Global Awareness Club

Event: 30-HOUR FAMINE

2007-03-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

DATE: 3/28/2007-3/29/2007

TIME: 1 PM (Wednesday)-6pm (Thursday)

Description: On March 28, 2007, Global Awareness Club of Eastern Guilford High School is hosting the 30 Hour Famine. The event is sponsored by World Vision, an organization that fights against poverty and hunger suffered by families and children from all over the world including the United States. Participants in the Famine fast for 30 hours to have a small taste of what hunger is like for millions of starving people. In addition, we will raise money that is given back to organizations that help raise awareness for our cause.

This year, our goal is to recruit 200 participants to fast and help raise money. Our fast will take place from Wednesday, March 28, 12:30 P.M. to Thursday, March 29, 6:30 P.M. During the fast, only water is allowed. If you have any health concerns or do not feel comfortable fasting for that long, feel free to drink juice or eat lightly.

In addition, we are asking each person who participates to raise $20. All you have to do is get a sponsorer to sponsor your 30-hour commitment. It can be your family member, a neighbor, or a local restaurant any sponsorer will do. In fact you can even ask for donations without having a sole sponsorer. If you don’t think you’ll be able to meet this goal, please do not let this stop you from participating. However, 200 people raising 20 dollars each totals $4,000! The group/individual that raises the most money will be rewarded with some awesome prizes.

There will be an after-famine reflection at chick-fila on Pisgah church Road (the new one) where we can sit and discuss our experience whiles enjoying some food (BRING YOUR OWN MONEY). The bring your own money thing is subject to change depending on if we can get chickfila to sponsor the fast so we can get free food.

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NEED YOUR HELP!
JOIN THE 30-HOUR FAMINE AND TAKE A STAND!

EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT A SPONSOR FORM OR A FLYER TO PASS ALONG TO POSSIBLE FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE.

White Tees for Change

2007-03-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

New from Jessica Deal

From: Stop the Genocide (Global Awarness Club)
Date: Mar 3, 2007 11:21 PM

From: Jess
Date: Mar 3, 2007 10:37 PM

We need to change our world. There are other countries where hundreds, if not thousands, of people are dying each day because of their skin color. As you may have seen on the news (view the video here), Tyler Gibson and Mark Pieterson have started an amazing group at Eastern Guilford High: The Global Awareness Group (Stop The Genocide!) and are hoping to spread it throughout the country.

We need your help!

When: Monday, March 5th - throughtout the week
Where: Anywhere & Everywhere

Everyone is asked to take a simple white T-shirt and write on them: "It dosen't cost money to care about another human being." and then on the back "We can all change the world." And wear it on Monday, all day! Don't just wear it - but tell people why you're wearing it and what it means to help spread the word!

You can come up with any clever slogan (such as the one pictured above) which will get the word across to people the message that we're trying to spread. You guys are creative ... If you can think of something better to write, go for it! But seriously guys this will mean a lot. It seems like a small thing but thats exactly how everything begins. It all starts out small and it's up to YOU to make it expand and get BIGGER!

Margarete Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." So think about it. It doesn't matter where you're at. Brown Summit, GTCC, Page, Grimsley, another city or state - just do it from your heart. You don't have to come to anything and it won't cost any money. Just make the T-shirt and wear it the whole school day or for the week if you'd like.

Thank you all!!!
You are helping thousands across
the world with your actions.

Let's change the world for the better ...

We don't want this to be JUST an EGHS club ...

Get involved:
1) View this event on facebook.
2) Join the facebook group (the Global Awareness club) here.
3) Add the club as a MySpace friend!

* * * * * * * *
Press 'Reply' and Copy & Paste all HTML
into a new bulletin to spread the word!
* * * * * * * *

- Written by Jessica Deal & Mark Pieterson -

White T's For Darfur

2007-03-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Name:
White Tshirts for Change
Tagline:
because we all need to stop not caring
Date:
Monday, March 5, 2007
Time:
8:30am - 6:00pm
Location:
Anywhere and Everywhere
Street:
Anywhere Everywhre
336.848.2330
Email:
mark.pieterson@gmail.com

Description: I dunno but this seems like short notice but monday i was thinking it'll be thoughtful if people just made handmade tshirts with a sharpie and a white tee and wrote on them "it dosen't cost money to care about another human being" and then on the back "we can all change the world" or something nifty like that im sure if u are creative u can come up with a clever slogan. but seriously guys this will mean alot. i know it seems like a small thing but thats exactly what they all said till things began to escalate into bigger things. Or you can even use the quote I have on the picture just anything creative like that.Margarete Mead once said."Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." so think about it. I am definitely going to do it so ill look out for white tees tommorow. I dont care where u are Brown summit or GTCC or Grmisley, or Western just do it from your heart. You don't have to come to anything. Just make the tshirt and wear it the whole school day or for the week if you want to.

