Congocast.org - tune in / change the world

Updates

date: 3.01.10 / posted by Evan

I received an email after my last blog from a rep at attentionusa.com.  They are a NYC PR firm working to help get the word out about Reporter, last year’s documentary by Eric Daniel Metzgar about Nicholas Kristof that premiered at Sundance in 2009.  It will be airing on HBO this month and they offered to send us a screener so we could check it out.

Here is the trailer:

The film follows Kristof (@NickKristof) as he travels in and around Goma (in the province of North Kivu) as he looks for a story that will bring the world’s attention to the plight facing the Congolese people.  The film is composed of three themes–one part treatise on the psychology of human compassion, one part raw examination of the DR Congo crisis, and one part snapshot of the flailing newspaper industry.  The sum of these parts is a riveting documentary which sheds light on the nature of the issues facing the DR Congo while it attempts to put a face to the crisis it examines.

USING SIMPLICITY TO AWAKEN ABILITY

Metzgar begins his film with a short quote:

“If I look at the mass, I will never act.  If I look at the one, I will.” – Mother Teresa

The director examines the science behind compassion, noting that as NGO’s try to raise support for issues, the more complex their message gets, the harder it is to get people to act. I know as I hear the stats about Congo, hear rape stories, see children starving, that I begin to find myself overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the situation.  Kristof knows that if he can find that ONE right story during his visit to the DRC, he could expose the world to it’s slumber of inaction and hopefully reveal to them their ability to do something.

Whether he finds his story will be up to you.  But I think of all the films I have seen on the DRC in the last four years, the story he does find vividly shows the collateral damage caused by the 16 year war being fought in the Congo.  When the death toll from any war rises into the millions, the bulk of the perished are not from violence.  But, unfortunately violence sells.  Starvation and disease that result from growing instability never become a headline–and Kristof is actively working to change that.

ATTENTION VS. ACTION

I think the most inspiring thing about the piece for me, was the revelation that just because an issue is receiving attention doesn’t mean the cause has found it’s voice.  Kristof was one of the first journalists to begin shining his light on the conflict in Darfur early last decade.  He would repeatedly write stories about the injustice facing the Sudanese people until someone listened.  One woman interviewed in the film points out that repetition can be a fear of journalists.  You want to have breaking news.  But writers that were continuous in their denouncement of the Holocaust during WWII were not derided later for their repetition.  Their voice was necessary to ending the horror occurring at that time, and the same is true for humanitarian disasters like Congo and Darfur today.  Attention does not equal action.

Enough cannot be said.

The chorus must get louder.

I definitely recommend that if you have HBO, you check this film out, as it will surely leave an impression.  Hopefully it will add to a growing chorus working to help the Congolese people leave this war behind them.

date: 2.09.10 / posted by Evan

When I saw her picture my first thought was, “there is no way that is her…”

Saturday night as I was wrapping up my work, I stopped to check my twitter feed. As I opened my favorite twitter client I saw at the top of the list a tweet from Nicholas Kristof. If you don’t know who Nicholas is, he is one of the few international journalists today that is championing the cause of the Congolese people in his writings and work. He is a voice laboring to fill the knowledge gap of the uninformed about the terrible things facing the DR Congo. I had started following Kirstof on twitter after I saw that he was the subject of the Ben Affleck produced film on the DR Congo called “The Reporter” last year.

His tweet said: “The World Capital of Killing, Congo, and a heroic doctor and patient there: my Sun column, http://nyti.ms/aIutFe“

So I clicked…

A FAMILIAR FACE

As Kristof’s NYT article began to load, I noticed it was about Panzi Hospital.  He had interviewed a rape survivor named Jeanne Mukuninwa along with Dr. Denis Mukwege, the doctor working to help put her life back together. The story was similar to what we saw in Episode 7 of the podcast. But, as I looked at the picture of the woman at the top of Kristof’s article, something seemed familiar. Was she one of the women we interviewed at the Panzi hospital in 2007? But what would she still be doing there 3 years later? Maybe it wasn’t her? She looked a bit happier. Her hair was done, it had been straightened.  She was different, more put together.  I knew that in Episode 8 of our video podcast we had shown part of an interview we shot at the Panzi Hospital with a woman we thought was named Jan. But could this be her?

So I went back to the original interview we had shot. I scrubbed the clips and found the one where our translator asked the young woman’s name. Sure enough, she stated it was Jeanne Mukuninwa (I had mis-spelled the name as my french is bad).

If you read the New York Times article by Kristof, you will notice two things about Jeanne that have happened over time.  1) She looks like she is doing better than she was in our interview in 2007.  2) She is back at Panzi hospital because she was raped again after she returned to her village.

Nothing makes me more angry than that last statement.  How could that happen–again?

ALIVE AS COMPARED TO LIVING

As exciting as it was to see that she appeared to be doing better, I am reminded that this conflict is seemingly far from over.  Many of these women, once their surgeries are complete, return to their villages only to be raped again.  It is unsafe.  And yet, they go back.  Why?  Because their families are there.  Their lives are there.  They grew up there.  So they return – only to revisit the horrors they had escaped by coming to Panzi.

I know I’ve said it over and over again, but you can help.

• PRAY: Pray for this conflict to end.  The evil perpetrating this madness is more than a group of men. Maybe you don’t pray…
• DONATE: Find a charity that is making a difference and give what you can (Some are listed under our links here).  But maybe you don’t have any money…
• EDUCATE: Yourself, your family, your friends, your facebook buddies & your twitter followers – you don’t have an excuse to not update your status and tell people what is happening.

