Senior ONE Adviser Michael Gerson is on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this blog post, he writes about the benefits of cocoa crops on the country’s economy.
A farmer from the Greenhouse project in Beni separates raw cacao beans from an opened cacao pod to be washed, fermented, dried, and shipped.
We traveled down dirt roads near the town of Beni, in eastern Congo, close to the Ugandan border. Militias are active in the region, so our group was protected by an armed escort. Interactions at checkpoints along the road are unpredictable. In the town of Beni itself, a curfew is imposed each night at sunset.
ONE supporter Ben Affleck sure had a busy day in Washington! Yesterday, Affleck testified on Capitol Hill at a hearing about a bipartisan US approach to address the current problems in eastern Congo. He also sat down with ONE supporter Cindy McCain for an ABC News interview to discuss the current state of affairs in his organization’s work, the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) and what the US should be doing in the region.
Mrs. McCain, who recently signed on as a founding member of ECI, joins inaugural ECI supporters Howard G. Buffett, Humanitary United, Bridgeway Foundation, Laurene Powell Jobs and Google. ECI, an advocacy and grant-making initiative that works for and with the people of eastern Congo, tackles four main areas: support for vulnerable youth, support for victims of sexual violence, income generation projects and local peace and reconciliation programs.
Why the focus on Eastern Congo? Here’s a few facts from ECI’s website:
Since 1998, violent conflict, disease and poverty in the DRC have killed more than 5 million men, women and children –- that’s more than any war since World War II.
More than 1.3 million people have been forced out of their homes.
In 2006, less than half of the population of the DRC had access to clean drinking water or sanitation.
In some areas of eastern Congo, 2 out of every 3 women have been victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
In 2007, UNICEF estimated that 12,000 children were still involved with armed groups -– four years after the official end of the war.
Check out ECI’s website and be sure to watch the video in the player above.
For those of you who own a smartphone (like me, for example), this blog post will be particularly disturbing. According to The Globe and Mail, Coltan, an obscure mineral found in the most popular smartphones and mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has helped fuel countless atrocities across the country, including mass killings and rape.
Coltan is now one of the world’s most precious materials. It is required for the production of tantalum, a vital ingredient in electronic circuitry. These minerals can be found in all kinds of electronics ranging from computers, cell phones and home appliances.
The result is an international tantalum market worth about $2 billion annually. But the price of the coltan mining industry in perpetuating human misery for millions of Congolese people is immeasurable. As these items fly off of store shelves this holiday season, at least some of our money will be contributing to the pockets of companies who have continue to source Coltan in the DRC and who lobbied –- and are still lobbying –- these new against disclosure laws. More importantly, we will be financing a lucrative war that is plagued by human rights abuses.
As 2011 approaches, most Africa observers are buzzing about the highly-anticipated January referendum in Sudan, where the South Sudanese will vote on whether or not Southern Sudan becomes Africa’s first new state in nearly 20 years.
But a second vote is also on the horizon in 2011, in a setting that is equally troubled and just as critical to US interests: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Presidential elections (the second since the end of the civil war) are tentatively scheduled for November 2011, and local elections are being proposed for 2012 to 2013.
Earlier this week, Ben Affleck and the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) hosted a panel of DRC experts and influentials to draw attention to what they believe is a window of opportunity opening up in DRC. Mr. Affleck and Jennifer Cooke, CSIS’s Africa program director, were joined by Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs Johnnie Carson, Senator-elect John Boozman, former USAID mission director for DRC Anthony Gambino and Senator John Kerry for closing remarks.
