Update.

Just a quick update - my presentation for my project yesterday went really well! I'm glad I got the opportunity to share about Congo with my classmates and hopefully inspire them to take some action too. As I said in my presentation, I hope to continue this blog and my support even after I'm done with the project, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!

Art Supplies.

All the art supplies that were collected for my drive!

Kids 4 Congo's Kids.

This is such a great quote:

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world" - Anne Frank

Robin Potawsky, one of the women who was there when I went to D.C., and who was also a fellow North Carolina representative, is the founder of an organization called Kids 4 Congo's Kids. The organization's aim is to "create change and connect cultures through education." Check out their website and look into sponsoring a Congolese child's education. It's such a great cause!

I'm doing my part to help Congolese education through my art supplies drive. Like I said, look at sponsoring a child's education or see how you can get involved through donating or volunteering!

Link.

Congolese Women Speak Out Against Violence

Link.

This article connects a lot with the research I've been doing in my English class on the effects of domestic and sexual violence.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/FGAI-8AZQDP?OpenDocument

Powerful Women.

Here are all the amazing and inspirational women that I got to meet and photograph during my day in D.C.

Here's me with my mom, who encouraged and inspired me to get involved with everything happening in Congo. She has been such an inspiration!

Link.

This is a New York Times article that came out recently about the rapes in Congo. Simply awful.

"United States officials call Congo the worst place in the world for sexual violence, and even the longstanding presence of international peacekeepers has not been able to stop it."

Project.

I have another surprise project up my sleeve - hopefully I will post it by this weekend!

Quote.

"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested."

Art supplies drive.

While my major focus for this project is on the women in Congo, I also want to help give back to the children and help improve art education in Congo. To do this, I'm trying to collect art supplies to send over there. If you have any art supplies, or would like to help out in any way, please contact me. The art supplies can be anything - crayons, markers, paper, pencils - any little thing helps.