If you would like to find out more ways you can get involved – visit http://www.enoughproject.org.  They are an incredible resource on activism and can provide a great way for you to learn more about how you can make a difference and educate yourself on the issues.

Hearing what has happened to Jeanne in this article was devastating.  It could inspire a sense of hopelessness.  But I don’t think that is what the Congolese people would want from you or me.  It was a huge encouragement to see her face again.  To see that she is still alive.  To see that her hair is straitened and cut.  That is a simple thing, but is speaks to me that she is not just alive but she is living.  Could I do the same in the face of such obstacles?  Could you?

Jeanne’s story, past and present, reminds me that the spirit of the Congolese people is strong.

It reminds me that many of these rape victims are not just alive,

They are living.

They are fighters.

And that the living are worth fighting for.

date: 2.06.10 / posted by Evan

So today, I’m going back through the 17 episodes we made of the Congocast podcast over the last three years to begin the process of cutting it down into a rough cut for a film. The hardest part about this is figuring out where to start! Right now when you back the 17 episodes we have up end to end the entire video piece is about 2 hours and 24 minutes in length!

The first step is to just start pulling things out and see what is left and whether it makes sense! I have an additional 60 hours of footage from last years trip waiting in the wings – but I thought to get the process rolling again I could start by editing something I’m more familiar with.

I’ll continue updating the congocast.org site as I get more into the process of turning this crazy project into a film! So check in again soon as I will be using this blog to update you on things that are happening in the Congo activist community and the progress I am making in cutting the film together!

- Evan

date: 2.02.10 / posted by Evan

Well, it has been quite a bit of time since I’ve been at work on the Congocast.org project! Sorry for long wait!

Editing on the Congocast project has restarted. Thanks to the help of some awesome volunteers this past fall, we have gotten all of our footage from our trip last year into the computer (it was giving us quite a bit of trouble). It is ready now to be edited, so we will keep you updated as the process of doing post production unfolds. To start, I’m currently taking all 17 episodes and putting them together in a single video project to see what happens. Right now the whole thing is 2 hours and 24 minutes long!

(Here is a shot of the what the video timeline looks like with that much footage on it.)

So needless to say, cutting this video into a longer format project is going to be some work – not to mention adding in the new footage that we shot last year to wrap the whole thing up! I’ll check in again soon as we start to make progress!

- Evan

date: 10.17.09 / posted by Evan

Today CNN is running a lead story on the continued conflict in the DR Congo (READ the article). It highlights the fact that the battle in the DRC is far from over and speaks to the growing number of rapes being used to crush the population of a country that has seen war since 1998.

A new staggering statistic from the article reveals that over the course of this conflict nearly 200,000 women have been raped.

That is two times the population of Wilmington, NC.

I have met some of these women.

I have become friends with them.

That number leaves me silent.

But we can’t be silent. That is the last thing we should do. We have voices that can be used to make a difference. We have voices that can be used to end this conflict. We can call for an end to violence against women. I hope that this article resonates with you the way that it has with me.

If you would like more information about how you can help in the DR Congo – visit enoughproject.org to find out how you can make a difference today.

Thank you CNN for running this article today!

date: 9.26.09 / posted by Evan

Six months ago today, I returned from the DRC with 60 hours of footage and the big question mark of what to do next now that I was done with the “Production” piece of this project.

Since then I’ve become a father, finished the podcast, and had the help of a few generous friends to sift through all that footage. I’m excited to tell you that we are almost at the end of that part of the process! We have almost logged the 60 hours of new footage and I am capturing it to my computer as I write this! Soon we will be able to begin editing the EPILOGUE to the podcast which is the first step toward eventually working on a longer format piece.

Below are a few pictures of a recent “footage day” we had to help get this video into the computer so we can show you what happened on our most recent trip (which does not seem like it was 6 months ago)! I can’t wait for you to see it and share with you the awesome experience we had back in March!

Here are some pics of people volunteering to log tapes:

Rachael logging footage

Parrish logging footage

Joey logging footage

A special thanks to Luke, Joey, Parrish, Rachael, and Casey for volunteering their time to help get this footage ready to edit!

See you all back here soon!

Evan

date: 9.17.09 / posted by Evan

We are almost finished with the process of logging the tapes from our trip in March – and capture should start by next week. It has taken a long time – but as you may have read with the recent addition to my family – time and the way that it now works in my life is up for redefinition!

Our editing/capturing/logging team is hoping to have the new episode up in the next two months – so we will update you all here on the blog and via the newsletter once that happens.

Thank you all for your support and I can’t wait for you to see some of the footage we got on our most recent trip to the DR Congo!

date: 8.19.09 / posted by CongoCast Team

It has been a bit of time since we had a post here on the Congocast website!

Here are a few things that have been going on behind the scenes the past two months:

- Since the team got back from DR Congo in March, we have been hard at work logging the footage from the trip.  We have about 60 hours that we shot while we were there – so we will update you as we get closer to having all this footage ready for editting!

- After finishing Episode 17 of the podcast in June, Evan, the director of the podcast, and his wife had their first baby (a boy) this summer!  So he has been taking a break from the podcast as he and the family get used to being 3 instead of 2.  He is slowly working his way back into working on the Podcast Epilogue and then shifting his attention to working on putting the whole documentary podcast into a single film.

- Robin has been hard at work getting things moving with the non-profit she helped start called the Bukavu Foundation.  Look to hear more about this project as we begin to work together with the Bukavu Foundation in the coming year to help bring change to the DRC.

