In 2007, the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo received a lot of media attention. Prominent actors and U.S. officials traveled to the DRC and were shocked by the appalling situations in the hospitals and the testimonies of the rape victims. Their shock and concern was justified; rape and sexual violence were and are a horrific tactic of terror in the Congolese conflict.

This wave of shock was followed by a wave of financial support. Hospitals received equipment and medicine to aid rape victims. The international response to support victims of sexual and gender-based violence was astonishing. Health programs have increased the survival rates for victims, and charities provide many victims with means to supplement their income and gain access to basic services if they have experienced exclusion from their families and communities.

This blog post is a special edition guest blog written by Asha Warner, who volunteered at FCNL this winter. One of her projects was to call all of our Letter Writing Coordinators to learn how to improve our letter writing campaign. She reflects on the experience of talking with our coordinators and hearing their stories.

In returning to Washington after a month-long trip to Kenya, one conclusion from my time there has become all the more clear: as Kenyan Friends continue to empower their communities toward peace in the upcoming year, those of us in the U.S. should ensure that our country’s policy supports, not undermines, the success of their programs and others like them. With 2012 already here, the countdown to Kenya’s elections has begun – and now is the time to make peaceful prevention a U.S. priority, sooner rather than later.

This is officially the least popular Congress in history and not without reason. But behind the partisan gridlock, FCNL has been making some real progress towards peace.

This is what I've seen in Washington during my last five months here-small victories for peace that only sometimes make the headline news. But for some reason, people don't believe me. They see the obstructionism surrounding the payroll tax extension and the legislative shenanigans around federal appointments, but they don't see the increases in funding for nuclear non-proliferation and the Senate vote to get out of Afghanistan. Don't get me wrong, if I were polled I would say that I disapprove of the way Congress has done its job as a whole. But if I could, I would add a short addendum. It hasn't been all bad, and a quiet group of Friendly persuaders has helped make sure that it has been a good year for peace. This year marks the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq, the beginning of a trend that I believe will end in a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and increased funding for programs like the Complex Crises Fund that help prevent violence before it starts.

In the conversations I have had with FCNL constituents, from our November Annual Meeting to visits in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, one concern has been raised again and again: how can I be sure that my senators and representative are listening? How can I believe that advocacy and citizen lobbying is worth my time?

After months of international conference calls, research, and Washington-based advocacy, I’m beyond grateful to have the opportunity to spend time in the beautiful country about which I’ve been lucky enough to learn. I arrived in Nairobi on November 28th, and the two weeks since – during which I’ve spoken with facilitators and participants from three different peacebuilding programs – have been powerful. The workshops are organized by groups part of our Quaker collaboration to prevent deadly conflict in Kenya (which includes the African Great Lakes Initiative, Friends Church Peace Team, Quaker Peace and Social Witness, and the Quaker United Nations Office), and, from the fraction I’ve encountered, all involved seem to be feel that they’ve resulted in tangible change.