Volunteering at the City of Joy
The outpouring of love and support for the women of Congo has been incredibly moving for all of us at V-Day.
Many of you have written, offering your time and expertise to the women of the City of Joy. The City of Joy is fully staffed by a talented, local Congolese staff. Volunteers are not needed, however your support can make a huge difference.
Please consider volunteering at a local rape crisis center in your community, or raising funds for the City of Joy instead.
Get Educated
Cause & Effect of War in Congo
While an underlying cause of this regional war is its history of brutal colonialism, the genesis of the current conflict in the DRC is the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by a Hutu regime touting Hutu Power ideology. When a Tutsi government took over Rwanda, the genocide spilled over the Rwandan borders as the Hutu “genocidaires” who committed the atrocities in Rwanda fled into DRC. Since that time, a regional proxy war – the largest since WWII and involving Angolan, Zimbabwean, Ugandan, Namibian, Burundian, and Rwandan troops – has been fought on Congolese soil.
Conflict between warring militias over the regions mineral-rich land, political/ethnic power, and its vast natural resources has claimed 6 million lives in the DRC through armed conflict, hunger, and disease.
Since we fist began our campaign, access to information on the ongoing conflict in the DRC has grown exponentially. We encourage you to visit the following links for more information (and varying perspectives) on the Congo, and grassroots work V-Day stands in solidarity with:
Activists Rising for Congo
With true V-Day spirit, many activists around the world have taken on the cause of raising awareness about and funds for the City of Joy. Some are climbing mountains, others bringing their communities together. All of them are making a huge impact.
See what our activists have been up to:
Coco McDermott and Arielle Eshel
Georgina Miranda
Resources
Organize a V-Day Event
Organize a V-Day Benefit Production in your school or community, visit http://www.vday.org/organize-event
Sign Up For Updates from the City of Joy
Stay connected with us about the center, campaign and other V-Day initiatives by subscribing to email updates
Donate
The City of Joy and V-Day’s Congo related work would not be possible without the generosity and love of countless individuals around the world. Whether through multi-year grants or small, one-time donations, our donors have dug deep and given their all. They are a huge part of the story. Please consider joining us.
PLEASE NOTE: At this time, we are unable to accept clothes, medical supplies, and other goods.
If you are interested in donating by check, please mail it to:
V-Day Congo Campaign*
4104 24th Street
#4515
San Francisco, CA 94114
Please make checks out to “V-Day” and write “DRC” in the memo line.
*Note, this is our new mailing address, please update your records.
V-Day is a California 501(c)(3) public charity.
Tax ID number: 94-3389430
You can also donate online here.
Contact
For inquiries related to the City of Joy, please send us an email.
Please note that due to the volume of emails we receive we are unable to respond to all inquiries. We encourage you to spend time exploring the website to seek answers to questions you may have. Thank you for your interest and support!