The world knows Iman as a supermodel, a successful businesswoman with her own cosmetics company and as a fashion icon alongside her husband David Bowie.
That’s only half the story. Iman also is a refugee whose family fled war in Somalia.
Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast recently had the chance to sit down with Iman in her New York City office to hear her story. In the exclusive interview in honor of International Women’s Day, Iman talks of leaving Somalia for Kenya, being discovered by a fashion photographer, and finding global fame.
On International Women’s Day, as we celebrate the achievements of women and raise awareness of ongoing injustices against women, Iman’s success story is poignant, especially in light of the causes she fights for, including ending the world's deadliest war in the Congo.
The narrative of Iman's remarkable life directly connects to human rights issues, particularly in Africa, and we are grateful to her for taking the time to sit down with us. Celebrities such as Iman, by sharing their stories, can help inspire new audiences to join the fight against some of the world's worst rights abuses.
In early October, RAISE Hope for Congo held a fundraiser to benefit Actions for the Welfare of Women and Children in Kivu (ABFEK), an organization based in Bukavu. Founded in 2007 by Amani Matabaro, ABFEK spearheads two programs: the Kivu Sewing Workshop for the Welfare of Women, which helps survivors of violence and rape rebuild their lives, and Education Assistance for Children, which partners with local school headmasters to provide financial and social support to vulnerable children unable to afford school fees.
Thanks to a great turnout at Washington D.C.'s Stir Lounge, we raised $1,000 for ABFEK.
Now, pioneering journalist and author Kevin Sites is working to match that amount. Kevin, who has devoted his journalism career to reporting on the human toll of global conflict, met Amani while in the Congo for the "Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone" war reporting project on Yahoo News (full disclosure: I was supervising producer of the project). Amani served as Kevin's fixer, or local producer.
In a post on his Facebook profile, Kevin is calling for donations. It's simple: just visit the donation page. Be sure to write "Facebook match campaign" in the "In Honor of" field.
You can also mail your donations to us by December 1st, 2009. Make checks payable to "The Enough Project" and be sure to write “RHFC Fundraiser - Facebook match campaign” in the memo line. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to ABFEK. You can mail them to:
Enough Project
c/o RAISE Hope for Congo Fundraiser
1225 Eye Street, Suite 307
Washington, DC 20005
A big thank you from RAISE Hope for Congo and the Enough Project to Kevin, for helping to spotlight the invaluable lifesaving efforts of people like Amani in eastern Congo.
Photo: Amani Matabaro at the sewing workshop. (Enough/Candice Knezevic)
Finally, after months marked by speculation, alarming hints of appeasement toward Khartoum (cookies, anyone?) and rumors of sharp division, the Obama administration announced its new Sudan policy Monday. At the State Dept. podium with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and Sudan Special Envoy Maj. General Scott Gration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced policy in which, "Assessment of progress and decisions regarding incentives and disincentives will be based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground."
Many activists and experts breathed a sigh of relief, at the same time noting that the crucial part, implementation, must begin now.
A robust round of media coverage and statements from the administration and Capitol Hill reinforced the significance of the long-awaited announcement.
On the NewsHour, PBS correspondent Ray Suarez nicely spotlighted the nuances of the new policy and the stakes for Sudan. The story includes an interview with Enough co-founder John Prendergast, as well as a hard-hitting interview with Gen. Gration, who unfortunately refused to offer specific examples of the types of pressures the U.S. would apply toward Khartoum:
"Well, there's a wide variety of things and most of these are in a list that we would look at very carefully, and choose the ones that are appropriate, ones that would acheive the desired effect," Gen. Gration told Suarez. "The pressures include those that are political, economic -- and you can figure out what they are."
Voice of America added to the mix with a detailed wrapup featuring analysis from Enough executive director John Norris:
In print, Norris offered a Sudan policy score card for Foreign Policy, and Prendergast warned of “Sudan's State-Sponsored Pyromania” in the LA Times.
The Washington Post, way ahead of the pack on covering the policy formulation, moved the story forward after the announcement with this spotlight on the North-South conflict.
Stories from NPR, Reuters and CNN, to name just a few, rounded out the day.
Additional statements on the policy poured in from across Washington. President Obama, of course, issued a statement. Senator Russ Feingold echoed many activists in his desire "to learn more about the specific pressures being considered to make the Sudanese government comply and under what specific conditions these steps would be triggered." The State Department issued a transcript of an interesting background briefing conducted after the policy announcement.
Gen. Gration even posted on the State Department's blog, concluding, "The situation is urgent. Time is short. Failure is not an option."
We agree.
If you missed the announcement, check it out from C-SPAN here.