So that’s about it for today… now that we are gearing things back up here at the Congocast – make sure you stay up with the blog as we will begin to update it regularly with information about the EPILOGUE and FILM PROJECT as well as ways that you can get involved in the DR Congo through organizations that are working hard to end the conflict!

date: 6.25.09 / posted by Evan

Over the last week, Robin and I did an interview with Jacob Nahin, a writer for Tubefilter.tv – and online magazine about streaming video and podcast projects. Jacob did a great job relaying the issues and heart behind the podcast. We want to send out a huge thanks to Jacob and the team at Tubefilter for shining their light on what is happening in the DR Congo with us!

You can check out the article here:

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/06/25/congocast-gripping-web-series-doc-on-a-mission/

date: 5.22.09 / posted by Evan

So now that we have Episode 17 online – we have been working hard to get the Epilogue Episode online. The only thing standing in the way has been the mountain of tapes that we brought back with us from Congo in March! Luke Pearson and I shot about 60 hours of footage–bringing the grand total for this project to roughly 220 hours of footage shot so far!

Needless to say–we are excited about what lies on these tapes and can’t wait to see how the next phase of this project will progress! I will keep you all up to date online through our congocast.org blog as we work on turning this project into some longer format pieces – so stay tuned to the website as things are developing!

Hopefully we will be able to get the Epilogue online soon (with footage from our most recent trip in March!), so watch out for that as well…

AND if you haven’t had a chance to check out Episode 17, you can watch it here, and don’t be afraid to embed it in your Facebook or MySpace page – we want to keep getting the word out about the DR Congo!

date: 5.09.09 / posted by Evan

For those of you that download the episodes through the iTunes music store – we have cleared up the issue we were having last week with the RSS feed linking to our iTunes podcast page. You can now download the podcast through the store without any issues. If you need a link to our page on the store click here to go to iTunes.

If you have never downloaded the podcast in this way – now is a great time to check it out. You can download all of the episodes to your iTunes library and convert them in iTunes to sync with your iPod or iPhone to take on the go and share on the road!

date: 5.02.09 / posted by Evan

We are having an issue with the Podcast on iTunes since putting up EPISODE 17. The issues should be resolved soon – but if you downloaded EPISODE 17 through iTunes on either Friday or Saturday, you may have to re-download once it is working again. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!

date: 4.30.09 / posted by Evan

Finally, Episode 17 (our last full episode of the Congocast.org podcast) is live. Please watch and share – more about the episode and our upcoming movie will be posted here on the site soon – so check back regularly!

date: 4.22.09 / posted by Evan

Just a quick update. We have been trying to get Episode 17 (our last full episode) online by this Wednesday (April 22nd). We have been pushing hard to get it done – but it looks like it will actually be completed at the end of the week. We will update everyone here on the site and via the newsletter when the episode goes live. Check back soon for Episode 17 and more information about what will be happening next with the podcast as we wrap up with EP 17 and an EPILOGUE Episode that will be coming in May!

date: 4.07.09 / posted by Evan

I have received many questions in the past from viewers of our podcast about the role of missions in Africa. Some comments have been from atheists wondering whether missionaries can truly have an impact. I came to my own conclusions on these questions mostly from what I have seen, felt, touched, and experienced going to the DR Congo and working with missionaries there on the ground.

But recently a friend shared this article with me by an atheist that offered an interesting perspective on the role of missions in a war torn Africa:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

Food for thought…

date: 3.30.09 / posted by robin

We are now back from Congo and I wanted to thank everyone for your prayers and letters of support!  It was such a whirlwind trip – I don’t know that I have ever been that busy while in Congo.  It was like a blinked and it was time to leave, but I am sorry I did not write more while there.

It was probably the most encouraged I have been leaving Congo, and the Lord blessed me so richly by showing how He has really healed some of these women and wiped away their tears – something they would not have thought possible if it were offerred to them 3 years ago.  I saw and believe that the Lord rescues, heals and is close to the oppressed and hurting, it just takes a little while sometimes and comes in ways we don’t expect.  The highlight of the trip was a “graduation” we held for women who are now ready to stand on their own.  I thought we would graduate one woman – Faida – as she no longer needs rent help, school fees for her children, or food support, but after I pitched the idea of a party for each woman as she becomes ready to support herself, two other women came forward and said that they too are ready to leave behind the aid they have been getting and stand on their own!  We had a big party for these ladies and invited friends and family and pastors, and it was really a time to testify to the Lord’s faithfulness.  It was one of the best days of my life, hands down.

I saw standing before me women who are changed and were honestly testifying that they have forgotten what has happened to them.  That is something too wonderful for me to imagine.  They talked about how the Lord heard their cries and answered them.  Thank you for being a part of this journey – your prayers and support over the years have been used to dramatically change many lives, including my own!

Robin

date: 3.23.09 / posted by Evan

Well, the trip is officially coming to a close. I will be posting some of our pics and more about what we have gotten to experience once I am back on the ground in the US later this week. We are excited about what we have gotten to be a part of here and can’t wait to share our experiences when we get back!

The movie that we are planning to put together is really shaping up to be something special! Thank you again for all of your prayers and support while we have been abroad in the DRC!

date: 3.22.09 / posted by Evan

So our time in the DRC is coming to a close. We have one more full day on the ground – and hopefully we can get it all ironed out before we leave. God has really provided for us on this trip – and I can’t wait to see what it is that we have when we get started editing!

