Deployment Stories: On the Ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
About the Author: Susan Vogelsang is a member of the Civilian Response Corps.
My name is Susan Vogelsang. I'm a senior planner with the Civilian Response Corps Active Component. I deployed to Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from January 4th of 2010 until the middle of April. I was there at the request of the U.S. Embassy to support five assessments based on Secretary Clinton's visit.
Assessment teams from an interagency group came to look at gender-based violence, security sector reform, food security, anticorruption issues, and economic governance, namely minerals management. And S/CRS (Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization) contributed the logistics and a lot of the conceptual framework for those assessments so that the teams could recommend 200 different steps that the government can take in these areas. We winnowed those 200 steps into 21 practical recommendations that are currently in front of the DRC's president's chief of staff.
For me personally, it was an amazing opportunity to be part of an analysis of these issues, really critical issues, and to be in Central Africa working with people as committed as our U.S. Embassy people are and with an interagency group of experts who share that commitment who were there, in some cases putting themselves at some risk to conduct these assessments and carry forward recommendations.
The Civilian Response Corps provides me an opportunity to be sure that my work makes a difference every day. It's a lot more fulfilling than just showing up at an office. It's about being on the spot where there are problems and bringing the skills and talents of the U.S. Government to bear on those problems, being right at the spot. And for me, it's the most exciting thing I could be doing at this time. In the development field and the stabilization field, the Civilian Response Corps is right at the cutting edge.
Editor's Note: The above text has been excerpted from Ms. Vogelsang's video remarks.
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Patrick W. in Maryland writes:
Your work in the Congo sounds very exciting and Helpful to the people there.
I hope you were able too,find ways of improving the situation for the Citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I liked your video message and hopefully your recommendations will help the government with starting new programs .
Good luck,with your future work for the Civilian Response Corps Susan Vogelsang.:)
Posted on Thu Sep 02, 2010