolese education.
If you’d like more information on how to support the shared mission of rescuing the war-shattered Congo’s Forgotten Youth, please, contact
us by email aukuniv@auk-congo.edu or phone at (508) 270-0521.
www.auk-congo.edu. Please feel free to spread the word and email Friends and Associates.
Thank you and regards,
Dimandja Kasongo
P.S. BOTTOM LINE – HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can do one of the following or both:
1) Group Action: Please Raise money through your group, club, class, school, campus or church, and Write checks or money orders payable to:
American University of Kinshasa Foundation.
Contact or Email other associated Groups to do the same to help this cause. In the USA, donations are IRS tax-deductible if needed.
2) Individual Action: Please Use an envelope and Send $1 bill or more. If you can, please send a check or money order. Contact or email closest Friends to do the same to help this cause. Speak on the issue at schools or youth groups. Working together this way, we can reach the goal of “3 Million Friends of War-torn Congo” to help the Congo youth.
Mailing Address for Donations:
American University of Kinshasa Foundation
P.O. BOX 665
Framingham, MA 01704
U.S.A
