Contact: Candace Shreve, World Relief, 443-451-1911

BALTIMORE, Md., July 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- World Relief announces its 1st annual Race for Congo from August 1st to August 7th. World Relief President and CEO Stephan Bauman will lead 7 cyclists in relay around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, covering 2,776 miles in seven days to raise money to end the brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A celebratory concluding event will be held on August 7th on the lawn in front of Mason Hall at Johns Hopkins University from 5-7pm.

As the deadliest conflict since World War II, the ongoing eleven-year civil war has devastated the DRC, claiming the lives of more than five million people and displacing millions more. The DRC ranks last on the Global Hunger Index and has been deemed the "rape capital of the world" by the United Nations.

Working with local pastors, since 2002, World Relief empowers local churches to bring food security, small business loans, and peace-building skills to a fractured land. Through a network of churches committed to the peace building process, we have trained Church and community leaders to utilize conflict resolution skills and live out lifestyles of reconciliation to break the cycle of hatred and retribution. As the practice of forgiveness spreads and relationships are restored, enemies are transformed into neighbors caring for one another's needs.

Says Bauman, "It is an honor to stand with the people of the DR Congo by bringing awareness to one of the most heart-wrenching causes in the world. I am excited to lead this cross-country journey to raise the banner of hope for DR Congo."

Thanks to a generous donor, every dollar raised in the Race for Congo will be matched. The race will begin at the World Relief office in Bend, Oregon and finish in Baltimore, Maryland where the World Relief home office is located.

Please join us on Sunday, August 7th, as World Relief hosts the Race for Congo concluding event at the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to support the riders as they finish their journey across the U.S. To learn more about the Race for Congo please check out the website at www.worldrelief.org/raceforcongo.  

World Relief is a humanitarian and social justice organization that empowers the local church to serve the most vulnerable. Around the world, World Relief helps restore the dignity of individuals and communities. By standing against issues of injustice and poverty, transformation and redemption is taking place.