Sign a Petition for Congo

It is a critical time for DR Congo and people around the world who are suffering from the effects of poverty, conflicts, and natural disasters.

Right now the U.S. legislature is threatening to make devastating cuts in international aid, slashing emergency assistance as well as programs that fight AIDS, malaria, and global hunger. Proponents of the cuts claim that they are designed to reduce the deficit, but these cuts deal with such a small proportion of the budget that they won't even make a dent. Studies show that most Americans believe that 25 percent of our national budget goes to international aid--but in reality, it's less than 1 percent of our budget.

Sign this Oxfam petition to let your representatives know that you won't tolerate these cuts, which are purely symbolic in terms of deficit reduction but that have real, tragic, devastating impacts on the lives of impoverished people around the world.

And while you're getting your petition on, check out this Change.org petition that asks President Obama and Secretary Clinton to appoint a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region in Africa. The mass atrocities aren't showing any signs of slowing down in DR Congo, and the United States needs to step up our international leadership as we seek to understand and respond to the conflict as a global community.