If you have a Facebook just search for White Tshirts for Change in events and you'll get it

Darfur: ICC War-Crimes Move ‘A Good First Step’

2007-03-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

The decision by the International Criminal Court to name war-crimes suspects in Darfur was a sign of progress but there was still a long way to go before justice could be delivered, analysts said."Sudan is legally obliged to cooperate, but I see some complications," Leslie Lefkow of Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.

"The key questions are what the pre-trial chamber decides and what the prosecutor does next. Sometimes, international justice takes a while to bear fruit."

Mariam Juma, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, said that while the move was a good step, it could end up hardening attitudes against the United Nations."

It is too early to tell, but it is important to note that Sudan is not a signatory to the ICC; neither are the international powers that want to use the ICC," Juma said.

"While it is important that there is some movement on impunity, we need to ask: will it include rebel groups that have also been involved in atrocities? Will it also look at cross-border influences?"

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo unveiled the court’s evidence on Tuesday after investigations conducted over 20 months. "The prosecution has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that Ahmad Muhammad Harun [a government minister] and [militia leader] Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (better known as Ali Kushayb) bear criminal responsibility in relation to 51 counts of alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes," Moreno-Ocampo said at The Hague.

"These alleged crimes were committed during attacks on the village of Kodoom, and the towns of Bindisi, Mukjar, and Arawala in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004," he added.Sudan immediately rejected the ICC submission. Justice Minister Ali Al-Mardhi said Sudan would not hand over any person for trial by the ICC because "the court has no jurisdiction to try any Sudanese national for alleged committed crimes".

Sudan, the minister said, was responsible for applying laws within its borders in accordance with the principles of international law, adding that his country had not ratified the convention that established the ICC.In a separate statement, the adviser to President Omar el-Bashir, Majzoub Khalifa, said his government rejected the trial of any Sudanese national outside the country, on the principle that anyone who committed a mistake would be tried by the Sudanese legal system.

Neither the Sudanese people nor the Sudanese government would allow the trial of Sudanese citizens outside their homeland, he added.HRW, in a separate statement, said the case against the two Sudanese leaders was a first step in ending the culture of impunity associated with horrific crimes in the region.

"The ICC prosecutor’s request sends a signal to Khartoum and ‘Janjawid’ militia leaders that ultimately they are not going to get away with the unspeakable atrocities," said Richard Dicker, HRW’s director of human rights. "We urge the prosecutor to explain the significance of his action today to the communities devastated by crimes in Darfur."

CHECK US OUT ON THE NEWS

2007-02-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Check us out; We were on WXII having an interview with Bill Oneill about the Global Awareness Club and Darfur.

http://www.wxii12.com/news/11137992/detail.html?rss=gws&psp=news

Event: Darfur Diaries Screeening

2007-02-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

Darfur Diaries: message from home (Film Screening)

This is the rare footage/documentary detailing the lives of Darfur refugees. This event is free and open to the public. However, donations are always accepted for Darfur's future!(The screening will have filmmaker Jen Marlowe present. The newly released companion book will also be available for sale. Earlier in the day, there will be a brunch and book signing - still waiting on those details!)

Time: Tuesday, February 27 at 7:00 PM
Duration: 2 hours
Host: erica h
Location: TwoArtChicks Gallery (Greensboro, NC)
609 Elm St.
standuncg@yahoo.com
Greensboro, NC 27406
View Map:
Google Maps
MapQuest
Yahoo! Maps

To RSVP click: http://www.savedarfur.org/page/event/detail/wrg5

Associated Groups: Charlotte Area "Save Darfur" Coalition, Europeans against genocide, STAND: Grimlsey High School
Directions: Downtown GSO...see www.twoartchicks.com for a map and directions 'finder' from your location.

Voices from Darfur (Save Darfur Ad)

2007-02-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

400,000 in Sudan haven't lived to tell about the genocide.

Amateur Video About Darfur

2007-02-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

"Alot of people dont realise what important stuff is going on when they sit on a sofa with a can of beer watching football. Well wake up people, we need to help raise awareness of Save Darfur and Genocides. We need to show the government what exactly is hapenning and why it is important to us and the thousands of people that die and millions of homeless (driven away) people that are without food or water. The main cause of genocide is the Janjaweed which are a government backed group that kill, rape (and brand) people in Western Sudan. They also capture children for their group. We Need To save Darfur by Raising Awareness, Please Get yourself out there and make it Known!!"

