Why Congo Matters from Emily Troutman on Vimeo.

After spending a month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I find myself speaking most often about the numbers: 5.4 million dead, 2,000 rapes per month, 17,000 UN soldiers, a war that started 15 years ago (or more?).

And suddenly, the conflict seems impossibly huge, unsolvable, tragic and remote. It is easy to forget that numbers are symbols, representing real people who take up an actual, physical space; who walk the down the dirt roads at sunset and carry water from the river, just as they did when I was there.

Numbers are a simple way to measure what has been lost. But we also lose something in the counting. We begin to think we know the exact dimensions of a problem, and then we file it away to be solved later, somewhere between running out of milk and global warming.

For a number to be useful, it should have a beating heart and a face. It should collect names and remind us of something in ourselves. A number should challenge us to unravel it, to give it a smell (the earthy jungle undergrowth), a color (the black volcanic dust), a taste (papaya), and a sound (the “snap” of a green bean).

Each death, each rape in Congo, happens in a moment when the sun is either up or down, when the rain has started or stopped, when a small phrase was uttered, or a glance exchanged. The numbers can tell us something about how often it has happened, but almost nothing about how. Or who.

With a story this big, and so little public awareness of it, I started to ask myself, “Does Congo matter?” I don’t know. I guess that’s hard to measure. It matters to the people who live there. It matters to me.

The statistics used in this video can be found in the following reports:

UNICEF – Country Statistics
International Rescue Committee – Mortality in the DRC, An Ongoing Crisis
International Committee of the Red Cross – Survey on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Civilians

Emily’s Photography
Emily’s blog,
Who We Are / How We Live

This photo essay was submitted by photographer Amiran White.

I first visited Shanti Bhavan in the south of India at the end of 2008 and have made several trips back. Shanti Bhavan, which means ‘Haven of Peace,’ is a residential school in south India. The free school offers the best education possible to children from India’s lowest caste, the dalits, enabling the students to dream of becoming doctors and astronauts rather than the rag-picker and cleaner jobs they would have been destined for.

The project began with one man, Dr. Abraham George, and his belief that education can change people’s lives more than anything else. Through his dedication and that of the teachers, they have kept the doors open for 10 years, but recent financial difficulties have halted the intake of any more students.

I was taken with the children’s openness and conviction that anything is possible. They aspire to give back to their communities. It’s a brilliant model for how we can help from the ground up, a model that could be taken not just throughout India but to any country, giving everyone the power of education — something that can be given and never taken away.

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This is a cross-post from Abby Metty’s site, Val’s Children

Val’s Children from Abby Metty on Vimeo.

In 1987, Franklin Val was shot five times during the overthrow of the Dessalines regime in Haiti. As he slowly recovered, he was deeply troubled by the problems and social ills that plagued his country. He made a promise to God that if he lived, he would give his life to ministry and helping the children of Haiti.

That year, with the help of his sister Yrma, Val opened an orphanage in the countryside of Leogane Province, about two hours east of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Val and Yrma were both in their 50s, with families and children of their own. Yet they gave their lives to what they believed God had called them to do to serve their country and His Kingdom.

Val supported the orphanage with his taxi service for international visitors and the press, and also raised support in Canada and the United States. But as Haiti’s government became more and more troubled in the 1980s and 1990s, support dwindled, Val found himself stretched to the limits. Despite the financial struggle to provide food and send the children to school, Val and Yrma continue caring for upwards of 30 children.

Vals Children
Abby Metty

This Video Essay was submitted by Tim Matsui

As the Khmer Rouge trials proceed, Cambodia continues to search for recognition, resolution and healing. The country’s traumas stem from genocide and 30 years of occupation and civil war. Many Cambodians are repeating their traumas, inflicting them upon subsequent generations. One of those stories is human slavery.

These three video clips tell part of that story. This first clip is of Sophea. Educated and of a relatively wealthy background, she is still dogged by seeing the execution of her father by child soldiers. Her trauma persists today. As an outlet for her pain she grew involved with ASEFIP, an organization that works to eliminate sex trafficking in Cambodia and to care for survivors.

Sophea, Khmer Rouge Survivor

Cambodia: Sophea from timmatsui.com on Vimeo.

The second clip is of Srey Neth. Because her family was poor, her mother sold Srey Neth to a pimp at age 14. After years of recovery, she uses her suffering to motivate herself to help others. I met Srey Neth at Transitions Global, which employs a transitional living model. The living center helps victimized teens regain their sense of self, their hopes and dreams, and provides them with education and skills. These young women have opportunities exceeding those of many Cambodians; they go on to become teachers, computer techs and translators. All of this is possible because of James and Athena Pond who founded Transitions Global; working with them was instrumental to my understanding of trafficking in Cambodia and essential to gaining access.

Victim-Survivor Srey Neth

Cambodia: Srey Neth from timmatsui.com on Vimeo.

