FILIMBI - "My world, my village. Africa, my country. Congo my province!"

Today, June 16 2012, is the International Day of the African Child. It has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (now called the African Union).

On that day in 1976, thousands of black school children took to the streets of Soweto, South Africa. In a march more than half a mile long, they protested the inferior quality of their education and demanded their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down by security forces. In the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured.

To honor the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Congolese youth are launching a platform called FILIMBI (whistle in swahili) that will teach the people of the Congo about their rights. Organizing across the country in four major provinces simultaneously, these young Congolese women and men will blow the whistle as a beginning of a new era in the lives of many on the ground.

In support of the Congolese youth, you can do the following:

1. Support the youth project
http://friendsofthecongo.org/take-action/youth-project.html

2. Organize an action today in solidarity with them

3. Share this information with your network

4. Sign up for Congo Week
http://congoweek.org/