By: Tina Nanez

I’ve been working in the Valley for several years and have met some great people and experienced so many different cultures. As most of us know, Silicon Valley is full of diversity. Working in this diverse environment really opened my eyes and inspired me to step out of my own element. There’s so much to learn and experience but so little time. My last great adventure was to that storied Bay Area stomping ground called Burning Man. I had such a wonderful time last year; I’ve been planning my return this year! All of that changed on the evening of April 8th as I watched HBO’s documentary, “The Greatest Silence: Rape in The Congo”. I can’t explain how or why this specific documentary touched me the way it did but I felt a visceral emotion unlike any other.

The documentary captures the silent and often ignored rape survivors in their country where chaos and violence are part of every day. The film exposes the incredibly brutal civil war that has raged for over ten years in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the eastern part of the country there were 40,000 reported rape cases in 2007 but the number of unreported incidents may be far greater. Few of the perpetrators are brought to justice. Men in the villages are usually unarmed and unable to defend the women. They commonly react to their shame by abandoning the partners who survive.

Congo has the blessing, and the curse, of natural resources such as diamonds, gold, coltan – a mineral used in cell phones and computer chips (essential in Silicon Valley), cobalt and uranium. Mine workers in Congo seldom benefit from the mineral wealth they help extract from the ground. Instead, they often work long hours for meager wages ($1.00 – $2.00 per day). In the race to plunder natural resources, rebels have engaged in brutal warfare over control of the land. Over 4 million people have died either as a direct result of war-related causes or because of disease, malnutrition, lack of access to clean water and basic medical care. Preventable diseases such as diarrhea and malaria have often proved deadly. Decades of corrupt leadership have lead to a breakdown in social services – resulting in virtually no dependable health care services or school system. Widespread malnutrition, aggravated by ongoing conflict, has been one of the top killers in Congo. This is a tragic example of how greed for money and power can diminish us as human beings.

In 2004, the International Rescue Committee (Congo Global Action member) reported in their mortality survey that 38,000 continue to die every month, 1200 a day to preventable causes (A new report will be released soon). This is the equivalent of an Asian Tsunami every 6.5 months or a September 11 every 2.5 days.

Make no mistake – this is the deadliest war since World War II. And yet we don’t talk about the Congo. Never heard of this conflict? You aren’t alone.

The Congolese people think they are not worth the effort in the eyes of the world. – “When 4 million people have died, and no one cares, we don’t feel human anymore.”- Jean Paul, Congolese man.

I logged onto Kosmix’s own http://www.righttrips.com and found some wonderful volunteer programs in South Africa, the time lines range from 2-12 weeks. It’s confirmed; I’m turning in my Burning Man ticket and will journey to Africa. Surprisingly enough, when it came down to it, this was an easy decision.

Take action:
http://www.enoughproject.org/action
http://www.theirc.org/where/the-irc-in-central-african.html