The other day we were at a local church and we were listening to some friends play music and sing. The Congolese have amazing voices. Music runs deep in their blood. As we sat and listened I noticed that there was a young woman sewing a dress at a manual sewing machine. She was cutting out the pattern for the dress on the table near our friends playing music.

As she was working on the dress, I noticed something that fascinated me. She was doing it without a pattern. She would mark the dress by hand – where she would need to cut – where she would need to measure. I remembered that my mother always had a pattern to go on when she would make clothes. But this woman was doing it all from her head. The pattern, its’ final shape, its’ dimensions, every stitch and fold was locked away inside – and I was getting to watch her unearth what would soon be a beautiful dress.

I realize now that the problem of Congo is much the same. The answer does not lie in help from abroad (although the help we give is hugely necessary and I have seen first hand what it can do). The answer to the problems Congo faces are within the Congo.

Yesterday, I had the honor of attending a graduation for three women who had been victims of rape. They had worked hard and found a way to support themselves and this was a celebration to honor that achievement. In their most desperate time of need they had turned to God. Through a local church they had begun the process of recovery – emotionally, spiritually, and fiscally, from the trauma that they had endured.

It was nearly two years ago that I got to first meet them – and now they were holding their heads high on this day of celebration. They had relied on God – and he unlocked within them something new. Forgiveness. Hope. Love. They said that because of the changes in their lives – their past had been forgotten. The answer to their problem had come from above. God is in the Congo and I think in being here you can see that He is the only one with the answers.

date: 3.19.09 / posted by CongoCast Team

In attempt to escape the chaos of Congolese Children curious to see strange people, we drove our Mitsubishi mini van down a long dirt road into rural Congo.  We ate avocado and cheese sandwiches, drank coke from a bottle and goofed off.  When we finished eating, Robin couldn’t turn the van around on the narrow path so we had to drive further.  We came into a clearing and we got to see one of the most beautiful sights we’ve seen since we’ve been here.  Lush green mountains sweeping down into a deep valley with a river flowing through it.  All we could do was sit on the ridge and stare at it.

date: 3.18.09 / posted by Evan

By far one of the coolest experiences we have had thus far was sitting across from some of the women that Robin and Wendy had worked with in Congo and getting to show them episodes from the podcast. To see them laugh, talk and share about what the podcast meant to them was incredible. To hear about how they had changed, that they could see the changes that they had experienced, how they now weighed more, that they were healthier, how they had come so far – made every second spent on this podcast we have done completely and undeniably worth while.

date: 3.16.09 / posted by Evan

The human pinball. That is what it feels like to ride in a car in Congo. I feel like someone is getting points every time we ride through a bumpy patch and I hit my head on the ceiling. I can hear the “BING” “BING” “BING” sound as 200 points go up on the board and Robin who is driving yells back to those of us clutching what we can find – “Poli Sana! (I’m Very Sorry)”.

I think to myself, “Robin! Poli, Poli! (Slowly!)” – lest I become another high score in this game of human pinball.

One of our pastor friends here talks about how the roads in Congo used to be good. They were so good in fact he said you could drop a french fry on the ground and pick it up and still eat it.

Driving around Congo now feels like visiting a place that time forgot. The infrastructure has deteriorated so much in the city we are in that the potholes we try to avoid in America are the norm and any even terrain is a blessed reprieve.

But it has been a good reminder that things in Congo were not always like this. This used to be a major tourist destination. You can still see the big houses people probably used as their summer homes. But being here, meeting the people, getting to know new friends, and to see the work that they are doing – I know that it can be like it once was.

The challenge is to look at it with a different set of eyes. I try to see Congo from my low human perspective. Sometimes all I see is the bumpy road, the victimized women, the destitute children – and I wonder can it be fixed? But I am looking at it with my own eyes. From my perspective on the ground.

What if I could see it from God’s perspective? What would I see then? I might see that the work that the people we are meeting here will indeed make a difference. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But slowly (Poli, Poli) – I believe that it will.

date: 3.15.09 / posted by Evan

It was only about a month ago that we decided to go on this trip – so we had a very small window to get organized before we left. As we were getting ready I had a very strong feeling that there was no way to have everything worked out before we got here. We had a very loose idea of what we wanted to get. But to come to Congo is not a hop and a skip from the US – it’s more of a jump, a leap, and then strap on your rocket pack and you will land there in about 36 hours. So the investment was weighing heavy on me to have it figured out before we got here.

When we arrived I wanted to organize. So, on day two we tore up a pad of paper and wrote the dates we will be here on each sheet. Then we created a bunch of other sheets with different things we hoped to accomplish, creating a make-shift calendar on one of the walls in the house we are in (if you have read this blog in the past you know that this is how I stay pseudo-organized). But I was still feeling like I couldn’t have everything in place.

Have you ever hoped that you were doing the right thing – but you weren’t totally sure that you were? I remember once reading in the Bible that Jonathan, the son of the king of Israel was going to battle with an enemy – and all he had with him was his servant. And so they’re sitting on the side of this hill – and the guys that they’re there to fight are on the other side. And then Jonathan says the strangest thing to his servant… he says “Let’s do this – Perhaps God will be with us.”

I read that, and was thinking “What???”

“Perhaps the Lord will be with us!”

Then these two guys go over the hill to the small army on the otherside and defeat them all.

I think that I felt the same way when I came to Congo this time. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. Did we really need to come back? Will we find something new that will help tell the story of the people of Congo? Perhaps God will provide?

