Falling Whistles Campaign

I've always been a huge Beatles fan.  My father taught me early on that the best band ever to grace God's green Earth was the lovable quartet from England.  Even though I was born well after they had the highest points in their career, I still loved them.  Everyone always has a favorite from every band--mine was John Lennon.  He was simply amazing.  Many people think Yoko Ono completely changed him, but I think that he felt free with her--and for one to be able to feel completely like themselves, that is a positive thing. 

One of my favorite songs of all time is 'Imagine' by John Lennon.  I think the lyrics are beautiful and ring true to today.  I dream about a day where there is no war and people are living for the day.  It's inevitable that there will be chaos in this world, but John dreamed about a world where we could all get along.  This is one reason that I enjoy helping others--I like to bring a little piece of peace to others.  For this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for so much (my husband, my family, my friends, having a job, my dogs, my health, etc.), but I am also thankful for those in this world who work so diligently to bring peace to others; those people are truly special.

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Today, I have decided to feature an organization that focuses on bring freedom and peace to Congo.  Congo is home to one of the most endless wars of all time.  There is a constant war going on and many children are being sent into harm's way with no training whatsoever.  They are simply looked upon as disposable.  Congo boasts a population of about 63 million people in the heart of Africa.  There is a record of human devastation in Congo that is unmatched in human history since World War II.  The organization invites you to become a whistleblower for peace.  They sell whistles (quite fashionable if I may say so myself) as a symbol of protest against the problems in the area.

Falling Whistles Campaign// www.fallingwhistles.com

The organization thinks the best way to solve the problem is by building visionaries within the communities to help end this deadly war.

The Falling Whistles Campain was birthed in 2008 after the founders met 5 boy soldiers in eastern Congo who were former child soldiers held in a military camp.  One of the boys told a story of how they used to be sent into the frontlines of war armed only with a whistle.  The Falling Whistles journal was written after hearing this story and sent to about 80 friends and family members that the founders knew.  Those individuals then told others about this issue, and this caused numerous people asking 'How can we help?'.  The founders have not been quiet about the issue since then.  They started at their home with no money (the web site says $5), no office and no idea of how to help.  They literally launched this campaign for peace from their garage.

Falling Whistles Campaign// www.fallingwhistles.com

One of the founders hitchhiked from Austin, Texas to New York City telling everyone about the mission of the organization.  This inspired 3 college students to ride from Florida to California telling even more about this issue.  The word spread like wildfire.  To date, the organization is represented by over 55,000 whistleblowers, 8 visionaries in Congo, 200 retail partners, 35 Congressmen and 16 Senators.  They plan to keep building awareness of the issue in Congo and to ultimately end this issue in Congo.

The web site provided the following examples as what has been accomplished thus far with the partnerships built in Congo:

• The rehabilitation of 400 street children and former child soldiers in Goma and the Masisi District of North Kivu.
•  Orthopedic surgeries for 260 disabled children in Rutshuru District of North Kivu.
•  Domestic production and distribution of 330,000 low-cost malaria treatments, using quinine harvested on Idjwi Island.
•  Construction of a 159-vendor Peace Market in Mumosho village in South Kivu.
• The establishment of South Kivu’s first haircare training school run exclusively for female stylists.
•  The creation of an innovative SMS-based election monitoring system that generated over 200 real-time reports from citizen-journalists in three provinces.
•  Trials for rape victims to bring their attackers to justice.
•  A reconciliation festival bringing together individuals from Burundi, Rwanda and Congo toward the common goal of peace.

Read more about this issue and the history of the War in Congo on the Falling Whistles Campaign web site!  Donate to the cause and buy a whistle and wear it proudly around your neck.  Tell others about this issue and work to save those suffering from the effects of this war.