It may seem as if we’re saying goodbye - but we’re not! i-ACT continues through the following campaigns:

1. i-ACT Extension: We’re leaving behind communications equipment with refugees so our interaction continues even after Gabriel and Stacey have left.
2. Camp Darfur: Invite Gabriel and Stacey to your school, college or other venue! They’ll set up an interactive camp experience for you and your peers.
3. From America With Love: Record video messages for refugees like those you saw in Day 12 video. Invite Gabriel and Stacey to record your messages or make your own videos and send them to us!

Above all, we ask that you remember you are now a part of a global family that proudly stands up against genocide. Our mission is to bring people together, so one action that we urge you to repeat is to tell people about our work.

Hello Friends,

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Yusef and headed north.We journeyed on the smallest plane yet! There was a lot of dust and turbulence as I noticed everyone looking out the window. I asked Ali if everything was normal and he said,”yes.” Turns out, as Ali told me once we landed safely, that we were caught in a sand storm and the pilot had missed the airport! It’s actually just a dirt path with some stone markers, not a typical runway and there is no “airport” to speak of, so I can see how they could miss it even in perfect conditions.

When we arrived in the new town we had to go check in with the top official of the city, comparable to our mayor. He was very apologetic about the current insecurity here, said he hoped for more tranquility for the NGOs and remarked that we had great courage to come here at this time. Gabriel and I looked at each other realizing that when the ” mayor” says something like this things must be pretty chaotic! This is the first time that we cannot go to the camp without armed security escorting us. This does little to comfort us because we’ve been told that the rebels are less likely to shoot at those unarmed. We met with the head of security in a darkened room with absolutely no light, which gave everything an even more ominous feel. Everyone here, however, has been very kind and helpful. There is only skeleton staff in the northern towns so I imagine comraderie is at an all time high. A woman we met from UNHCR spent six months in Darfur recently. It was very refreshing to speak with her because her heart is still so wide open. Many people working for NGOs that we’ve met have a harder exterior, probably to protect themselves from the onslaught of so many emotions. She was telling us about the terrible, almost inhuman conditions she’d seen at the IDP camps in Darfur due to the fact that so little aid could get into help. She’d seen tiny huts that she’d at first assumed were for the animals and later realized were the people’s living quarters. She spoke of the lack of food and almost complete lack of hope. She was clearly distraught by what she had seen and her very personal description of it was difficult to listen to. The hardest part to hear was about the awful condition of the many women being raped. I could see on her face how painful it must have been to witness these conditions. We asked about the security in the camps here and she said it was difficult to be sure right now because of conflicting reports and skeleton staff. She did say however that it was a very insecure time all around. She also mentioned a general fear among NGOs that Darfur would soon be completely forgotten.

Today,as we entered our last camp for this trip I was struck by the high winds and blistering cold. Small children, some with only summer dresses, came to greet us. I so wanted to give them my scarf and vest but there were too many to decide who would get them. It was a debilitating feeling. The tents themselves looked worse than the other camps and there was an overall feeling of desolation. We met people who spoke of the NGO’s evacuation and feeling so left alone with a lack of blankets. Many spoke of needing more wood and we were told that they went as far as 15 kilometers to find it. These outings result in clashes with the locals and women being attacked. One of the women who told us she had been beaten gathering wood was from the very first village attacked in Darfur and had therefore been here the longest. It seemed sadly fitting and reflective of the longevity of the genocide that we ran into her on our last day in the camps.The sense through out this camp is very much one of cold, abandonment and desolation.

It was depressing to know that we were leaving all of the beautiful souls that we’ve met and this would be our last stop. The children gathered and sang songs of welcome right before we departed, which felt sadly ironic. Their music gave me substinance for the journey home, where the real work is just beginning. I only wish as we left them here with so little aid to care for them, that our mission here was solely to offer them substinance for their immediate journey home.