So far He has. We have been getting things that we never expected!

date: 3.14.09 / posted by Evan

If you have watched any of the episodes of the Congocast (Episode 9 to be exact) – we are officially experiencing crazy Congo! We’ve had a few visitors in our house (a chicken and a cat have both tried to make themselves at home – Erin, our writer on the trip, has named the furry feline “Edgar”)… but that was just the start!

We had our first rain day yesterday. It was beautiful as we drove up a ridge allowing us to see an incredible vista of the city. The panorama also afforded us a view of the approaching rain bands as they climbed the hills in the distance. We were attempting to find one of the people we will be interviewing while we are here (when cellphones are not prevalent tracking people down can be very difficult). As we got further up the hill the small drops of rain transformed into a torrential downpour.

*NOTE: This is not a good thing when the city you are in has no roads – but mud paths that look like BMX moguls.

With little notice we were sliding around on the incline, the tires spinning, the van swerving back and forth. Robin did her best to control the rented 4×4 mini-van – but suddenly we landed ourselves sideways across both sides of the muddied path a few feet from skidding off the road and into a ditch where a small wooden home sat.

We began to push the car from behind – hoping that we wouldn’t slide further towards the ditch. After pushing and not getting anywhere we realized that the car was never in four wheel drive! So we threw it into 4×4 and began the trip down the mountain.

Needless to say we are happy to have gotten off that hillside without injury! We had to take the car to the shop today because our little adventure was a little too much wear and tear for our van. In took all afternoon for them to fix the “click, click” sound that it was making. We’re not sure if it is totally fixed – but the pastor that we are working with here told us the roads in Congo will not let up that easy!

We also tracked a colossal amount of mud into the van. We apologized to our Pastor here, and he informed us that the mud we tracked into the car was a blessing because we had brought it there. Then we joked with him that we hoped to not bless the car in the same way again. Congolese hospitality is beyond measure.

More soon from the DR Congo!

date: 3.13.09 / posted by CongoCast Team

date: 3.09.09 / posted by CongoCast Team

So we are now at the Dulles International Airport. We are going in with a small team to hopefully finish up the Congocast project and figure out the next steps for the women that Robin and Wendy worked with while they lived in the DR Congo. As I write this Robin and the rest of our team are trying to get some sleep on the floor of our gate awaiting our flight out of the country – and back to the DRC.

I’m amazed by the premise that I will be arriving back in Congo soon. I was given the opportunity to visit once before for this project about a year and a half ago – and the experience is still a part of my psyche. But since then, like all things – the memories have been dulled – and the emotions have been softened by that great arbiter of forgetfulness – time.

My hope for this trip is that those feelings of hope that I left with so long ago will once again arise. It’s not that they ever left – but the noise and busyness of our culture at home serve as a colossal distraction sometimes to what it is that is truly important. Our goal with this project has been to help raise the awareness of the humanitarian situation in the DRC – but my hope for this trip is that we will see more than the needs of a nation – but that in the stillness of the chaos that Congo offers – we will see not just the story of a people in need – but the story of our Creator and how his hand is shaping the lives of these people abroad. We will try and write again soon… (if we can find someplace to do so!)

TUNE IN / CHANGE THE WORLD 

date: 2.24.09 / posted by Evan

As you may have seen – we have decided to delay the release of Episode 17. We found out recently that we would have an opportunity to travel back to the DRC to get more footage for this project. We will be using much of what we film on this upcoming trip to help finish a longer format project that we hope to release later this year.

We will be finishing Episode 17 in the near future – but have decided on this delay so that we can prepare for our upcoming trip back to the DR Congo. We will update you again soon with more info about our journey back to the DRC! Check back to the congocast.org to find out when Episode 17 will be finished – or sign up for our newsletter and we will let you know when we have posted it online.

date: 1.28.09 / posted by Evan

We have posted our second to last episode of the video podcast online. Check it out now or get caught up on past episodes on our episodes page at http://www.congocast.org/episodes.php

date: 1.26.09 / posted by Evan

Check back to the site Wednesday – we will have our new episode online!

It has been a long road to get to this point (only 2 Episodes left!), but there is more story to be told than these last two videos have – so stay tuned to find out what the next step for the Congocast is!

date: 1.10.09 / posted by Evan

The next episode of the video podcast is coming as promised this month. We had initially intended to have it online mid January – but will have to delay the release of the episode as we are waiting on finishing some translation as we work to complete the editing process. Please keep checking back in the coming weeks as we hope to post the final two episodes this month and in February.

Thank you for watching the Congocast Podcast and please continue to tell people about the situation facing the people of the Eastern DRC!

date: 11.26.08 / posted by Evan

Congocast Episode 15 is now online!  We will be emailing everyone on our lists to let them know.  Please pass this episode along to your friends – the podcast is in its last few episodes – so don’t miss it!  You can check out Episode 15 at the link below:

http://www.congocast.org/episode15.php

date: 11.25.08 / posted by Evan

The new episode (No. 15) will be arriving sometime on Tuesday (probably night) – so stay tuned as we will be getting it online as soon as possible!

date: 11.03.08 / posted by Evan

We have decided to move Episode 15 to November 25th to give us more time to work on it.  Check back to the site as we approach the date for more information.

date: 10.29.08 / posted by Evan

We will be working to get Episode 15 of the video podcast online by November 18th.  Please continue to pass along the podcast and pray for the Congolese people as the conflict in DR Congo seems to be escalating (Check the newsticker at the top of the page for the latest news).

date: 10.14.08 / posted by Evan

It has been a long wait – but EP 14 is finally online.  You can check it out above or on the page for the episode!  More info to come soon!

date: 10.06.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Our next Episode (No. 14) will be online on October 13th, 2008.  We hope that you will tune in as we begin the ramp up to the end of our story!

date: 9.08.08 / posted by Evan

It has been a while since the last episode went online – however – we have been working on it and our next episode will be on it’s way in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned to the website for the date of the next episode!

date: 8.03.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

There is a new post over on our blog by the director of the podcast Evan Vetter.  Check it out – and find out some behind the scenes info on Episode 13, as he explains why we are doing the congocast project.

