I met up with Miss Miller in Nairobi, Kenya where we boarded a flight together (coach) to Kigali, Rwanda.

There we met up with the International Medical Corps and took the long and bumpy ride in a 4×4 to the border in Goma. She voluntarily took the center seat with no safety buckle in the front of the truck between the driver and the front passenger seat. For anyone that has traveled in this region of the world, to sit in that seat for 4 hours is grueling, let alone after a 10 hour flight from London.

We arrived at the border, crossed, and checked in to our hotel.

I am a documentary filmmaker with $5,000.00 in my bank account. Sienna stayed at the same hotel with the same accommodations as me and this would be the same hotel I stayed at with or without her in tow.

For anyone who thinks there is luxury hotels anywhere in DR Congo, are as ill equipped to be a journalist as they are a stone thrower.

We spent long grueling days in Goma, woke up early, worked all day and then at the end of the night, when all I wanted to do was go to sleep, she stayed up and processed it all in her blogs.

In everything we did, she simply asked one question, “What’s next?”

Yes, I had heard all of the stories but for you to think because you read something in a tabloid, that it is true, or you are somehow above making mistakes, is laughable at best, and really should be your wake up call. Instead of commenting on the plight of the disenfranchised you are slamming a soul on this planet trying to make a difference with her life.

Imagine for a moment if you used these energies for good. What kind of change could be happening in your town? With you family? Around the globe?

Miss Miller absolutely wrote EVERY SINGLE WORD of her blogs and she endured all of the same hardships that traveling in this region of the world requires. Not eating for long periods of time, no electricity, clean water, bed bugs, and mosquitoes.

In an industry where image is everything, it is a shame that you will never see all the times she sacrificed her own comfort for the team or the story. That doesn’t sell papers. That doesn’t feed the machine.

Sienna Miller is the real deal. Trust me, I brought with me all the same preconceptions as I was racked with anticipation in my ability to tell this story. I learned that until you meet a person, until you know a person, you CANNOT believe what is written about them. People love to tear people down, for whatever reason.

Actually, that is the least of my concern.

What does concern me is doing everything that I can to mobilize people to go out there and make a difference.

Sienna was doing just that.

As I said before, she is the real deal.

Celebrate ones accomplishments, not their mistakes.

My hat is off to her and all of the change makers doing what they feel is right in the face of the naysayers.

So easy for you to do the trashing, anonymously. Especially sunseeker. Have the courage to stand behind your words, or don’t say them at all.

And Erin–how is Angelina Joile any better than Sienna Miller? Brad Pitt was married when they began their affair (an emotional affair is just as bad).

First of all your post made my DAY! Thank you! Yes she’s a husband stealing @$*#^ for sure!

Sunseeker, personally I’m not a huge Jolie fan but let me promise you Sienna Miller ain’t no Angelina Jolie. Not even close. She WISHes!

I agree though with your post completely otherwise

Erin

So good of you to show another side of you. Congolese people casn’t thank you ennough for your paintaking effort to recognise and feel their pains.

Its always nice to know in the face of adversity that someone do know or do care and you just did that.
Many other people do not know or would not even bother to think of something that distant to them but not you.

you do care and all the congolese are grateful and they say thank you for your help and recognition and they would like you to know that every little help count.

Keep up the good work, one of these day you will also be helped if not by a congolese but maybe by a mongolian monk.

Congolese can not thank you enough but thanks a million. You might not be a genius but you are jewel