I ask you to picture yourself without your family, a home, food, water, friends, choices. You’ve been held hostage, captured and now you don’t get to make any further decisions about your very own life. You’re in the middle of the world’s deadliest war, without a voice.
In the last decade over 6 million people have died, leaving the more than 1,500 who then lose their lives daily. Over 1,100 women are raped every day just in Congo. Now compare that to the more than 600 here in the United States. Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic is more rampant than anywhere else in the entire world, used to intimidate, humiliate, and torture those affected. These figures alone don’t include men, fear, shame - causing it to be the most under reported violent crime known of; a weapon of war. There is no law against spousal sexual assault. A 16 year old soldier states “If we see girls, it’s our right…we can violate them.” In Congo, rape is normal. It is estimated that there are as many as 400,000 surviving victims still living in the Democratic Republic today.
To build peace we need reform. To reform you need power, service, gratitude, love, courage. Think of courage and think of the more than 1,000 children fighting, armed in war at the frontline of the battle with nothing but a whistle. Think of fighting for your life, the life you’ve been granted or choosing to surrender to those of higher superiority. I dare you to question this thought process, try to wrap your mind around what’s so highly unfair, but bluntly honest. Think about Falling Whistles. Think about those who did what they could with what they had. Think about hope.
Know you can make a difference. You can use your voice, your creativity, your passion, your drive. You have it all and the people of Congo… they need you. Be a whistleblower for peace. Hold a stance of service and virtue. For every whistle you buy, your money spent will go entirely towards helping to rehabilitate 267 war- affected children in northeast Congo. Your purchase works to restore their lives.
My story? Let’s be honest here: I was at the mall. You know, my home away from home and I found the whistles. The whistleblowers for peace. I bet we can all agree it’s not very often we find a whistle, attached to a chain, worn around your neck, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever, me being the vintage geek I am. I fell in love and I wanted one. Fast. Knowing nothing about them, I of course researched. The rest? Yeah, it was history and here I am today.
Hi. My name is Katie and I’m a whistleblower for peace. For me, Falling Whistles is a stance against everything I fight for, everything I care about. Violence, war, abuse, discrimination: I hate it, but it’s here on our Earth today and I feel this is our chance for change, our time to speak up, and our time to choose what we want and really do something for it, about it. Never have I ever met a more genuine, caring, generous community as the Falling Whistles family. You know, you get real people and that itself speaks volumes high above the rest.
In all reality, this place cares. I care. Be the world you wish to see right? Whistleblowers fight! To be one, well, it’s even hard for me to explain because when you truly want something, respect something, love something; you do whatever it takes to see it receives its best. My heart is so big and open for the members, the volunteers, and the people behind the pretty, shiny whistle because here it feels like family. For as long ago as I can remember I spent so much time looking and watching, wondering what I could do to put a bit of me into this big world. This is our planet and this is change. At Falling Whistles everything I wish to fix is mixed all in one. Get a bit of “buy one, get one free” with a whole lot of passion from the start! For me, this is organized and reliable. This is a place to share a whole lot of love with a whole lot of people. I wear my whistle every day, proud. I take in the questions, look for answers and I feel dedicated to just simply help.
To change the world, every single little thing matters.
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