Visit the BLOG

date: 7.28.08 / posted by Evan

A Quick little update – Episode 13 is finally online!

You can check it out above – also we have posted a new page on the site called “Stories” where you can go to watch unedited interviews with the people of the Congo – hopefully giving you a deeper insite in to the conflict and their lives.  You can check that out at http://www.congocast.org/stories/

We will post more about this episode and send out a newsletter and blog later in the week – so stay tuned!

Evan

date: 7.24.08 / posted by Evan

Whew – things have been crazy lately!  We finally got in to our new building over the last few weeks – and now things are running smoothly.

Episode 13 was promised today – and it has been edited.  However, we are waiting to make sure all of the translation is correct before we post it.  Our regular Swahili translator is out of the country right now – so as we try and find one here in Wilmington, NC (anyone know one?) – we hope that you can wait patiently for EP13.

We want to make sure we have the words correct as they are being said (we strive for accuracy) so we thank you so much for your patience!  Hopefully we will have it figured out this weekend!

date: 7.08.08 / posted by Evan

Our next episode (Episode 13) will be going online on July 24th.

We had originally scheduled Episode 13 for July 10th, however, many of us that are producing the Congocast have been in the process of moving our church that we work and volunteer at into our new building (moving from six locations to one is a lot of work and really exciting!) and therefore will have to delay the episode until July 24th.

Please check back regularly as we update the site at least once a week, especially through our blog.  Thank you for your help and support and for spreading the word about what is happening in the DRC!

date: 6.26.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Normally we wouldn’t be writing about what actor Ben Affleck is doing here on the Congocast website – however – he was on ABC’s “Nightline” tonight to talk about his latest trip to Goma in the Eastern DRC (he has been three time in the past year). We will post more about this news story once it has aired this evening – but it is great to see that such a high profile celebrity is bringing to light the situation in the DRC!

In the meantime – you can check out the link below for Ben on ABC News talking about his latest trip to the DRC and what he has experienced there:

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=5234555&page=1

Stay tuned for more info!

date: 6.21.08 / posted by Evan

Episode 12 went online last week – and we are really happy with the way that it turned out! This episode was a great one to get people interested in what is happening – and a great entry to podcast as it recaps much of what Wendy and Robin did when they arrived in Congo.

We hope that you have had a chance to check it out and pass the word along about this episode. You can pass along these links below to friends and family to help them get caught up with the story in the DR Congo with the links below:

http://www.congocast.org/episode12.php
http://youtube.com/watch?v=R6VRG-Iz034
http://www.vimeo.com/1159936

date: 6.10.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Congocast.org was featured alongside a story about Robin and Wendy on WECT Channel 6 News in Wilmington, NC during the 5pm and 6pm newscasts. Thank you so much to Carmin Black and the WECT team for making this story happen and for bringing more awareness to the issues facing the DR Congo!

If we are able to provide video or a link to the news story we will post it hear first – so stay tuned!

***UPDATED***

Here is a link to the story on the WECT website: http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=8461081

date: 6.02.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

We are working on getting Episode 12 finished – and it should be up soon – so check back to the site over the next week for updates as to when the next episode will be going online!

Thank you again for watching – please keep spreading the word about what is happening in the Congo!

date: 5.01.08 / posted by Evan

CONGO NIGHT – Pastor from the DRC to close week of Prayer in Wilmington, NC

WHEN: This Saturday, May 3rd @ 7pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Studio 3 (Behind McAlister’s Deli in Wilmington, NC)
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/6fmrkm
WHAT: Music w/ Matt Blair, Pastor Desire from DR Congo, and Closing Prayer Time for Maombi Mission

Our week of prayer for the DR Congo is coming to a close this Saturday. However, we will be ending the week a little different from our last time! Pastor Desire (from Congocast EP 7 & 8) will be in Wilmington, NC on the night of Saturday, May 3rd to close our week of prayer together with us. We will be having a time of music with Matt Blair and Pastor Desire will share some of his experiences in the DR Congo, after which we will have a time of prayer for Congo to close the end of the Maombi Mission week together.

We hope that if you are in the Wilmington area, you will join us as we share a moment with Pastor Desire and hear his heart for his people as we pray together with him for his country.

Please continue to pass the stories of the Congocast along to your friends and family – we appreciate your support!

date: / posted by CongoCast Team

We have posted Episode 11 on the website today!

Synopsis: As the first election in 46 years looms on the horizon – Robin and Wendy stay up all night to watch history in the making. However, the election ends with a run-off – leaving the country without a president. The need for a government is no more evident in the DRC than the east – a place central to the continued violence. The women of this region have been profoundly effected by this war, however, as Robin and Wendy deepen their relationship with one group of Rape survivors – they find that healing may still be something that the Congo can experience.

