Falling Whistles: “Make Their Weapon Your Voice and be a Whistleblower for Peace in the Congo.”

What could be more important in this world than the life of a child?

Just recently I met with Sean Carasso, also known as Vagabond Scribe and the founder of “Falling Whistles”. What is “Falling Whistles”? “Falling Whistles is a small window into the world’s largest war. Using the symbol of the whistle to speak out, we join local leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help build a more free world.”

I came across “Falling Whistles” while doing research on the internet. After just a few minutes into reading their story, I was overcome with so many emotions; anger, sadness, and an overwhelming desire to make a difference. When I read about the young boys who were kidnapped from their homes, the whistleblowers, whose poor, frail, malnourished and beaten bodies that were used as human shields, protecting soldiers with their life, not being able to turn away, one way or another they were going to die, I wanted to talk about this story, share this incredible and unbelievable information with anyone who will listen. I wanted to help make a difference.


I phoned Sean the founder of “Falling Whistles”, to ask him for an interview, he graciously accepted. I informed him that this interview may not be one of my most composed; as tears were already welling in my eyes, at just the thought of the violence and despair that these poor innocent children were being forced into. Sean very sweetly said to me and then we will cry together.

When I arrived at the “Falling Whistles” headquarters, I was met at the door with a warm welcome from Sean. After a quick tour of the location, an introduction and an explanation of a quote that was painted on one of the walls, Sean and I headed for the front yard, to sit and chit chat like two old friends. Sitting in the front yard of their Venice California headquarters, sipping on a glass of ice cold water, I listened to Sean as he began to tell me of his journey. Sean looks more like a young surfer then the activist fighting for the rights of children in one of the deadliest parts of the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their headquarters, also the place they call home, house 2-4 people per room, who live like starving college students on pasta and water. They live with only the bare necessities to see their dream come true, “Falling Whistles.”


Sean, who originally went to Africa to put shoes on the feet of children, soon came face to face with the harsh realities of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He entered into one of the worlds most deadly humanitarian crises, with more then 45,000 people dying a month.

“An estimated 5.4 million Congolese died between 1998 and April 2007 because of conflict, rampant disease and food shortages stemming from fighting.” –COA News.

For a young man in his early 20’s who has seen so much violence, despair, danger, death and human hate, in such a short period of time, Sean’s voice is a ray of hope, which comes across through his profound love for humanity and the determination to change a small portion of the world. Compassionate, Sean has an unwavering attitude, as his journey begins.

Sean, who was accompanied by a friend, went into the Congo out of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge about the world’s largest war. A trip that was supposed to last only 5 days, Sean’s experience lasted more then a month. Within the first 5 days they came across an illegal prison of escaped child solders. The boys had been forced to spend the entire night standing up straight. The oldest boys were no more then15 years of age. None had ever chosen to fight but were forced into this life and now they were being treated as Enemies of the State. As they dug deeper they found out that the boys hadn’t eaten in more then two days and had been brutally beaten.

That very night, living in a shattered world, Sean began to write in his journal on the human suffering and the captured children. He was now standing face to face and in the midst of the worst of human hate. “As I’m writing you, the sun is setting just over the central lake in Goma. My computer screen blurs. I cannot help the weeping that hinders my vision and falls on the keys even as I type these words.” That night Sean e-mailed his writings to 80 family and friends and with the same passion his family and friends forwarded his e mail, his honest accounts of the violence that he had just witnessed and by the next morning he had an overwhelming response, from more then a thousand people who wanted to know what they could do to help.

Exposing the prison to the UN, the illegally imprisoned children were set free and the prison was eventually shut down. This is only a fraction of children who are in desperate need of our help. With more and more children being kidnapped every day and forced to become killers or murdered, Sean’s voice and the voices behind “Falling Whistles” needs to be heard loud and clear, to continue the fight for this injustice and for the lives of children born into conflict.

“Children of Congo are being affected by the latest fighting that is tearing their country apart. An entire generation has been scarred by a seemingly endless conflict - in the last 12 years at least three million children have died as a result of fighting and the hunger and disease that war creates.”

The latest fighting has also seen a huge increase in the number of children being kidnapped by armed groups and forced to be soldiers. At a special center for former child soldiers Dispatches hears about the long term psychological damage to youngsters who’ve been trained to kill, to kidnap other children and who’ve been used for sex – as “wives” to militia commanders”.- Congo’s Forgotten Children

Soon into this life changing expedition, his partner had to fly back to the United States, because the Democratic Republic of Congo is extremely dangerous for women. Sean was now on his own, alone in the Congo.

“In some eastern regions of Congo as many as 70 percent of girls and women of all ages have been raped or sexually mutilated.” -Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, a research center at Harvard University.

Searching for answers to his questions, the next month he met with rebel leaders, journalist, press, government officials, rebel fighters and the dominate war lord of East Africa and eventually gained entry into an international peace conference. Sean looked down the barrel of guns, ate and lived as the Congolese do and continued on with his fierce determination and hopes to finding answers. “It was kind of like being an outlaw, heading into this war with a youthful ignorance, emblazon with passion, the only way to get anything done.”

Sean came home shattered, broke, homeless and depressed. A friend welcomed Sean home with a warm embrace and placed a whistle around his neck and told Sean, “do what ever you have to do, where ever this fight takes you, make sure those boys stay alive in your heart.” Sean who landed in America depressed and lost, now had a new sense of direction and rekindled the fire in his heart.

Not knowing how to start talking about his story and his experiences and what was happening in the Congo, Sean soon found the whistle that he wore around his neck, created a curiosity in people which opened a door and allowed his story and the story of the children to be told; the whistle had led the way. “We need to teach people to stand up for and speak for injustice, to stand up against what is wrong and to live a life of protest.” From that point on Sean and his friends sold the whistles out of their back pockets and the trunks of their cars, until one day a friend took notice. Sean’s friend from Dubai, after reading the story, wrote a small check and told Sean to get this going, make sure people know what was happening in the Congo. Grassroots and young kindred sprits the “Falling Whistles” campaign was launched.

“Make their weapon your voice and be a whistleblower for peace in the Congo.”

To date “Falling Whistles” have sold more the 2500 whistles and growing with proceeds helping to restore the lives of war-effected children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the moment they are helping rehabilitate the lives of the 270 children, who would have fallen into a life of crime, but now have a chance at life

The quote that is painted on their office wall: “If you came here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you came because you believe your liberation bound to mine, then come and we can walk together”

Please participate and visit www.fallingwhistles.com, read the story, purchase a whistle for yourself or as a gift and become a whistleblower for peace.

Please think of Sean Carrasso and “Falling Whistles”, for your next speaking engagement. Help their voices be heard! For change to be possible we need to educate the world…we need to stand against injustice and demand human rights for all. For peace to be possible we must join those who lead the way.

For more information: www.fallingwhistles.com