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How does a great film idea receive the funding to get off the ground and onto the screen? Some succeed with the help of organizations such as Cinereach. The New York-based organization has the simple mission of supporting vital stories artfully told. Its mission is carried out in three ways: giving grants to filmmakers, supporting recent graduates through The Reach Film Fellowship, and producing its own films.

Cinereach has made grants to more than thirty socially relevant film projects, including acclaimed films such “October Country,” “High Rise” and “A Jihad for Love”. The success of these projects is important to Cinereach because, like NEED, it believes in putting a spotlight on important social issues.

still image from Cinereach’s Bronx Princess (a film by Cinereach Grantees Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed) scheduled to air on PBS’ POV series September 22 Read the rest of this entry »

Eco-Surf Volunteers. Photo Courtesy ESV

Sam Bailey was surfing his way up the western coast of Peru last year, taking advantage of the warm waters and hospitality. Crossing into Ecuador, he traveled through beach towns in various stages of development, and arrived in the small town of Canoa on the north coast.

Bailey noticed that in many of the villages, big companies had set up hotels and restaurants without concern for the natural environment or local customs. The fishing village of Canoa, which also catered to surfers, was fairly undeveloped, with most roads still unpaved and electricity that goes out every once in a while. It was obvious to Bailey that tourism was coming to Canoa, but he hoped he could help the villagers build their industry on their own terms.

His idea was to start a camp where college-aged students could learn to surf and take on environmental projects. “Surfing is a solitary sport. Surfers don’t see beyond themselves when they return to the beach,” Bailey says. To change that dynamic, he approached Daniel Velasco, a town leader and fellow surfer who runs a “posada,” or “small hotel,” in Canoa. According to Bailey, Velasco initially feared this was just another way to exploit the village. But Bailey convinced Velasco of his sincerity and assured him the groups would patronize locally-owned hotels and restaurants, spending money in the local economy. Also, each group member would donate money to the local grade school. Velasco agreed to introduce Bailey to the community and helped facilitate what became Eco-Surf Volunteers. Read the rest of this entry »

Euna Lee, top, and Laura Ling. Photo | Yonhap/Associated PressWe at NEED are all very concerned about the two journalists who were detained in North Korea and recently sentenced to 12 years in a prison camp. For more information about this story, read this article recently published in the New York Times. The two journalists were at the border of North Korea reporting on the plight of North Korean refugees. I would encourage readers to learn more about what these journalists were risking their lives to tell the world. I would suggest watching the documentaries Seoul Train or Children of the Secret State to learn more about what the North Korean people are facing. Also, for specific questions about what you can do, contact the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

Inspired by the Bible verse “seek the wellbeing of the city,” Rev. Michael J. O’Connell launched the Jeremiah Program in 1998. Its mission was to help single mothers and their children in Minneapolis, Minnesota move from poverty to a better future.

The program’s successes are quantifiable. For example, most women who enter the program with a high school diploma or GED are earning an average wage of $8 per hour at that time. Two and a half years later, when they graduate with an associate or four-year degree and leave the Jeremiah program, they earn $15 on average. There are plenty of non-quantifiable successes as well. How do you measure the self esteem developed by enhancing one’s life skills? How do you measure what stability means to a child who is now doing well in school?

The program is rigorous. In addition to attending school part-time and working part-time, participants go to biweekly meetings about life skills. The topics range from parenting to healthy relationships to budgeting to academic success. Program participants have a “coach” with whom they meet regularly to evaluate their progress towards their goals. Along with the affordable and safe housing on campus, there is a licensed child development center. The center provides safe and nurturing childcare that prepares children for school. Participants also have access to an employment task force. Read the rest of this entry »

NEED’s co-founder Kelly Kinnunen talked with Josh Jackson, editor-in-chief at Paste Magazine, about Paste’s struggle to keep the much-loved music magazine afloat during the economic downturn. “Save Paste” is the campaign that formed after dedicated readers expressed their concerns about the magazine and asked what they could do to help. Like the “screwtheman | savetheworld” campaign, Save Paste gives power back to readers who love a magazine and don’t want to see it fold.

Kelly: So, why Save Paste?

Josh: We had experienced such a drop in magazine advertisers like a lot of people did over the course of the last year, and we had been trying to react to that from a business standpoint and change our business model quickly, but we just couldn’t quite react quickly enough and we were left with an inability to keep moving forward without a little help. … A couple readers emailed saying “hey, let us know if you ever need help, we don’t want you to go away.” And so we followed their advice and went to them and explained what the need was and just tried to be as transparent as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

photo | Andy Richter
A few months ago NEED spoke with Eric Howell, the director of Ana’s Playground, and wrote a blog regarding Howell’s short film. Here’s an update from the crew:

Click to view the trailer“We’re thrilled to announce that the trailer of Ana’s Playground is available for viewing and downloading. We really wanted to create an exciting glimpse of the scope and caliber of the project while not giving away too much of the story. We truly hope you’re as happy with the results as we are.”

Watch the trailer
Learn more about Ana’s Playground