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Team Congo PDX was formed by Amanda Ulrich in November 2011 after she concluded her own solo fundraiser where she ran/walked a total of 54 miles over 6 weeks and raised a total of $767.
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Between April 2012 - October 2015 Amanda was a Volunteer Ambassador with Women for Women International and as such planned several charity and educational events with regard to their program in Eastern Congo.
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Also in April 2012, she co-founded Oregon Coalition for Humanity (OCH), a local coalition of like-minded organizations whose aim is to bring together individuals and groups working on issues related to human rights atrocities.
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As OCH's Conflict Free City Initiative Campaign Director, on August 26, 2015 Amanda testified before the City of Portland with regard to Resolution 37150, which the City voted unanimously in favor of. Resoluiton 37150 creates financial incentives for companies with whom the city contracts for cellular devices and other key communication equipment to source conflict-free minerals from Congo.
Did you know that your cell phone, laptop, digital camera & MP3 player are fueling violence in Eastern Congo because of the Congo-mined minerals used to make them? If you'd like to help the victims of the conflict, consider joining us in October 2016 when we will once gain run/walk in Cause and Event Portland.
Background information about the conflict:
- More than 5.4 million people have died in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1998. The death toll is the equivalent of a September 11 every 2.5 days.
- Half of these deaths are children under the age of five.
- For women in the Congo, brutal gang rape and torture are a daily reality. Rape is used as a weapon of war.
- Despite these staggering statistics, the women, men and children who survive the violence in Congo emerge not as victims, but rather as survivors and leaders within their communities. They see themselves as mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers.
Almost all of us enjoy using electronics: cell phones, computers, i-pods/mp3 players, video game systems, digital cameras, etc. Contained within all of these devices are minerals mined from eastern Congo (DRC), mainly: tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. Militias from all sides of the conflict in eastern Congo fight to control the mines leaving innocent civilians in the crossfire, mainly women and children.
The worst violence is committed against women; mainly rape as a weapon of war. Rape is used to both control and punish local populations. Most women who are victims of rape/sexual violence are then rejected by their own families and communities, and must somehow rebuild their lives and support their children. Right now every cell phone, laptop, digital camera, and mp3 player you have contains minerals mined from Eastern Congo. The plight of millions of people halfway around the world is directly connected to our use and demand for these electronic devices upon which we have come to rely so heavily. Although there is a growing movement to demand conflict mineral free electronics, and despite that all publically traded electronic companies are now required to make their mineral supply chain transparent, some companies have not yet taken steps to offer conflict free electronics. As the Conflict Free movement continues to grow, you can also help those in Congo through your support of Team Congo PDX.
The women, children and men of Eastern Congo need our help now. Take this opportunity to acknowledge how interconnected our lives are to those in peril in Eastern Congo, and save and impact lives half a world away.
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