If you have been praying this week with our Maombi Mission prayer week – thank you again! We hope that this episode gives a picture of why prayer can be and is so important!

date: 4.28.08 / posted by Evan

EPISODE 11 - We’ve been working on our next Episode (EP 11) – and it will be up by the end of the week (we are shooting for Thursday morning). Check back later in the week as we get ready to post Episode 11!

MAOMBI MISSION – Many of you have already signed up for the Maombi Mission.  There may only be 5 days left, but you can still sign up for a prayer time.  So go and visit http://www.congocast.org/maombimission to learn more now!

date: 4.26.08 / posted by Evan

Our new Blog is now online! You can click on the link in the top corner of the page to check it out. We will be making small modifications to the congocast website in the coming week – so check back this week! Also – the Maombi Mission starts this Sunday – so feel free to sign up for times at http://www.congocast.org/maombimission – and pass it along!

date: 4.09.08 / posted by Evan

It has been a long time since we have had an episode online! Episode 10 is finally up – and we hope that it was worth the wait! Robin and Wendy finally find their groove in this episode and begin some serious work at a feeding center in Bagira parish. Wendy also finds herself in the hospital due to the hard living conditions in Congo. Thank you for your patience as we were taking a break from putting episodes online (sifting through 150+ hours of footage requires you to walk away from it periodically). We will be posting many more episodes in the coming weeks (no more than 3 weeks apart) – so stay tuned in!

MAOMBI MISSION – April 27th – May 3rd – Sign-up Today!

If you haven’t signed up yet for the next Maombi Mission – you can do so by clicking here. This month’s week of prayer for DR Congo will begin on April 27th – if you are curious about what the Maombi mission is feel free to visit our get involved page!

MORE UPDATES SOON!

We hope that you will continue to check back regularly as we will be making some changes to this website in the coming weeks – (this section will actually become part of our new blog!). In the meantime – sign up for our newsletter (above) so you can stay in touch with all things Congocast coming up!

date: 4.02.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

We now have a date for the next episode! We will be posting Episode 10 next Tuesday (April 8th)! In the meantime – keep checking back for more infomation in the weeks to come as we will be adding new ways for you to get involved with Congo and a blog to help keep you up to date with what is going on in the DRC and with Congocast!

date: 3.21.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Stay tuned! The next episode of CongoCast.org is right around the corner! We appreciate your excitement and patience about the project and will absolutely be posting a new episode in the coming weeks. Wendy and Robin have a lot to share!

date: 3.14.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Back in December of 2007 – Congocast.org hosted the first ever Maombi Mission – week of prayer for DR Congo on our website. Well – in April we will be hosting the Maombi Mission prayer week again! To find our more about this awesome opportunity to join others in unity with the Congolese people in prayer for their country during this week in April – click here.

date: 2.15.08 / posted by Evan

As many of you may have noticed – the DR Congo has been featured in the US media in recent weeks. We have provided some of the links to these news stories below for you to check out. Of specific interest is the 60 Minutes story by Anderson Cooper as he speaks with Dr. Denis Mukwege of the Panzi clinic who was featured in Episode 7 of the Congocast!

NBC Nightly News (AIRDATE – FEB 13th, 2008)

NBC Today Show (AIRDATE – FEB 13th, 2008)

CBS 60 Minutes Story (AIRDATE – JAN 13th, 2008)

This exciting trend will hopefully continue as more people begin to get interested in what is happening in the DRC and how they can help!

date: 2.04.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

As many of you may have heard, the eastern Congo experienced a major earthquake on Sunday, February 3rd. The 4.5 magnitude earthquake was located in the Great Lakes region between the Congo / Rwanda border (An area that includes the town where Robin and Wendy had been serving). We have heard word that the people that Robin and Wendy were working with in the DRC are safe.

Reports continue to come in through news organizations about the extent of the destruction – and we will update this page with further information if and when we hear anything new. We thank you for your continued prayers for the Congolese people and those who have been affected by this natural disaster.

date: 1.30.08 / posted by Evan

Episode 9 is finally online! I hope that for those of you that have been checking the site for a new episode that you aren’t disappointed

Not everything that happens in the DRC is as full of gravity as the last three episodes. The time that Robin and Wendy spent away from the people they were there to help was often filled with figuring out how to live in Africa and finding ways to have a break from the chaos that seemed to be everywhere. This episode (No. 9) highlights some of the lighter moments that Robin and Wendy were able to share with friends – hopefully giving us all a better perspective on how important our relationships with those around us truly are.

date: 1.21.08 / posted by Evan

If you have been checking the site out over the past couple of days for Episode 9 – we apologize for the delay! We have been working diligently on the next couple of episodes simultaneously and hope to have this years first episode (EP9) up very soon (our estimates on how long it would take to wrap it up were a bit off – oops!)