Darfur: Frist on the Humanitarian Crisis, Government Denial

2007-02-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

A post from former Senator Bill Frist on FOXNews.com [previous posts here, here, here, and here]

The most significant new and somewhat unexpected thing we learned on this trip to Darfur was that the humanitarian situation remains on the brink of crisis.The position of the nongovernmental organization, or NGO, workers in Darfur is becoming untenable. The fundamental change is the targeting of humanitarian workers with violence.Two examples: In Nyala, South Darfur, last month five U.N. staff members were badly beaten by police, and one female staff member was sexually assaulted.

According to the U.N. report, this indicated "that those allocated to protect humanitarian workers, the government, were unable or unwilling to do so.”On Dec. 18 in Gereida, South Darfur, targeted attacks were directed against six humanitarian compounds. All staff members were forced to withdraw and one was sexually assaulted.

This withdrawal compromised the delivery of aid to over 130,000 displaced persons.We were told that morale against humanitarian workers is at an all-time low. Humanitarian workers are becoming the objects of attacks, both from the rebel factions and the government.Unless things improve and the government becomes pro-active in supporting the humanitarian operations, NGOs will have no choice but to withdraw.

The humanitarian crisis would then rapidly escalate.We discovered deterioration in access for humanitarian operations and increased Sudan government-imposed bureaucratic barriers to the operations.Access is diminished because of continued violence (increase in vehicle theft and ambushes) against civilians; fragmentation of the rebel factions; and fluctuating control of territory.

Access to humanitarian relief has deteriorated to a new low (the worst had been in April 2004), though numbers of potential beneficiaries have doubled over the past three years.Worse access and increased numbers needing the care — that is a formula for destruction, if not reversed.

A post from yesterday

I was to go back into Sudan the next week to visit rebel (SPLA) leader (and friend) Dr. John Garang (which I did, joining him and his wife, Rebecca, at their home called New Site in southeastern Sudan). I was waiting for the Sudanese government in Khartoum to grant me a visa (On all my previous trips I just entered the south directly on medical mission airplanes without a visa from the Government of Sudan).

They denied me the visa (by delaying consideration of it), I’m sure because of my action on the Senate floor and my numerous statements that “genocide” was being perpetuated by the GOS. So instead I went to Chad, just adjacent the Darfur border and visited several refugee camps there. And then on into southern Sudan.

I mention all this because on this current trip, I am making my very first journey to Khartoum in the north, requesting a meeting with President Bashir to explain why the U.S. calls the atrocities genocide and to encourage peace in Darfur. I got the visa and approval to spend time in Darfur, but was denied the meeting with Bashir. Franklin Graham, who has been outspoken in condemning Darfur activities, held the meeting with Bashir — sans Frist. In the meeting he received permission to operate Samaritan’s Purse in the north.I had other meetings in Khartoum, and most of the spin was that Darfur is simply not a very big deal in the large scheme of things.

The government party line is to diminish the atrocities there, to blame everyone except the government, and to adamantly criticize the national media for “overstating” and “exaggerating” the human suffering, numbers of deaths, and numbers displaced from their homes. All U.N.-gathered statistics are said to be overblown.A 500-mile flight southwest in the DC-3 took us to Nyala, Darfur (the capital of South Darfur) where we met with the deputy wali (or governor) of South Darfur. The meeting was cordial but I was dumbfounded by what I was hearing from this government official.

I share with you a few of his statements just to give you a feel of the denial that is so obvious to the international community and independent observers.He said about a million people in Darfur have been affected by the conflict; the U.N. tells us it is 4 million. His estimate of internally displaced people is 450,000; the actual figure is 2 million.We were told the “humanitarian situation is stable,” although we had just been told by the U.N. that several weeks ago, 18 humanitarian workers in Nyala had been arrested, some beaten and one sexually assaulted, and that overall the humanitarian efforts because of insecurity are on the “brink of crisis” (more on this tomorrow).

The killing today is due to “tribal disputes,” the wali said. Adding that “we do not want the U.N. peacekeepers to come in.” If the U.N. comes in, “we will see increased suffering of my people. Our tribes have a lot of arms, and if the U.N. comes in, these arms will be directed against the U.N. The U.N. will complicate matters.” All this, when we know the 7,000 African Union troops simply are not and can not adequately accomplish the task; we were told that again and again by refugees and by humanitarian workers at Otash camp today.The international media is “making great exaggeration” of the conflict in Darfur and there is “over-reporting” of IDPs and attacks, he said. It is “media imagination.”Well, you can see he was carrying the party line … consistent with what you hear in Khartoum. This is a far cry from what the reality is, according to what the NGOs, the international community, the UN, and people on the ground in the camps tell us.

