Blog: Dispatches from Bukavu and Beyond

Turning Pain to Power, Christine Schuler Deschryver’s TED Talk on City of Joy OUT NOW

Christine Schuler Deschryver’s TED Talk has just been released and is available for viewing.

In the talk entitled “The 5 Tenets of Turning Pain into Power,” Christine details how rape is often used as a weapon in the war over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s vast mineral resources, and how City of Joy helps survivors empower themelves, breaking the destructive cycle that sexual violence often has on individuals and communities.

“The reason for this unrelenting violence is an ongoing proxy war for the country’s vast mineral resources, which are essential to the production of your computers, phones, and electronics. In Congo, rape is a weapon of war used by militias to rip apart our communities resulting in catastrophic sexual violence, political upheaval, displacement, and disease. But the Democratic Republic of Congo is also a place of extreme beauty, lush greenery, and lakes and forests, where anything can grow if you plant it. Our people are beautiful, fierce, and generous. Our women are creative. When they dance, they change the world.”

Christine Schuler Deschryver,
Co-Founder & Director of City of Joy & V-Day Congo

We want to make sure that everyone sees Christine’s TED Talk, and we need your help. Our team has prepared a toolkit with sample copy, reel and images. These can be used across your social media platforms, for e-blasts to your networks, etc. Please share everywhere!

With love & solidarity,
All of us at V-Day

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