Run for Congo Women Founder Lisa Shannon just came out with her first book, A Thousand Sisters. Says Lisa, “I learned about Congo, widely called the worst place on earth to be a woman,” Lisa said. “Awakened to the atrocities — millions dead, women being raped and tortured, children starving and dying in shocking numbers — I had to do something.”
Moved by DRC survivors’ stories, Lisa took action and sponsored two women through Women for Women International and starting Run for Congo Women, which involved a series of runs and walks that support women in the DRC.
$28,000 was raised from the first run and since then, they have raised more than $600,000, which is now sponsoring 1,444 women in the DRC. A Thousand Sisters is the series of stories from her experiences, “a portrait of the world’s deadliest civil war through the intimate lens of friendship.”
Run for Congo Women is a grassroots movement benefiting Women for Women International’s Congo program. There are currently seven organized Run For Congo Women events around the country. The DR Congo presents one of the world’s deadliest emergencies to date. More than 5.4 million people have died since 1998. Gang rape and brutal torture are a daily reality for the women and children of Congo.
Click here to buy the book, her blog can be found here, and there’s also a video talking about her experiences and the book. Photo from her site below.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