Darfur: More Displacement Amid Continuing Violence

2007-02-21T19:55:00.001-08:00

From IRIN

Several thousand Sudanese civilians who were forced to flee their villages after fighting broke out between the Targem and Reziegat Maharia communities in South Darfur have moved to Kass town, where humanitarian agencies have started assisting them, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that between 70 and 100 tribesmen were killed and 14 injured in the clashes, which were triggered by a dispute over pasture. By Tuesday, about 3,352 people had been registered for assistance, but others were widely dispersed.

Another 1,000 internally displaced, UNMIS said, had arrived at Al Salam camp from Sanamanaga after fleeing renewed fighting last week between the local population and the Maharia militia.

Kass town, which originally had 25,466 people, has taken on 73,653 displaced people since March 2004 - many from surrounding villages. Aid workers in the town said the IDPs took refuge in homes and buildings and set up makeshift shelters in open spaces surrounding institutions such as primary schools. More than 20 such informal camps exist in the town.

The latest movement of people comes amid reports that a significant group of suspected Janjawid Arab militia had been gathering for five days in Um Shalaya area, 75km northeast of El Geneina in West Darfur. No reason for the gathering could be immediately established, according to aid workers.

It also follows a continuing pattern of violence perpetrated by various armed groups. On Saturday, tents belonging to several UN agencies were destroyed by police from the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army, while an NGO was temporarily forced to relocate medical staff from Otash camp, 15km north of Nyala, because of shooting by drunken policemen.

In another incident, two suspected armed Arab militiamen entered Krinding II camp in El Geneina, burnt a shelter and shot dead one displaced person before fleeing.

Meanwhile, the influx of Chadian refugees into West Sudan has risen because of cross-border conflict. Within the past two weeks, an estimated 10,000 Chadian refugees have moved across the border.

On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said fighting had escalated over recent months in many parts of Darfur, forcing people to flee to more remote areas where it is harder for aid workers to reach them.

Civilians who stayed in their villages were unable to tend their fields or go to local markets because of the violence and insecurity, while traditional survival methods have broken down. These recent developments, it noted, were "alarming signals".

"Whole communities are being caught up in a spiral of destitution, leading them to seek refuge in the camps, which are already overflowing," the ICRC said in a statement at the end of a visit to the region by its president, Jakob Kellenberger.

Darfur: Militia Kill 20

2007-02-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

From Sapa-AFP
The Janjaweed militia backed by the Sudanese government has killed at least 20 people in an attack in a southern region of strife-torn Darfur, a rebel official.

"Hundreds of Janjaweed mounted on camels with four all-terrain vehicles attacked the area of Umm Dhai," said Kamal Eddin Haj Daoud, head of humanitarian affairs for the Sudanese Liberation Movement, the sole rebel signatory of a peace deal with the Khartoum government.

Daoud, whose statements appeared in the press, gave the names of seven dead, indicating that the others had not yet been identifed and their corpses had been burned.

He also said the pro-government militia also made off with 350 head of cattle.

Darfur: ICRC President Deplores Worsening Conditions

2007-02-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

Jakob Kellenberger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), returns today from a five-day visit to the Sudan, which took place against a background of increasing violence and deteriorating security in many parts of Darfur.

In the course of his journey, Mr Kellenberger went to Gereida, Nyala and Al Fashir in South and North Darfur and Juba in southern Sudan.

The main objectives of this visit, his third to the Sudan since 2004, were: - To gain a first-hand, on-the-spot idea of the current humanitarian and security situation in Darfur; - To urge the representatives of the government, Mini Minawi's faction of the SLA and armed groups who have not signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) to comply with their obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to spare them from harm.

Read more....

Darfur: ICRC President Deplores Worsening Conditions

2007-02-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Dollars for Darfur

2007-02-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Dollars for Darfur Campaign has began once again. Basically what it is a fundraiser sponsored by the Save Darfur organization which asks many high school activists (such as the Global Awareness Club) to help raise money to support awareness campaigns and refugee camps in Darfur that house many men, women, and children. The goal for each high school is to raise at least $50,000. The Global Awareness Club and Eastern Guilford High School is participating this year and we're going to do it big.

Click Here To Donate:

All proceeds go directly to the Save Darfur Foundation.

