Great Lakes Restoration - "Building The Peace"

News and Press Releases Concerning Great Lakes Restoration

CONGO AWARENESS WEEK Success!
Great Lakes Restoration marked the worldwide Congo Week in October with a program of events called Congo Awareness Week designed to call attention to the plight of the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The program was organized and sponsored by the Bukavu Action Team - the GLR student organization at Johns Hopkins University. Information about the past, a review of the current situation and a prospectus for the future of the DRC was presented in conjunction with a fundraising effort in support of Pigs for Peace and other GLR projects.

For additional details on the events of the 2009 Congo Awareness Week use this link: CAW 2009.

For additional details about the work of the Bukavu Action Team and to learn more about how you can help with the Pigs for Peace project please go to our Projects Page.

Great Lakes Restoration Seeks Partners

Since the end of 2006 it has been the policy of the United States and its international partners to increase aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This policy has been pursued in collaboration with the government of the DRC through a joint intervention program designed to create a convergence of efforts in various existing and future development initiatives. Three factors were elaborated as the basis of this program. They are:

Democratizing and stabilizing the political environment;
Pursuing a strategy of reform of the DRC and its institutions; and
Adopting and adapting to international development agendas and standards

These factors, which complement the rationale upon which GLR functions, are the basis of its continuing quest for new partners. Our approach to building a sustainable peace in the DRC emphasizes the need to utilize existing local NGO’s and organizations familiar with the local culture and conditions. We do not waste money on administrative staff and costs such as a permanent American presence, expensive vehicles and travel; rather we fund the necessary direct support costs of our projects. Most importantly, when we speak of infrastructure, we are not speaking about roads and bridges and dams. Infrastructure to GLR means people. Building the Peace, our motto, means giving individuals the tools to hope in the future. It means giving an existing NGO or organization needed resources. Therefore, we think the place to start in this process of saving lives begins with a pig, or a hoe, or some seed so that the people of the region can escape the cycle of violence and poverty in which they have been entrapped for years.

If you or your organization would like to join GLR in this effort, please Contact Us or make a Donation.