&ldquo\;We are giving this talk to edu cate our communities since the Western media is not doing enough to cover the genocide. We want to save the lives of our family members\, to stop th e illegal exploitation of our minerals\, to stop the rape of women and chi ldren\, to stop the killing\, to stop the poverty. We want the world to as sist the 110 million CONGOLESE after discovering what is going on.
\nHelp us to stop the genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo . We need everyone&rsquo\;s voice/ action to stop the ongoing war.&rdquo\;
\nFrom the 1960s to today\, around 18\,000\,000 people have be en killed or disabled in the conflict - half of those children under the a ge of five. Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped as a weapon of war. Seventy percent of Congolese live in extreme poverty\, earning less t han $2 per day.
\nCongo is a storehouse of strategic minerals (cobal t\, copper\, zinc\, gold\, diamond\, silver\, magnesium\, germanium\, uran ium\, coltan\, petroleum and many other resources)\, which the internation al community is systematically looting. In this talk\, Noel\, Djems\, and Lois ask the question: when is it time to stop the suffering and how many people should die before the world reacts? Are minerals more valuable than human beings?
\nAbout the speakers:
\n< p>F. Noel Sagna: MS. CMHC from Senegal\, Executive Direct or ASPIR INTERNATIONAL.\nA retired military policeman from the West African country of Senegal\, he served on the force for 13 years\, engagi ng in conflict resolution and peace keeping in the country&rsquo\;s Southe rn Casamance Region. He then worked in Gueckedou\, Guinea where he was a c onsultant for an American NGO\, American Refugee. It was during this time that he founded ASPIR with fellow colleagues and friends. \; Mr. Sagna continued supporting and promoting ASPIR and refugees when the refugee ca mps and operations were relocated from Gueckedou to the neighboring town o f Kissidougou between 1999 - 2001 and returnees from Kailahun\, Koidou\, L umpa camp\, and Freetown Sierra Leone to establish programs in 2001 to 200 4. \;
\nMr. Sagna returned to New Hampshire USA at ASPIR&rsquo\; s headquarters in 2004 to assist caring for his in laws with health issues . While in NH\, he continued advocating and promoting youth refugee succes s and refugee mental health support. He was awarded with a PROCLAMATION of &ldquo\;Francois Noel Sagna Day&rdquo\; at Hillsboro for his Americorps V ista volunteer service on September 11\, 2007. He participates in numerous committees to develop policies to improve refugee/immigrant life.
\nDjems Kwembe: I am an entrepreneur and activist\, passio nate about the development of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I pursued studies in architecture at the Institut Supé\;rieur d&rsquo\;Archite cture et d&rsquo\;Urbanisme (ISAU) in the DRC and am currently continuing my education in Electrical Technology at Community College NH in the US.\n
At the same time\, I am a political actor and an advocate for civic awareness. I actively promote collective consciousness by encouraging ent repreneurship\, social responsibility\, and the emergence of a new generat ion of leaders in the DRC.
\nLois Numbi: MA in glob al policy\, recently graduated from Kinshasa DRC Democratic Republic of Co ngo\, and now living in New Hampshire for nine years. I'm passionate about advocacy and helping others access valuable resources.
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