A Campaign to rasie awarness about AIDS

2007-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

Children around the world like you and I

2007-02-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Nine Million

NINE MILLION

2007-02-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

There are currently 20.8 million refugees living in the world right now with little or no food, scant shelter, and unclean water. Of these 20.8 million refugees, 9 million are children with no Right To Play and living in the same conditions horrid conditions.

To all those who do not know, a refugee is anyone who flees a his/her country of origin in the fear of being persecuted for his/her religion, nationality, or affiliation with an organization. Yet when we think of refugees we commonly associate them with Africans. Yet that misconception alone has cost the lives of millions of men, women, and innocent children. Refugees come in many different colors, nationalities, and religious vbackgrounds. However their trials and need of help is the same all throughout. Countless children ranging anywehre from 2 months to 17 years of age are dying in conditions that can be alleivated only through your help and the help of others.

In order to learn more about the Nine Million and Right to Play foundation, visit www.ninemillion.orgm

Learn, Think, Act

Events!!!

2007-01-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well not exactly, but we are talking to a couple of college clubs such as STAND to schedule a couple of events from March to June. So soon we will be actually acting as the third step to activism. Here are what we plan on doing (just a blue print). ALSO OUR SECOND MEETING WILL BE FEBRUARY 10TH AT Mt. Pleasent United Methodist Church more information will be heading to your houses and phonelines soon so mark it on your calendar. The Agenda is publicizing our events and making sure we have everything set.

Talk to stores and restaurants about having a night where they donate a percentage of thier sales, for everyone who is a memeber of the global awareness club who buys an item from the store or restaurant. Or who ever donates $5 will recieve a 20% off deal on one time. and with a donation of $20 will recieve 20% of the entire purchase. Global Awareness Staff will volunteer to wait tables possibly.
Get sponsors for walks/runs/bike campaigns
Talk to people on different campuses to host a mock refugee camp
Fast for Hunger- Talk to restaurants to donate food to break the fast in which 5 dollar donations will be reqeusted all proceeds go to save the children foundation
AIDS AWARENESS MONTH: AIDSfast- give up a luxury item and donate teh money to the GAC all proceeds will go to a fpoundation aiding in giving aids preventative drugs to developing nations
Hold a conference about the Darfur Genocide
Hold a conference about poverty and hunger
Movie nights 1 each month
Environmental Awareness month beginning March 12th
Hold a fundraising campaign (choose your foundation).
Soup Kitchen: Rnadom Acts of Kindess
Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity: Random Acts of Kindness
Food Drive: Random Acts of Kindness
Dump your Dressers for Darfur
Save the Children Drive

If you have any additional ideas please voice it as a comment or email me at mark.pieterson@gmail.com

Ways you can voice the need to help over the internet

2007-01-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

I urge you to visit these websites and fill out their petitions/declarations to help out.

1. www.one.org (Make Poverty History)

2. www.genocideintervention.net/index.php (Genocide Intervention Network)

3. http://www.darfurscores.org/ (Darfur Scores)

4. www.savedarfur.org (Save Darfur Network)

5. https://my.care.org/care/join-forward.tcl?domain=care (Care Organization)

6. http://www.concern.net/ (Concern Network)

I also urge you to do your research and get invovled because the first step for change is to learn; the second is to act.

Never Again: Again and Again

2007-01-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

From Coalition for Darfur

In her 2001 article "Bystanders to Genocide," Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power recounts how President Clinton was shocked and outraged by an article written by Philip Gourevitch recounting the horrors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, prompting him to send the article to his national security advisor Sandy Berger with a note scrawled in the margin reading "Is what he's saying true? How did this happen?"After taking office, President Bush reportedly read Power's article on the Clinton administration's failure to intervene during the genocide. He too scrawled a message in the margin - "NOT ON MY WATCH."

Yet we are now faced with another African genocide, this time in Darfur, and the United States and the rest of the world are responding exactly as they did during Rwanda - with paralyzed inaction. Though there are many key differences between what is taking place in Darfur and what occurred in Rwanda a decade ago, there are also many similarities. In 1993, the world watched "Schindler's List" and wondered how such horrors could unfold and why they were not stopped.

In 2004, it watched "Hotel Rwanda" and asked the same questions. In each case, those questions went unanswered. Just as in Rwanda, the international military force on the ground in Darfur is far too small, poorly equipped and operating under an extremely limited mandate that does not allow them to protect civilians at risk. Just as in Rwanda, the genocide is taking place against a backdrop of "civil war," leading the international community to focus more on establishing a cease-fire than protecting those being killed.

