In 2004, Lisa Shannon watched an episode of Oprah featuring
a segment on the plight of women in The Democratic Republic of Congo. Reporter Lisa Ling and Women for Women
International founder Zainab Salbi both spoke about when they had seen in the
Congo and how little the rest of the world was doing to change things. Would anyone step up to the plate?
Lisa, haunted by what she had heard, took on the
challenge. She started Run for Congo
Women, a solo endeavor in the first years, to raise money for
sponsorships. She studied the causes of the conflict. She met with politicians
and the leaders of non-governmental-organizations to learn what she could do. And one day, she decided she must visit Congo to see for
herself the “worst place on earth to be a woman”.
A Thousand Sisters is the story of her visit: Her interviews with sisters that were
sponsored with money she had raised. Her
journeys to villages where massacres had taken place. Her interactions with soldiers on all sides of the conflict. Her encounters with Congolese of varying experiences and outlooks.
A person could not help but be changed by such an
experience. Lisa’s journey strengthened
her resolve to work tirelessly toward making life better for women of the
Congo. Her retelling of it can serve to
inspire us to take part in the struggle as well.
