Watch LUMO - national broadcast on PBS

LUMO will have its national broadcast premiere on the PBS series P.O.V. on
Tuesday, September 18. Check local listings.

Send this link to help us spread the word:
http://www.pov.org/tunein/2007/lumo/
Official PBS web page
http://www.pbs.org/pov/lumo
PBS press release
http://pressroom.pbs.org/programs/p.o.v./lumo.eps



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Read reviews of LUMO

Variety
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934268.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
Film Journal International
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/features/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003612302

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LUMO is available for sale on DVD.
Go to www.gomafilmproject.org to purchase.

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Upcoming festival screenings

Festival do Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 20-Oct. 4, 2007
DOCSDF, Mexico City, Sept. 27-Oct. 6, 2007
Films from the South Festival, Oslo, Norway, October 7-10, 2007
The Sao Paolo Film Festival, Sao Paolo Brazil, Oct. 19-Nov. 1, 2007

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Thank you for your support!
-- The Goma Film Project
www.gomafilmproject.org

situation and conflict increases - PLEASE PRAY!

From Dick, the week of September 2nd, 2007.

Monday:I have so much to do so haven't had much time to even pick up email.Yes, the situation here is really bad. Nkunda attacked DRC forces at Katale on Friday and since then the fighting has increased all over. Masisi, Sake, Kitchanga, Rutshuru..yesterday the Sake road was full of old mamas and papas and little children carrying everything they had moving toward Goma for security. So tragic.
Mugunga area has easily 10,000 tiny grass shelters and the rains are coming (have arrived)and everyone is soaked. 1500 fresh troops arrived from Kinshasa yesterday along with two helicopter gunships.

Goma is looking more like a garrison town. Buhimba road to GFH is full of new troops.
Pray for peace.
Word is the army is preparing for a major attack..17,000 mai mai are marching to Rutshuru to support the DRC army.

Yesterday I was in Ruwengeri (Rwanda). The one thing that really struck me was the lack of military..I realized that it has become "natural" here. Tensions are rising. I had to hitch a ride back on one of those to stop at every village til Gizenye buses..20 people in it, along with lots of produce. Then the last few miles took a moto to the frontier..a long wait there while the nite driver came.

Today I was at Buhimba along with all the mamas from Grounds For Hope (a sheltered community for survivors of violent rape that haven't healed). They were clearing the land, whooping and hollering..high motivation for us..



Tuesday:
The food situation here is becoming a crisis..tens of thousands displaced, no water, no sanitation, no food. UN seems paralyzed by it, too. I'm sure they are planning but I don't see any action. We sent out a team this afternoon to the Mugunga settlement to assess the situation. It far exceeds HEAL capacity, but I think we should be sounding the alarm.

notes from the field

Dear friends,

I am traveling with the Maniema team for one week. I am so very grateful to you for praying, because today was an object lesson on howimportant prayer is for the safety of our teams. We landed in Punia with an AirServ plane. Two young pilots were flying the Grand Caravan. There were no passengers to go back to Goma from Punia so they took off with minimal weight. Five minutes intothe flight, the control system failed. The plane was losing height over the forest. With just engine power and the rudder they managed toget it within sight of the river Loa, and they brought the plane down into the water. The plane somersaulted and landed upside down witho ne wing torn off. The pilots got the doors open as they went intothe water, and by the grace of God they were able to swim out. Thent hey stood on the upside down plane in the middle of the river andwaited for help. A passing fisherman picked them up and paddled themto the end of a forest path; so they are now sleeping in our househere at Punia, waiting to go out tomorrow. We are so grateful to Godfor saving thier lives.It has been remarkable this evening to hear telephone calls from allover the world, saying how people were compelled to pray for us today. It is so very important. Mama Muliri, Julienne Chakupewa, Francesca Feruzi, Fred Kahunde, Mama Kahindo, Paulin Bukundika and I, as well as Dr Neihbuhr, the evaluator from KfW, we all say thank you.

Please keep on praying.

Best wishes.Lyn Lusi

will you pray?

September 10, 2007

Hello all,
We often talk about praying for people. What good does it do when bad things seem to happen anyway? It is a miracle that in all the travel that the HEAL Africa team does, no one has been harmed or lost while traveling for work. HEAL Africa has a lot to be thankful about this week, in spite of the outburst of the war near Goma, which continues to wreak havoc in the lives of tens of thousands of ordinary Congolese. This is to remind us all of the importance of prayer—and of advocacy.

Lyn Lusi left to visit the work in Maniema province over a week ago (her first time there) with the main team of Heal My People, the UNICEF representative and the KfW (German aid organization). The first email is from her, sent from Maniema by cell phone.

The people on the plane were the basic leaders of the programs for fistula repair, Heal My People. There’s a documentary being shown on PBS/POV this September (or check your local listings) called “LUMO”, (the young woman’s name, which means “Joy”) in which she tells her story. In it you will visit North Kivu, see how women are identified by the network of local counselors, and come to the hospital for treatment of fistula. It’s a beautifully told story. I urge you to see it and spread the word among your family and friends. We thank you for your support in so many ways. First, read the note from Lyn below, then check our website (www.healafrica.org) for a trailer of Lumo. We are so grateful that Mama Muliri and Mama Julienne and Lyn and all the others are safe!!!!! As of September 7, they returned to Goma safely, but on that same day a commercial airliner with passengers from Kinshasa crashed at Goma and all were lost. We mourn with the many families represented in that crash.

The second item is from Dick, who’s been in Goma for the past 5 weeks. The situation is not good. Please call your senators and elected officials and ask what their policy is on peace in Congo. The “world war” of Africa continues, and the people are fleeing once again. Who is arming these parties? Who will feed the people who’ve left their fields, their homes, and livestock once again---and who’re afraid to go out and farm their fields because they’re afraid of the military encamped in the forests around?

Thanks for praying! And please keep doing so!!!
Judy