Just as in Rwanda, the death toll is nearly impossible to determine. Just as in Rwanda, the United Nations is more or less paralyzed as individual nations seek to protect their own national interests rather than helpless men, women and children.

Just as in Rwanda, media coverage is almost nonexistent, Congress is all but silent, and the human rights community is having difficulty get the nation to pay attention to a genocide in progress. Just as in Rwanda, a genocide is unfolding - but this time it is happening on our watch.We ask you to join the Coalition for Darfur as we attempt to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur and raise money for the live saving work Save the Children is doing there.

Darfur vs. Martha Stewart

2007-01-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Eleven years ago today, the president of Rwanda was killed when his plane was shot down over Kigali. His death served as a catalyst to a genocide that quickly engulfed the country - within one month, an estimated 500,000 people had been killed and by the time the genocide ended 100 days later, nearly one million Rwandans had lost their lives.

The authors of the essay "Rwanda: US Policy and Television Coverage" calculated that during the three months of genocide, Rwanda received a total of 278 minutes of news coverage from the likes of ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, meaning that each of these news organization spent less than 1 minute per day reporting on a genocide that was taking lives at the rate of 1 every 11 seconds.

Read more

Stop the Genocide in Darfur

2007-01-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

What You Should Know About the Genocide.

In Your Eyes Only Sadness

2007-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

Thousands Flee Attacks

2007-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

From IRIN

Recent attacks on villages in the Sudanese state of West Darfur have forced up to 5,000 people to flee their homes and seek refuge in two camps around El Geneina, a nongovernmental organisation working in the volatile area said. Medair-Switzerland said about 500 households were reported to have arrived in Ardamatta Camp, and another 300 in Durti Camp, having fled their homes with very little during the peak of the cold season. Many of the displaced civilians, it added, had spent nights huddled inside rough shelters made of leaves and grass, without even blankets to protect them from the elements. Some suffered injuries while fleeing their villages. "There has been an influx of newly displaced people arriving in [the] two camps," Medair noted in a statement, saying its technicians were extending water to the newcomers while its health workers had opened another temporary clinic in Ardamatta to focus on the specific health needs of the newly displaced.

Read more

Darfur: International Aid Worker Raped

2007-01-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

From Reuters

An international aid worker was raped in Darfur, a French aid agency said on Wednesday of the first such reported assault in Sudan's west and the latest in a wave of attacks against the world's largest humanitarian operation.Action Contre La Faim, which fights malnutrition in the vast region, said one employee was raped, others were sexually assaulted and there was a mock execution during an attack on their compound in December in rebel-controlled Gereida town.

"There were sexual assaults including one rape," an ACF spokeswoman said in Paris."They ... looted everything, stole vehicles, communication equipment, beat employees, local and international staff," she added.Armed men simultaneously attacked all aid agencies working in Gereida in December.

Some 71 humanitarian workers were evacuated and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment and all vehicles were stolen.Gereida town houses the largest number of refugees in Darfur, with 130,000 encamped in miserable conditions having fled attacks on their villages in the desert region.It was not clear who attacked the aid agencies there. Sources in the aid community in Khartoum said they suspected a breakaway faction from Darfur rebel leader Minni Arcua Minnawi.

[edit]

Aid agencies in Darfur are under intense scrutiny from governmental authorities, who often obstruct their work with bureaucratic requirements and travel permits.Those who speak out about the violence in Darfur have been punished, threatened with expulsion or even expelled entirely, as the Norwegian Refugee Council was last year.

This fear of retribution has created what aid workers call a "code of silence" among humanitarian agencies and much information on attacks and clashes in Darfur remain unknown to the public.It took more than a month for ACF to announce the rape attack.

The Khartoum government denies rape is widespread in Darfur, despite medical evidence documenting hundreds of sexual assaults against women provided by health centres run by international aid agencies.But the rape of an international in Darfur is rare, though there is a growing trend of such assaults in the remote region.In September, at least one international from Medecins Sans Frontieres was seriously sexually assaulted in Darfur. The United Nations said on Wednesday one of its international workers in Nyala town, South Darfur, was sexually assaulted by police.

Uganda: Displaced Civilians Still Scared to Return

2007-01-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

From IRIN

Most civilians forced out of their homes in northern Uganda by two decades of conflict have stayed in camps for years for fear of possible attacks by rebels, the Ugandan government said. Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Minister, Tarsis Kabwegyere, told reporters in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that nearly a million internally displaced persons had responded to calls to return home, but fears that they would be killed or abducted had stopped them from doing so.