In Solidarity, Stacey

Stacey’s replies to comments

Yes, Tim, may the people of Darfur be brought safely home this year. Thank you for being an inspiration and leader with your work to end this genocide. Many Blessings in 2007, Stacey

Marilyn, Yes it is quite windy in many of the camps with much dust and a chill in the air. Up north it gets VERY cold indeed. It is in the 70’s around Abeche and 40’s up north. The new arrivals need go through an interview process whereby they are granted refugee status. If there are unattended ( without parents) children, the details of who is best to care for them and/or commitment of relatives to care for them must be dealt with during this process. There is often a backlog entering the new arrivals into the database. There is a lot of red tape with block assignments, village information ,tent provisions and food rationing cards. It all serves to take a great deal of time to get these people settled ( as much as they can feel settled) as refugees. Yes, I imagine that the cold weather must be VERY difficult with no tents, especially after the trauma and travel. Peace, Stacey

Teresa, I, too feel a great responsibility to live up to the hopes the refugees have placed in America. As the end of this journey begins the greater challenge arrives. May we all stay united in our sustained efforts to stop this genocide now. Hugs, Stace

Marilyn,Thank you for the reminder that it’s all about individual moments connecting towards the greater goal. Thank you also for writing one of those individual moments with this comment. The situation in Darfur has changed me after seeing its direct effects but then so has the bravery and resilience of her people. Peace, Stacey

Thanks for joining us on the journey, Emily. Peace, Stacey

Hi, jc! Look so forward to meeting you and it has been an honor to work with your brother. All the Best in 2007, Stace

So good to hear from you, Darin. Yes, the children were very moving in both parts of this one world. I hope we can work together with the work you are doing in Uganda and the work we do. It is all connected. Thank you for the support and the vision you fulfilling yourself with your work! Look forward to talking when i return and here is to a peaceful 2007 for our global community! Peace Always, Stacey

Jules, Hoping to be at Agape on Sunday if all flows as planned and we can get out of Chad Sat. Then will rest on Monday before jumping into The Gift of Peace on Tuesday. Thank you for all your care for the people here and being a rock in my life. You were the first one to say to me, ” Everything is going to be fine there, no matter what is going on.” I believed you because your faith was so strong. I am so grateful that you are my friend, my sister and my teacher. Peace & Blessings, Stacey

Mom, Yes, we’ve learned ( you and I) that anger is not always negative as long as it’s channeled toward nonviolent action. I’ll share a lot with you about the 18 yr old when I get home. It is more than I can write here and I am still processing much of our conversation. FAWL was an incredible experience for the new arrivals,Gabriel and myself. Hopefully it will inspire more action to stop this genocide. I love you with all of my heart! Salaam, Charlie

Hi Susan, Glad you are back online. I know the feeling as I was without internet for two weeks before coming here. We forget what we did before all of this modern technology! Happy New Year and May we see peace in Darfur and Chad in 2007. Many Blessing to You, Stacey

Hi diana, Yes the children were indeed quiet. I’m not sure if it was the days events or the normal conduct in school. I, too would like to send tons of notebooks and pencils and crayons! Perhaps the boys anger will move toward inspired and nonviolent action like so many before him. I’m sure MLK, Gandhi, Mandela had to transmute their anger into the inspired lives they lived. Peace, Stacey

Thank you, Christine for following along this journey. Yes, the woman saw things very differently. The faith and strength we see here are both astounding to witness. The other day we got stuck in the sand for twenty minutes or so and I thought we might have to walk out of that desert. Then I remembered how many Darfurians had done just that and was renewed by their resilience. Many lessons to be learned by their unwavering faith! Blessings, Stacey

Consuelo, Yes, we do need these stories on television. These are true heroes who have survived insurmountable odds.Thank you for all you have done on their behalf and I look forward to hugging you when we get back. Paz, Stace

Thank you, Athina for you encouragement. We hope to bring hope and courage but most of all we hope to help stop the genocide. Thank you for being a part of that effort. Happy New Year, Stacey

THank you Reina Roberts for watching every day and for all you do to help the people of Darfur! Peace, Stacey

Anonymous, yes it was good the high Commissioner was here. Now we need his movement towards swift action to protect the people of Darfur! Peace, Stacey

Yousuke Arai, YOU are great to be involved and active so young! Keep leading the way. Much Peace, Stacey

Thanks, Jacob! Hopefully you’ll get to watch the other days in order to meet the beautiful people of Darfur. Peace, Stacey

David W, yes we are trying to fill the gap where Numbers become living breathing people. I;m glad you were touched and hope you spread the word about what is happening. One person at a time, we can change the world and end this genocide. Happy New Year, Stacey

There is an amazing full moon outside. We’re in a small village in north-eastern Chad, close to the Darfur border. It is very cold here, and it is windy, and there is sand everywhere. As I stepped off of the plane and in to this, I thought about the children in the camps that are in this area and what their freezing nights must be like in their tents.

