Darfur
Since 2003, upwards of 400,000 people have been slaughtered and mutilated, and tens of thousands of women and children raped in the Darfur region of Sudan. Today 80 to 90% of Darfur’s villages are in ashes (see US Department of State map). The peace process, which had shown promise in June 2007, is now looking bleak. Talks between the rebel factions and the Sudanese government broke down this past fall. Attacks continue and now include assaults on aid workers and diplomats.
Aid Still Required is focusing on two areas for Darfur: The first is to continually bring the conflict to the awareness of the American people through public service announcements (PSAs) and internet outreach. The Darfur PSA campaign includes NBA stars:
Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Baron Davis, Derek Fisher, Emeka Okafor, Matt Barnes, Andrew Bynum, Ira Newble, Eric Snow, and several others.
Second, we are raising funds for environmentally-friendly projects to assist the Darfuri people. Darfur has been ravaged by a 20-year drought, leaving much of the area an arid wasteland. The drought is so pervasive, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon believes the Darfur conflict is primarily due to it. Two projects we are working with relate directly to this phenomenon:
1. The Reforestation Project
As the forest went, so went the water tables. Without water, health issues escalate and local economies become weak. The reforestation project we’re researching is founded by a collaboration of Sudanese economists and environmental scientists and has already gained government approval for a pilot program.
Since 80% of the Darfur population is dependent on agriculture for subsistence and much of Darfur has high potential for arable land, restored forests and ample water would provide a solid and necessary foundation for the refugees to rebuild their lives when they return home.
Donate to The Reforestation Project
2. The Solar Cooker Project:
Inaugurated by the Dutch charity KoZon, this program has shown remarkable success. As a result of the extremely dry conditions, most of the forests of Darfur are depleted, rendering firewood extremely scarce. When a camp of 20,000 refugees is placed in an area which normally supports a few thousand, locals fiercely defend their depleted firewood - to the point of raping the women and children who leave the camps to gather it. Through the use of solar cookers, which use only sunlight for cooking, trips outside the camps have declined 86%, demonstrably reducing the incidence of rape. The Solar Cooker Project has recently been picked up by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for use in four additional camps.
Through our partnership with Jewish World Watch, each donation of $30 provides a family with two solar cookers, two pots, two pot holders and the skills training for use of the cookers.
Donate to The Solar Cooker Project
3. Sister Schools Program:
Schooling is virtually non-existent in the refugee camps. Through our partnership with NBA star Tracy McGrady, schools will be built in the camps and connected to US schools. Students from each side of the world will be able to video link with each other. US schools will be encouraged to raise further funding for their sister school.
Donate to The Sister Schools Program
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