"I am not happy with the return progress because not everybody has gone back home and whatever you give the people, as long as they fear for their lives, they will not go home," Kabwegyere said on Tuesday.

According to aid agencies, an estimated 230,000 internally displaced people in the region returned to their villages in 2006 thanks to improved security following the start of talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). However, up to 1.2 million more remain in camps, while some have moved to satellite camps nearer their villages to gain access to their farms. "These people ran away from a problem but they fear the problem … is still there," Kabwegyere, whose ministry deals with the resettlement of displaced people, said, adding that guidelines for the implementation of a US$300 million resettlement programme had been developed.

According to the minister, uncertainty over the peace talks being mediated by the southern Sudanese government in Juba was a major concern to the IDPs. "If you heard that a peace agreement had been signed in Juba, you would not see anybody in the camps, because they would all go home," he added. "When [LRA deputy leader Vincent] Otti rang me recently, I told him that the people are scared of the rebels and that is why they are not going home." Tens of thousands of people were killed in the war and almost two million driven out of their homes to live in squalid conditions in camps dotted across northern Uganda.

The talks to end the fighting started in Juba in July 2006. A month later the two sides agreed a truce under which the rebels were asked to leave northern Uganda and assemble in two places in southern Sudan. They also agreed a cessation of hostilities agreement. Since then, the talks have hit several snags, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement or planning attacks. Last week, the LRA announced it was pulling out of the talks completely unless a new mediation team and venue are found. The Ugandan government rejected the demand.

Darfur and Beyond: What is Needed to Prevent Mass Atrocities

2007-01-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

From the Council on Foreign Relations - the PDF file is here

A lot has been said about the need to take action to stop and prevent mass atrocities. But less has been done. States continue to engage in mass atrocities, in part because they believe it will be tolerated by the rest of the world. Other states tend to acquiesce because they do not perceive their national interests are at stake.

Finding a workable way out of this cycle is not simply a matter of scruples; it is also a matter of security. State failure and genocide can lead to destabilizing refugee flows and create openings for terrorism to take root. Recent history is, in fact, somewhat mixed. NATO’s intervention in Kosovo was an example where a number of governments chose to stop ethnic cleansing and genocide. By contrast, the mass killing in Rwanda a decade ago and now in Darfur, Sudan, demonstrate the high price of judging sovereignty to be supreme and thus doing little to prevent the slaughter of innocents.

Senior Fellow Lee Feinstein points to the UN’s acceptance of the notion that sovereignty may need to be compromised when a government is unable or unwilling to provide for the basic needs of those within its state borders. The challenge for the United States and the international community is to translate this principle into practice. To that end, this report recommends that the new UN secretary-general take genocide prevention as a mission statement and mandate, and place it at the center of his and his organization’s agenda. The report also makes a number of recommendations for the United States and others to build a sustainable capacity for genocide prevention that is substantial enough to deal with inevitable crises, but sustainable given other national security demands. Feinstein makes a strong case that this is doable—that is, if the international community is prepared to do it.

Credited by Coalation for Darfur

This Week in Darfur 1/29/2007

2007-01-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

From UNICEF

The violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan continues unabated amidst reports over the weekend of villages being heavily bombed in the north. Meanwhile, a joint statement issued on 17 January by a group of United Nations relief agencies, including UNICEF, has put the humanitarian crisis back in the spotlight.

UNICEF’s Deputy Director for Emergencies, Pierrette Vu Thi, just returned from northern Darfur, where she witnessed firsthand the deterioration of conditions for children and women.

During her four-day trip last week, Ms. Vu Thi visited – among other sites – the Al Salam Camp for people displaced by violence. The camp is located near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State.

Al Salam Camp is operating far over capacity, presently housing 45,000 people – including 20,000 who have arrived in the last six months. During her visit, Ms. Vu Thi spoke to camp residents, many from surrounding rural areas, about their ordeal and their needs.

“Most of the concerns that they expressed were the need for protection and security, and their desire to go home – which the situation at present does not allow,” she said. “They also mentioned the breakdown of traditional social norms in the camps and the lack of sources of livelihood for themselves.”

Ms. Vu Thi met with women’s groups as well. “Their foremost concern is protection against violence – particularly when they have to go out of the camps to fetch wood and they get attacked. There have been many cases of rape,” she noted.

Rape, pillage and killings remain a daily fixture of life in Darfur, terrorizing the local population. Now in its fourth year, the crisis has claimed more than 200,000 lives and driven more than 2 million people from their homes.

Darfur has one of the world’s largest aid operations, but violence and insecurity have severely impaired relief efforts. The UN agencies’ joint statement on Darfur indicated that humanitarian access to people in need is more difficult than at any time since April 2004.

