Congo Week will be celebrated in Shepparton for the first time, next week. A week-long series of events at St Paul's Lutheran Church and African House includes documentary films, information sessions, discussions, music and prayers. All events are FREE and held at St Paul's African House at 54 Poplar Avenue, Shepparton.
St Paul's Lutheran Church is delighted to be partnering with the GV Congolese Association for the first ever Congo Week in Shepparton. All events are FREE and held at St Paul's African House at 54 Poplar Avenue, Shepparton.
In 2008 the US organisation 'Friends of the Congo' started an annual event named 'Congo Week' with the aim of raising global awareness of the situation in the Congo and to advocate for peace, justice and human dignity in partnership with the Congolese people. St Paul's Lutheran Church is delighted to be partnering with the Goulburn Valley Congolese Association to host the first Congo Week in Shepparton this October, with events to be held at St Paul's African House. These events have been registered with the international organising committee and promoted through their website (congoweek.org)
The Congolese people have long felt that their story remains unheard in the western world and that the community in which they live is largely unaware of not only the horrendous circumstances that forced them to flee their homes and become refugees, but also the ongoing plight of their family members back home.
The Wednesday afternoon session will focus on the plight of women in Eastern Congo - a place that has been described by the UN as 'the worst place in the world to be a woman.' We are delighted to have guest speaker, Ms Kate Munns who will share her experiences supporting women and indigenous health programs in Goma, DRC.
Saturday evening is also promising to be a wonderful celebration of Congolese culture through food, music and dance with Declo Bisimwa presenting on his progress in setting up his foundation named the "Masomo Mbele (School First) Foundation"
Events
The flyer linked below has details of events at the African House on
* Tuesday 20 October - Screening of documentary "Crisis in Congo" and Virunga - 7PM
* Wednesday 21 October - Resilience of Women in Eastern Congo, guest speakers and film. 1 - 3 PM
* Friday 23 October - Telling the Story to African and Australian Youth - 7PM - time of prayer to follow
* Saturday 24 October - Celebrationg Congolese Culture with food, music and dance - 6 - 10 PM
* Sunday 25 October - Service of Prayer for the People of Congo followed by BBQ Lunch. 11AM
Download a Flyer for this event
2014 documentary Virunga tells the story of the battle to protect the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the world's last mountain gorillas, and the epic battle against war, poaching and oil exploration. Explore more about this movie on http://virungamovie.com/
