Whether you have five seconds, five minutes, or five days – we’ve got something for you to do.
The ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced over 2 million. The Sudanese government-backed Janjaweed are razing villages, systematically raping women and young girls, abducting children, poisoning water supplies, and destroying sources of food. The United Nations has described the genocide in Sudan as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.
The Rwandan Genocide occurred from April 6, 1994 to July 14, 1994. During these 100 days, at least 800,000 people were killed as the world stood by and watched. Genocide is occurring again and so we can’t rest till it ends.
Beginning on April 6, 2005, the Genocide Intervention Fund (GIF), a fund started by Swarthmore students, will launch the 100 Days of Action Campaign to combat the genocide in Darfur. The goal of the campaign, which the Center for American Progress and Campus Progress supports, is to raise $1,000,000 in support of the GIF and to facilitate the writing of 100,000 letters to government officials urging them to take action to end the genocide in Darfur.
GIF is designed to support African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. These UN-supported peacekeepers are providing security on the ground for the people of Darfur, but they desperately need more support. The GIF has already received overwhelming bipartisan support from public officials and policy experts including six members of Congress, a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Center for American Progress, former UNAMIR force commander Romeo Dallaire and a retired US Army general.
Over 70 high schools, colleges and universities from California to Mississippi, from Boston to Toronto, have already committed to participating in the 100 Days of Action. So far, events have included everything from a “Jam for Sudan” at Mamaroneck High School that raised over $2,500 to a speech at Yale by Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired Hotel Rwanda.
Here’s the rundown of how you can get involved.
Quickest: Donate
Make a tax-exempt donation to the Genocide Intervention Fund (GIF) to help end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Visit www.GenocideInterventionFund.org and click on the donate button.
Quicker: Lobby Your Legislators
Senator Corzine (D-NJ) and Senator Brownback (R-KS) have recently introduced an important piece of legislation, the Darfur Accountability Act, that calls for targeted sanctions, travel restrictions, and asset freezes against key people responsible for the genocide as well as an expansion of the African Union peacekeeper’s mandate to include civilian protection. Take a few minutes to insist that your elected representatives support the legislation.
To find the contact information for your elected officials visit www.congress.org. You can search by zip code.
If you choose to call, ask to speak with your Congressperson’s legislative aide handling the Sudan Crisis. If that person is unavailable, ask to leave a message with your name, address, and phone number. Remember to mention that you are a voting member of their state calling to let them know how pissed you are about the situation in Sudan and that you strongly support the quick passage of the Darfur Accountability Act.
If you choose to write a letter, be sure to handwrite it or print it on personal letterhead. Make sure you prominently mention the Darfur Accountability Act and urge your legislator to do more to stop what has been called “Rwanda in slow motion.” Click here for a sample letter and more suggestions.
If you choose to email, remember that emails are only taken seriously if an address is included; that is the only way a legislator knows if you live in his/her district.
Quick: Put on an event
Join in on the Genocide Intervention Fund’s 100 Days of Action Campaign – host an event in your own community or on your campus.
Not enough people know about the situation in Sudan. Raising awareness is critical – and even more critical is making sure that awareness leads to action. So every event you plan should have an action component – a petition to sign, a way to donate money, or a place to write letters.
Check GIF’s website to view the 100 Days of Action Calendar and download a free toolkit for organizing your event. And send an email to info@GenocideInterventionFund.org to tell us what you are planning.
Hosting a fundraising event or organizing a letter writing event are two of the most effective things you can do.
Here are a few ideas for fundraising. Try screening a film and charging admission or setting up a donation box. You could also have a benefit Battle of the Bands, a fundraising dinner, or an art exhibit. You could set up donation boxes around your school or sell green ribbons and wristbands. Bring a speaker to campus – think about someone from the local Sudanese community, political figures, African studies or political science professors or inspiring activists. Click here to email GIF for help setting up a speaking event.
Or, if you want to keep it simple, one of the easiest things to do is hold a house party and charge at the door.
Another option is organizing a letter-writing campaign. When asked how to change U.S. policy toward the genocide in Rwanda, U.S. National Security Advisor Anthony Lake said: “You must make more noise.”
Getting it done is simple. Pick a venue on or near campus. Get the word out. Print out copies of the sample letter to government officials on the GIF website and ask people to either sign these letters or, ideally, to personalize and write their own versions. Then just send all the letters to elected officials in bulk mail to the district office nearest you. (Mail sent directly to your elected officials D.C. office goes through an eradication process that delays the delivery of the mail by 2 months, but mail sent to the district offices in your state is read immediately.)
Just drop an email to info@genocideinterventionfund.org to let us know the details of your letter-writing event.
Easy, right? So what are you waiting for?
Visit www.GenocideInterventionFund.org for more ideas and to find out the latest news about the crisis in Darfur.