Heart of the Congo: Screening Guide
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Heart of the Congo: Screening Guide Follow this simple, 3-step process to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ACF-DRC , courtesy of Jason Pomerantz, 2006 ACTION AGAINST HUNGER • USA 247 West 37th Street, 10th floor, New York, NY 10018 • (212) 967-7800 [email protected] • www.actionagainsthunger.org Heart of the Congo: Screening Guide Dear ACF Supporter: I am writing to thank you for your interest in educating others about Action Against Hunger (ACF) through the film Heart of the Congo. We at ACF are excited about the potential impact of this film as a tool to increase public awareness about the complexity and reality of global hunger and to spark people’s interest in international relief and development. We welcome you to our team and look forward to working with you. Following is an instruction packet that outlines how you can hold a film screening and get students and/ or your community involved with Action Against Hunger. Please review the film and let us know how you think you can use it to help expand public awareness about the importance of global issues at your school and in your community. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or (212) 967-7800. Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to working with you to make your screening a success. Best, Student Outreach Fellow Table of Contents: Step One: Background Action Against Hunger................................................................................................................... 1 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).......................................................................................... 2-3 Heart of the Congo ......................................................................................................................... 3 Step Two: Spreading Awareness Plan your Event ............................................................................................................................ 4-5 Step Three: Wrapping Up What to do after your event......................................................................................................... 6 Further Action.............................................................................................................................. 6 Sign-In Sheet : Sample........................................................................................................................................ 7 Heart of the Congo Screening Flyer: Sample......................................................................................................... 8 1) Background: familiarize yourself with Action Against Hunger, the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and general information about the filmHeart of the Congo About Action Against Hunger Action Against Hunger works to save the lives of acutely malnourished children while providing families with ac- cess to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. Our mission is to eliminate hunger through the prevention, detection, and treatment of acute malnutrition, and our comprehensive solutions are context-specific, needs-based, and customized through direct community participation. For nearly 30 years ACF has pursued programs in nutrition, food security, and water & sanitation, to address the underlying causes of malnutrition. By integrating our activities into existing national health structures we ensure the capacity needed to sustain our programs over the long-term. As part of the ACF Network -- with headquarters in New York, Paris, Madrid, London, and Montreal -- Action Against Hunger bridges emergency relief with longer-term development, intervening in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. Our 6,000+ field staff are seasoned profes- sionals and technical experts in nutrition, water and sanitation, public health, and food security who carry out life-saving programs in some 40 countries around the world. ACF’s humanitarian interventions provide lasting solutions to nearly 5 million people a year, restoring dignity, self sufficiency, and inde- pendence to vulnerable populations throughout the world. Action Against Hunger’s Programs ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for three decades, combating hunger with innovative, lifesaving pro- grams in nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation: Nutrition Programs: Action Against Hunger’s nutrition programs treat and prevent acute malnutrition. Launched most often during times of crisis, our programs center on the evaluation of nutritional needs, the direct therapeutic treatment and the prevention of acute malnutrition, technical training and support for local staff, and capacity building with national ministries and government structures. The contexts for our programs can be as varied as the crises: from rural mountain vil- lages, to ethnically divided cities, to the confines of overcrowded relocation camps for internally displaced peoples. Food Security & Livelihood Programs: Action Against Hunger’s food security programs evolve from the work we do in nutrition. While our therapeutic nutrition programs restore to health individuals suffering from acute malnutrition, our food security programs prevent future outbreaks by supplying needed inputs (seeds, fertilizers, tools ,fishing nets, etc.), introducing new techniques, and fortifying coping mechanisms and livelihoods through training in income-generating activi- ties such as farming, gardening, animal breeding, and food conservation. Our food security programs put people on the road to self sufficiency. Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene Programs: Action Against Hunger’s integrated approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hy- giene: We truck water into affected communities during emergencies, decontaminate wells and install solar-, diesel- and hand- powered pumps. Employing sophisticated geophysics, we locate water resources and tap aquifers. We protect natural springs and pipe water into villages and health centers, and rehabilitate damaged infrastructure to ensure access to adequate sources of clean water. We build latrines and bathhouses and introduce basic sanitation infrastructure to keep communities hygienic. 1 Historical Context: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Source: CIA World Factbook In the past century, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expe- rienced an endless stream of devastating humanitarian crises, from the brutal forced labor of King Leopold’s colonial regime to the harsh and kleptocratic rule of Mobutu Sese Seko, the Congo’s post-colonial dictator. The Congolese population’s lack of representation has subjected them to poverty, hunger and relentless violence due to the instability of political regimes and rebel fac- tions. Instead of benefiting from the glories of a country so rich in resources, the Congolese have experienced the devastating consequences of corrupt and greedy rulers. During the frenzy to colonize Africa in the late 19th century, Euro- pean powers dispersed troops to unofficially conquer these already-inhabited lands. In 1885, in order to formalize colonialism, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck hosted the Berlin Conference. During this meeting, European Source: CIA World Factbook powers claimed official ownership of the regions they already in- formally controlled. The current DRC was established in 1885 as the Congo Free State, under the rule of Belgium’s King Leopold II. Facts: Throughout King Leopold’s reign, DRC’s land was exploited for its Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola resources and people were exploited for their labor potential. King Capital: Kinshasa Leopold treated the Congo Free State as an extension of Belgium, President: Joseph Kabila using profits from the land’s natural resources to benefit himself and Population: 68.6 million his elite cronies. Furthermore, Belgians considered the indigenous Life Expectancy: 54 years population to be inferior to “civilized” Europeans. As a result, Bel- Languages: French (official), Lingala, gian colonists eagerly enslaved the native Congolese people, abus- Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba ing millions through brutal treatment and murdering those who % of Population Undernourished: 74% dissented. By the beginning of the 20th century, news of the brutality Source: CIA World Factbook; under Leopold’s regime was spreading to other nations. To ease suspicions, the Belgian government World Food Programme officially took over the colony; however, little changed in the next half a century, since many of the same Belgian officials remained in control of the Congo. In 1960, the Congo Free State gained independence from Belgium, and the future of the newly independent country looked promising. Democratic elections took place and Patrice Lumumba became prime minister. A few years later, Lumumba was assassinated and a coup took place, making Joseph Mobutu president. In 1971, Mobutu changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko and renamed the country Zaire. Mobutu was a virtual monarch and in many ways fashioned his reign after that of King Leopold II; exploiting the country for his personal gain. Western powers, working through the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, supported Mobu- tu’s regime, identifying it as a bulwark against communist influence in Africa. For twenty years, World Bank