Carasso founded the nonprofit Falling Whistles, which sells whistle necklaces, the proceeds of which go to rehabilitate war-affected children in Congo. The Falling Whistles D.C. advocacy office opened in June. Learn more at www.fallingwhistles.com.
How did you get the idea to start Falling Whistles?
We found kids who were being beaten in an encampment in Congo. They told us that the boys who were too small to carry a gun were sent to the front to blow whistles when the enemy came.
The whistles have become a fashion item on Capitol Hill. Is that something you were expecting?
When I first got back [from Congo], I was sort of broke and homeless and jobless and literally just screaming, ‘Kids are dying! Kids are dying! This is real!’ And one of my friends, a street artist, gave me a whistle as a gift and said, ‘Keep these kids in your heart.’ Then I would go to these parties and people would say, “What’s that whistle?”… [Later] we were literally just selling them out of our pockets. And it just exploded from there. … I think there are a lot of people on Capitol Hill who want the world to go in a more peaceful direction.
Where does the money go?
One hundred percent goes to rehabilitation and fighting for peace advocacy. We’ve teamed up with local leaders in the Congo to rehabilitate 267 kids.
What policies does the advocacy office want to change?
Our priority right now is learning and understanding. … We’ve never been the experts. We don’t have the answers, but we’re not going to be quiet while 6 million people lose their lives. … Once we’ve listened to all the opinions out there we’ll create a very specific plan.
— Liz Essley
