’50 years 50 faces’ CAFOD exhibition

CAFOD are launching an exhibition, ’50 years 50 faces’ coinciding with 50 years of independence for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the heart of the exhibition, featuring 40 photographs by CAFOD’s Pascale Palmer and an exhibition trailer by motion animator Adriano Gazza, is the recognition of the need to not just mark the anniversary, but to highlight the ongoing issue of sexual violence and its impact on the women of the DRC.

The exhibition launches on 2nd August at the Morley Gallery before touring for 12 months.

From 1996 to 2003, conflict in the DRC claimed 3.8 million lives, by 2008 disease and starvation had taken the death toll up to 5.4 million. Sexual violence against women has been one of the most horrific aspects of the conflict, it is estimated that since 1996 200,000 rapes have occurred in the DRC. Locals in the eastern province of Sud-Kivu say an average of 40 women are raped per day. CAFOD eight listening rooms in the province, where women can receive counselling and spend time together learning a trade. CAFOD has helped more than 12,000 get back to their feet, physically and mentally, though this programme.

To give to CAFOD’s Congo Crisis Appeal click here

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