In addition to the donation of money, thanks to our stellar pool of DJs, the DJs For DRC project has involved the donation of time, with Jay Haze and his crew researching and communicating with various Congolese charities. In the end, we have selected two organizations. Each participating DJ can choose which charity their money will go toward; otherwise the remaining money will be more or less split equally between the two charities. More about the charities follows below, with links for further information. Please spread the word!

SOS Village D’enfants‘ mission is to provide housing, medical and educational facilities for the many orphans in the Congo area. Inherent to the fighting in Congo is the death of the parents of many children. Homes, hospitals and schools have been destroyed. Families have found themselves without food, water, shelter or other basic services. Children are especially vulnerable and many have died due to malnutrition and other preventable diseases. The aim of the charity is to support the surviving children in by constructing family homes and much-needed facilities such as nursery and primary schools and a medical centre helping 5000 patients per year. In the spirit of giving during this holiday season, you might feel like making a contribution yourself!

VICO (Village Cobayes)’s mission is to provide medical, psychological and judicial assistance to women who have been sexually abused. The UN has recorded at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence against women and girls in the region since the conflict began in 1996. Human rights groups say sexual violence in Congo has been widespread and systematic over the last 15 years, with more than a dozen armed groups using rape to terrorise, punish, and control civilians. [source: Guardian UK]

Goa Madrid is turning 15 years old, and they’re celebrating with an unbeatable lineup on the Sunday the 6th of December. Jay Haze will, as usual, donate half his fee toward DJs for DRC, and Goa will make an extra contribution on top of that. One floor is dedicated to Jay’s label TuningSpork with sets from Hugo, Michal Ho and Sierra Sam. Also present are Loco Dice and Tiefschwarz who are donating to DJs for DRC elsewhere. Advance tickets are available at Grupo Kapital. Feliz cumpleaños y muchas gracias, Goa!

Getting paid handsomely for your DJ gigs? If so, Jay Haze needs you!

If you read our news article about Haze’s recent Fabric mix, then you’ll already know that he’s giving away all of the money he gets from the project to UK charity Merlin Health Services, who are currently providing aid and relief to the Democratic Republic of Congo. His generosity doesn’t end there, however, as he’ll also be donating 50% of the revenue from any DJ gigs that he plays from September through to the end of 2009 to other groups who “provide health care, medicine, treatment for rape victims and access to clean water for the country’s citizens.”

According to Jay, “1200 people die every day of simple things, preventable things,” and he’s looking to get other DJs involved in his quest to ease the turmoil for many of the DR of Congo’s residents. What he’s suggesting, is for any DJ (big or small) to choose one gig this year, and donate half of the money they get from playing it to the victims of the DR of Congo. Already on board are DJ Sneak, Tiefschwarz, Loco Dice and Tiga, but Haze is looking for as many participants as possible, and is appealing for interested parties to contact him by e-mail at info@djs4drc.org. For more information about Merlin’s activities in the region, you can check their website here.

Source : http:// www.residentadvisor.net