Check back later this week for EP 9 – and as always continue to pass the site along to the people around you!

date: 1.14.08 / posted by CongoCast Team

Last night CBS Evening News ran a story by coorespondent Anderson Cooper (click here to watch his report). He interviewed Dr. Denis Mukwege, the head doctor at the Panzi Hospital, which was highlighted in Episode 7 and Episode 8 of the podcast. The story on CBS is a long needed spotlight by the American media of the conflict in the DR Congo. Please continue to spread the word of what is happening in the DR Congo and hopefully more media outlets will begin to run stories like this one that can help raise the awareness of the issues facing the Congolese people and ways to help end their strife

Tune back in later this week as we start off 2008 with Episode 9 of the Congocast…

date: 12.13.07 / posted by Evan

Our mission with this podcast right now is to do three things

1) get people to pray for the situation in DR Congo and its people

2) raise the awareness of the American community of the crisis in the DRC by sharing about it with everyone we know

3) and help get the Julie Project finished – a crisis center for rape victims in Bukav

This episode ( No. 8 ) tries to get across the great importance of these three things. The last two episodes have been incredibly hard to put together. Because there is so much that can be said about what is happening in the DRC, it is hard to know what stories need to be told. I hope that all of us see a part of ourselves in the faces of each of these women in episode 8. There are inumerable ways that you can help them, and the Julie Project is just one way you can get involved

If you want to find out more about this project or support it – you can click here to visit our page about the Julie Project or visit www.answeringthecall.org, the website for the organization that began this tremendously important project

Take up the challenge and find a way that you can help–whether is is through this project or somewhere else. You now know the story, and you have the opportunity to do something about it.

date: / posted by CongoCast Team

Thank you so much to all of you fulfilled your commitment to pray for the Congolese people and the issues they face during last week’s Maombi Mission Prayer Week. We were overwhelmed by the response we received – over 220 people signed up to pray, resulting in 69% of our prayer slots being filled!

Our hope is that your prayers for Congo don’t end after your time slot has ended – please continue to pray for the needs of the women and children in Congo, for the pastors and their families struggling to make a difference and for Dr. Denis and his staff at the Panzi Clinic. If you want to share something from your prayers last week, please feel free to email us by clicking here – we’d love to hear your stories! Again, thank you for your prayers and your continued support of Congocast!

date: 11.15.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

The newest episode was posted last night and focuses on the main issue in the DR Congo – sexual violence. This is the first of two episodes dealing with Robin and Wendy’s interactions with the rape victims at Panzi Hospital, so please be advised that the content is pretty graphic. As you’ll see from the episode, once you learn about the atrocities happening in the DRC, you can’t turn away. Here’s a new way for you to help

GET INVOLVED: Maombi Mission
Maombi is the Swahili word for prayer. We believe that prayer is the front line of change for the things happening to the people of DR Congo, so we will be hosting the first ever Maombi Mission week of prayer for DR Congo beginning at 12AM on December 2nd through 11PM December 8th

To learn more, please click here

Again, thanks to all of you for tuning in, sharing this story with your family and friends and for being willing to help. If you have any questions about what we’re doing or how you can get involved, you can – email us by clicking here.

date: 10.31.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

In our newest episode (No. 6) Robin and Wendy find that they have a lot to learn about how to live in the DR Congo. Yet of all of the transitioning they must do – they are reminded that many of the people in the DRC have far less than they are able to have while they are there. This is even more present as they begin working at a feeding center for children in the Panzi district of Bukavu. Check out these organizations below for more information about how you can get involved in helping the children and those who are hungry in the DRC

Answering the Call – answeringthecall.org

Food for the Hungry International – fhi.net

Food for the Hungry (US Branch) – fh.org

date: 10.12.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

Episode 5 is now online! In this podcast Wendy and Robin finally get to Congo and begin to settle in to their new surroundings. You can check it out above or on our episodes page. Keep your eyes on the site over the coming weeks – we will be adding many new features and giving you more ways to get involved with helping the people of the DRC!

date: 9.19.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

It has been a while in coming – but Episode 4 is finally online. Leaving family and saying your goodbyes can be really difficult – but the anticipation of what lies ahead for Wendy and Robin propel them toward the first leg of their journey. It seems like it has taken forever to get them over to the Congo – but they finally depart for the DRC in our latest video podcast!

date: 8.28.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

Check out our new episode (EP. 3) online today! Robin and Wendy’s journey takes another turn as they begin the home stretch of their preparations for their year long trip to the DRC. Check back soon for more information about Congo as we begin to add new features to the site in the coming weeks!

date: 8.09.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

The second episode of the podcast is up! We are really excited to get Episode 2 live – and we hope that you begin to become more enveloped in the story of the Congo through the journey of these two women and their families as they start to see what giving up the security of an American life might be like.

ALSO – The Cucalorus film festival has been hosting viewings of the film “The Devil Came on Horseback” this week in Wilmington. The documentary sheds light on the atrocities happening in Darfur right now through the eyes of a photographer who worked there for a year. This film will be showing at various venues around town this week – at two of which they will be allowing us to introduce the Congocast to their audience by showing the preview for our podcast! If you are interested in attending one of these showings (our preview will show at the Thursday and Friday viewings) click here to find out more about this intense film and where it is playing (warning this film is very graphic in nature given the violence in Sudan – viewer discretion is advised).

If you are new to the site – check out our past episodes and the preview for the podcast on our episodes page.

date: 7.23.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

Whew… The first episode of the podcast is finally online! Thank you for tuning in to this story – we hope that you are as excited as we are to watch how Robin and Wendy’s life will unfold in the Congo! You can watch the video above or visit the episodes page to check out the preview from last week.

date: 7.12.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

Congocast.org will be featured during the 9am hour this morning (Thursday 7.12.07) on 980 AM the WAAV in Wilmington, NC. Check it out and hear how you can be a part of helping the Congo. Tune in / Change the World!

date: 7.08.07 / posted by CongoCast Team

Welcome to the first update to the congocast.org website. We are so excited that after one year of production the video podcast has finally been launched. Take a look around at the information we have available. Episodes will appear here and on MySpace every two to three weeks – so check back often as we continue to update you with information about DR Congo and ways that you can get involved and make a difference!