2005

In the Fall of 2005, CPT sent an exploratory delegation of four CPTers to Burundi and the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The group met with human rights organizations, peace groups, civil society leaders and church leaders to gain a better understanding of the conflict in the Congo and whether or not such groups would find a violence-reduction project helpful in their struggle for peace. The delegation was struck by the suffering of Congolese women, who repeatedly asked them to help spread the word about their situation.

2006

The initial exploratory delegation recommended that CPT send a delegation of women to the DR Congo with the expressed purpose of learning about how Congolese women have been affected by the conflict and supporting their efforts towards peace and change by amplifying their voices in the international community. In late October of 2006 a CPT delegation of eleven women traveled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to meet with women who have experienced rape and sexual assault, as well as women's organizations, human rights groups, and churches working with these women. The diverse delegation included women from the U.S., the DRC, Colombia, and Kenya.

Read the 2006 trip report.

Following the women's delegation, two CPTers remained in the region for an additional three weeks to further explore the possibility of a CPT violence-reduction project in the DRC or Uganda.

2007

In 2007, another group spent 2 months in Uganda and the Congo reconnecting with local peacemakers.

Read the 2007 trip report.

2008

CPT continues to discern possible future involvement in the region.