If you want to do anything to help the citizens of the Congo right now, don’t buy any new electronics. Inhumane labor regarding coltan mining is a huge factor contributing to the ongoing crisis. Coltan is necessary for almost all modern tech products.
If you need new technology, look online for refurbished tech or buy secondhand. Even if it’s used - you can live without brand spanking new stuff. Trust me.
Send a message, talk about why you refuse to buy from these companies. Let people know that they should do the same. All these companies care about is money, losing it our best chance at getting them to change their practices.
book about resource extraction in the drc published in 2011 trying to say "activists' focus on the congo as a source of conflict minerals is overblown bc they only supply 5% of world total" and "it's disingenuous to point at consumer electronics and say they're soaked in blood when they have a very small chance of containing minerals from the congo" well ok. consider: 1) in the intervening 13 years the amount of coltan supplied by the drc did not stay at 5% but in fact has risen dramatically (and also it is notoriously difficult to track how much the drc is actually exporting, and how much of, say, rwanda's reported production originates in the congo), and 2) how interesting. is the drc the only place in which rare earth minerals are extracted under inhumane conditions? perhaps ppl criticizing what goes into consumer electronics are not in fact meaning to suggest they would be just fine if they contained no minerals from the congo. perhaps it is ALSO bad when ppl in southeast asia or latin america or in fact, anywhere, are ruthlessly exploited so that you and i can have new cellphones and electric cars
I'm going to open commissions for humanitarian aid for Palestine and other threatened places. In return for a donation to aid organizations, I'll draw whatever you want (within reason) and I encourage you to donate regardless of whether you want a commission. A bigger donation means a more detailed work (dm for info). I put some of the subjects/fandoms I have experience with drawing in the tags.
NOTE: aid is being obstructed from entering Gaza right now by the Israeli military. Some of these organizations below might not be able to act right now bc of that. I'm looking at other orgs that can help right now, but in the future the Palestine orgs below will still be important to keep in mind as Palestine rebuilds its communities.
More info under the cut:
Price list:
Head and shoulders: $5 per person
Hips up: $6 per person
Full body: $7-$10, + $7 per each extra person
+Flat Color: $7
+Cel shading: $10
Payment is half-before, half after it's done. Send screenshot/s as proof of payment, of the donation showing the amount and the confirmation thank you screen. (MAKE SURE TO CROP/SENSOR ANY PERSONAL INFO OUT OF SCREENSHOT. The marker tool in many markup apps is not a good way to sensor as it's not opaque; you can use the pen tool or edit it in a free app like gimp, ibispaintx, or firealpaca if in doubt.)
(prices are a general guidance. Prices can be donated directly to any of the orgs below in exchange for art)
THIS POST has info on which donations are currently reaching Gaza! Refer to this first for donations direct to Gaza and Palestine!
Orgs such as:
Palestine Legal
Middle Eastern Children's Alliance
Doctors without Borders (I think that was the right link?)
Palestine Red Crescent Society
Unrwa <- very important!
If anyone else has suggestions let me know. Also looking for humanitarian orgs to counter other genocides like in Sudan and DRC.
Direct Relief
Water for South Sudan
Sudan Relief Fund
Post with more Sudan links
Post with DR of Congo links
Friends of the Congo
Here's something from the International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee provides vital support to Congolese who are struggling to recover from decades of conflict, ongoing viole
