Early this year, NASA noticed from satellite imagery that something seemed awry in the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The imagery revealed systematic burning of whole villages. SowHope supports projects to empower women in seven of the villages in the targeted district.
The President of SowHope Mary Dailey Brown, determined to see if the projects were affected, met with two of our partners from the area. They reported that yes, all of the villages had been attacked by terrorists. Tragically, in one village, nine pregnant women at the birthing center were brutally murdered in the night, along with the nurse who refused to leave them. While the media attributed all of the violence to tribal fighting, our partners were adamant that outsiders had been brought in by the DRC president to destabilize the region ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. They were certain because, over the years, our partners have been forming farming cooperatives and building birthing centers to bring warring tribes together. The tribes now know each other very well.
Conditions in the developing world make it extremely hard for people to thrive. Despite the challenges, this entire region has been prospering like never before and there is peace among the tribes. The economy continues to grow from the microfinance and cooperative farming projects sponsored by SowHope. These leaders are resolute to get the people back to their villages to harvest the crops and rebuild their homes. The president recently withdrew from the election. There is hope.