After her visit to the Al Salam Camp, Ms. Vu Thi visited Sag el Naam village. Located 45 km east of El Fasher, the community lives under the control of a rebel group that has signed the Darfur peace agreement. The camp became accessible to UNICEF six months ago.

“UNICEF works directly with community leaders to provide humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable populations of the village in the areas of health, water and basic education,” Ms. Vu Thi says, adding that aid programmes in the village constitute a success story.

“Working with this community,” she continues, “does give a sense of hope that the people of Darfur will be able to recover and take back their lives into their own hands when the present conflict ends – and when the internally displaced people are able to return home.”

Darfur Genocide Survivor Interview

2007-01-29T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is an unedited interview of Sahara Abdel Rakman, a survivor of a Janjawid attack that destroyed her village, one of the only eyewitness acounts available on the web. She was a school teacher, but now all the children in her village are dead.

Students Talk About Darfur

2007-01-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

To view all the parts visit: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=genocideintervention

Ten Things You Can Do To Stop The Genocide

2007-01-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

From Genocide Intervention Network

Sometimes it might feel like there's not much you can do about a genocide occurring a world away. In fact, you have the power to help end the genocide. The world's leaders need support and pressure from you in order to act — below are ten ways you can take action right now and have a hand in stopping genocide.

Join the Genocide Intervention Network because you care deeply about protecting civilians from genocide, and GI-Net can help you translate that caring into effective action. GI-Net is not just a handful of lobbyists pleading with leaders, but rather a movement of concerned citizens whose actions and electoral influence matter: we are building the first-ever permanent anti-genocide constituency!
Support the African Union peacekeepers in Darfur by contributing to the Genocide Intervention Network. More than half of your donation to the fund will go directly to supporting civilian protection in Darfur. The remaining amount helps fund our other programs, including the support we give to our members, advocacy initiatives like the Darfur scorecard and education initiatives. Your single dollar will be turned into many more dollars as it is used to pressure the United States to appropriate funds to the peacekeepers, to sign up more GI-Net members and to give those members the tools for effective fundraising and advocacy.

More.............

This Week in Darfur 1/29/2007

2007-01-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

From the AP
A leading French aid group said Monday it was pulling out of Darfur because the violence in the western Sudan region posed too high a risk to its workers.

Medecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, has "suspended its activities in Darfur for an undetermined period of time," said the group's director of international missions, Eric Chevallier, in a phone interview.

"The balance between the help we were able to provide and the risks our staff were taking had reached breaking point," Chevallier said.

Several other aid groups have reduced their staff in Darfur because of the violence, and warned that they might be forced to withdraw completely. But Doctors of the World is the first major aid group to pull out.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and about 2,5 million forced to flee their homes during the past four years.................................... read more

What are we? What do we Stand for? Why care?

2007-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Whenever I bring up the words "Global Awareness Club", many people ask, "What the heck is that?" and "What do you guys do?". In an attempt to answer I respond,

Ghandi said it best in one of his greatest and and most memorable quotes "You must be the change you wish to see in the world". Being the change dosen't just mean telling people about how bad things are going nor is it just acknowledging that there are counteless of people dying in teh world because of preventaticve diseases, poverty, and hunger, but rather actually taking immediate action in changing how it is people live everyday. In a most recent publication of Time magazine, one child dies of malaria in Africa every 29 seconds; one person is infected with HIV or AIDS every 6.4 seconds, and someone dies of hunger every 18 seconds. It is truly devastating to watch one die because of the ignorance of many. We are constantly bombarded with news reports of celebrtiy diets and fashion, claims on losing weight from a pill, getting Botox, or getting rich-quick, whiles we ignore the countless lives being lost just because we are being spoon fed things that distract us from opening our eyes to see the world in a whole new way. A way which in fact could change the world. Not just for yourself, but for the havenots. The Global Awareness Club stands up for the havenots by shouting into the ears and blarring images into the eyes of the haves that say "HELP! HELP! HELP!". By helping another is truly helping yourself; because you may not realize that by not stopping a crisis from happening in one part of the world or close to you, it'll in fact end up affecting you the more.

So to asnwer the question of who we are, what is it that we do, and why you should care, all I have to say is that poverty, hunger, lack of education, and disease is relative: relatively close and relatively infecting. We aim to change the world one person, one cause, and one foundation at a time. We can't do this without your help so please the next time we have a meeting or an event come, hear, donate, and act.

-Mark Pieterson
Co-Founder, Global Awareness Club