Ben Affleck Launches Eastern Congo Initiative Options

[bennifer]

Ben Affleck Launches Eastern Congo Initiative

(IMG:http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6883/benaffleckeasterncongoi.jpg)

Ben Affleck is raising awareness to the troubled African nation of Congo.

The 37-year-old actor has launched the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), an advocacy and grant-making initiative with the mission of helping the Congolese people support local community-based approaches that create a sustainable and successful society in the long-troubled region.

“The situation in eastern Congo has been neglected for far too long – it is one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the world,” said Ben, who returned today from a five-day trip to the region. “I brought together this unique collection of partners in order to bring their experience in humanitarian relief and sustainable development to bear as we focus like never before on local solutions to challenges in this region. Right now, the attention paid to this crisis doesn’t match the needs of those affected by it. We will raise that attention level, and work with the extraordinary Congolese people who are making a positive difference in their own communities.”

To get involved, visit EasternCongo.org!

source HERE

This post has been edited by bennifer: Mar 22 2010, 01:42 PM

[Ben4ever]

Good article (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion033.gif)

Do celebrities in Africa make you cringe? Check out why Ben Affleck gets it right in Congo.

The vast majority of celebrities who get involved in Africa do little more than bring attention to themselves, but Ben Affleck's Congo initiatives actually hire locals and focus on fitting in, not dictating solutions.
Longtime readers of this blog know that I am very cynical about celebrity advocacy in general.
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My eyes glaze over when I see a link to a story about whichever starlet Prendergast is courting to "be a voice for Darfur" or a heartwarming 60 Minutes segment about Madonna becoming one with Malawi's orphans.

For all the talk about "bringing attention" to "neglected crises," the vast majority of celebrities who get involved on the African continent do little more than bring attention to themselves while funding small programs here or there that might or might not do anyone any good.

BLOG: Do we really need white people to 'save' Africa?

All that's to say, this next sentence is going to shock some of you: At least one celebrity is getting it right when it comes to the eastern DRC.
I know. I'm shocked, too.

When I heard that Ben Affleck was headed out to Goma, and that he was starting the Eastern Congo Initiative, I groaned. But the more I'm learning about the organization, the more I'm convinced that the ECI is getting it right. Starting with their mission to promote the hadisi (the Swahili word for “story”) of the people of the eastern Congo.

Every person has the capacity to create their own story. ECI supports local organizations, leaders, and advocates in eastern Congo that are writing a new story for the region.

I'm looking forward to watching what happens as the ECI names a country director and begins funding programs that work.

Every single time I'm in the region, I meet remarkable people who are doing amazing work to rebuild their communities without any outside support. If the ECI can use Affleck's celebrity to raise funds and provide support to those community leaders in a way that empowers and builds up the eastern Congo while helping support the tremendous potential that exists in the region, I'm all for it.

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