Labor unrest empties South African hospitals – The nationwide strike of public employees in South Africa has paralyzed hospitals and schools across the nation, undercutting major drives to combat AIDS and TB and to repair a deeply troubled education system. (Celia Dugger, New York Times)
U.N. Congo report offers new view on genocide – A forthcoming UN report states that the Rwandan military and their rebel allies massacred ethnic Hutus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda. (Howard French, New York Times)
Big Pharma not to blame in Africa, says director – The International Policy Network’s Alec Van Gelder argues that global health experts should demand more investment in health infrastructure and drug availability rather than blaming the patent rights of “Big Pharma” for Africa’s worsening health crisis. (Wall Street Journal)
UN Summit focuses on mothers and babies – The world can win the fight against AIDS, but it’s failing to save the lives of mothers and babies. That’s the message from a UN health summit in Melbourne this week focused on tackling the world’s greatest health problems. (Cathy Alexander, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Turning to censorship betrays South Africans– The Guardian slams the proposed laws restricting the media in South Africa, highlighting the media’s vital watchdog role, and arguing that the legislations smacks of diversionary tactics given the country’s other social and economic issues. (The Guardian)
AIDS patients hurt by South African strike– Doctors and activists say AIDS patients aren’t getting treated because of a nationwide civil service strike in South Africa, due to fears of getting caught in violence and miscommunication over whether government hospitals are open. (Donna Bryson, AP)
Mobile HIV Test Unit a Hit – A mobile HIV test unit in the Congo is proving successful in encouraging citizens to get tested for HIV. However, while more than 5,000 have been tested since late 2009, the care services for those who test positive are proving unsatisfactory, including access to drugs. (Arsène Séverin, IPS)
How Africa can become the next BRIC – Economist Jim O’Neill argues that South Africa is poised to be the first African member of the BRIC group of rising powers – Brazil, Russia, India and China – as long as they maintain a focus on transparency and strive to foster a healthy business environment. (Financial Times)
Investing in Africa is not for the faint-hearted’, says equity firm CEO – An expert of West Africa’s emerging markets, Ngozi Edozien argues that proximity – and not “briefcase investing” – is the key to success for investors looking to tap into Africa’s up-and-coming economies. (David McKenzie, CNN)
Green revolution possible in Africa with helps, says professor – Professor and agronomy expert, Gebisa Ejeta says that a green revolution in Africa is possible but only with considerable external assistance in overcoming obstacles such as lack of education and infrastructure. (Liezl Vercueil, Mail & Guardian)
Mbeki accuses summit leaders of abandoning Africa – Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has accused G8 and G20 Summit leaders of abandoning Africa and conveying a “message of despair” to the world’s poorest region. Mr. Mbeki, a key leader in earlier G8 plans to help Africa, said the summits demonstrated that Africa has been relegated to the sidelines of the global development agenda. This is a tragedy and a violation of the G8’s earlier commitments, he said. (Geoffrey York, The Globe and Mail)
Africa needs investment, not charity, says UN chief – Africa needs investment and partnerships, not charity, as its big economies begin to move and political stability emerges, UN chief Ban Ki-moon told the Gabon parliament Friday. The UN chief also emphasized that the World Cup has been good for the continent. Ban urged for the same enthusiasm for the football event to be shown in meeting the UN’s millennium development goals and maintaining peace and stability throughout the continent. (AFP)
World Bank increased commitment to Africa in FY2010 – The World Bank announced that their funding to Sub-Saharan Africa rose to $13.5 billion in 2010, a 28 percent increase from 2009. The bank also said it committed more than $72 billion this year to assist developing countries as the world faces a fragile and uneven recovery. “I believe it is critical that we are able to provide such strong support…in order to protect the poor and lay the foundation for recovery and growth,” said Robert B. Zoellick. (Tokunbo Adedoja, This Day)
DR Congo to get billions in debt relief from IMF – The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank announced a debt relief program worth $12.3 billion for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has made good efforts to reform its economy and governance in recent years. The news comes in the same week as the country marks the 50th anniversary of its independence. The UN has also rejuvenated its program in the country, saying its main focus is on stabilization. (BBC News)
The role of technology in development – A panel discussion hosted by The Guardian illustrates how simple, cheap technology, adapted to the local context, is helping to lift people out of poverty. Whether through low-cost irrigation pumps, revolutionary use of mobile technology or capital education reform pioneered by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), technology is helping to challenge the status quo for the poor. “The world might be a tough place, but information can make it better,” said one Reuters executive. (Eliza Anyangwe, The Guardian)
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