It is also an area of heightened volatility. Aid agencies have pulled out all but essential personnel. Some agencies have pulled out completely. I am so in awe and grateful of the brave people that decide to stay and continue to provide enough for the refugees to live on.

We visited the Prefectur (spelling?), or local high official, to inform him of our mission. He received us in this very large room with a very impressive rug that covered just about all of its floor. The man had a very serene presence, especially for someone that is in the middle of so much instability and danger. He warmly welcomed us and wished us well on our visit. He told us that we had to have a lot of courage to come to this area at this time. I think we would have wished to hear something else (like, things are stable and getting better), and, as we have been doing through out, we have use humor to keep us in the moment and focused. As we got in the car to leave the compound, Stacey and I look at each other, thinking the same thing, and say: “If the Prefectour is telling us that we’re brave…!!!” We laugh because we really do not feel courageous or different from what we are back home, so being in these situations just has an interesting effect on us.

The local UNHCR officer, Hala, has been so, so nice. She has made it comfortable for us here at their compound, and she stops by to make sure we’re OK. She is normally stationed in another village serving other camps, but my friend Emmanuel, whom we were to meet here, had to leave on a family emergency, so Hala is filling in for some days.

To the HRW Student Task Force, I am so, so sorry that we will not be able to reach Ahmat this time, not in person anyway. We will get to him the wonderful package that you sent and will get a communication back from him. We tried to find a way to get to his camp, but security in that area did not permit it. There were no flights we could take, and driving is just not doable, since there has been so much happening in that area.

Thank you to all for coming with us on this journey. We will do one extra day of posting, Day 15, so please stop by again. We will also look at how we, all of us, can work together, as a family trying to help family, to help make things right in Darfur.

Paz, Gabriel

Gabriel’s replies to comments

Hello Tim: Happy New Year to you! Yes, this has to be the year that all the people of Darfur go back home. We have to start with renewed energy our efforts to stop this genocide. Thank you, my good friend.

Hello Marilyn: Yes, it is very windy. During the day, the temperature has been pleasant, around 70 degrees. As soon as the sun goes down, the temerature drops quite a bit, getting cold at night. Living in a camp, you are breathing in sand all the time. The newly-arrived refugees are very exposed to the elements, since they do not have a tent. They try to build some barriers, as protection from wind, from straw and sticks. For the registration process, I’m told by Ali that they go through a screening process, during which UNHCR wants to make sure that they are refugees. They list each refugee and their relation in the family. They ask them a series of questions before they are given a ration card, which gives them access to the food and aid. They also have to be registered with the camp security. They are then given a tent and settled in a “block” (the camp is divided in to blocks). This process can take a few days to over two weeks, depending on many factors. As a rule, I would say that nothing is simple.

Hi Tere: The days have just been flying by. About the new arriving refugees, you can just see the trauma and confusion in their faces. They are really not different than us. What would it be like for us to be sitting in our living rooms, sharing moments with our family, and then be brutally forced out of our homes and cities, with no idea of when or if we would ever get back or have a future at all. They do still have a positive view of what American can do. They do have hope.

Hi Emily: Thanks for your note.

Hey JC! Yes, it has been great to share this trip and the hard work with Stacey. She has been having to expose herself to so much, physically and emotionally.

Hello Darin: Thank you so much for that note of encouragement. You are so, so right. We are one. It is a global community, and we have to act responsibly as one. Thank you, and thank you for lending your friend Stacey for this, as they say here in Chad, mission.

Dear Julia: Thank you for the bracelets! The women and girls that have received them like them so much.

Dear Stacey’s Mom: I am completely with you, when you say that it is good to see the anger in the young man, that it is good to see any emotion, where it would have been so easy to give up. Thank you so much for your company all these days. It is only a few more before your daughter is back home. Much love. g

Hi Susan! Thank you for your note. I look forward to hear your thoughts, as you catch up with the daily videos. Hug!

Hello Diana: The children in the camp classroom, the ones that were watching the Redding children, were so well behaved. They were also very in to the watching of the video, and they just loved getting the letters and drawings. They also took very seriously the task of drawing a picture for the Redding children. We have to continue to create bridges, so that children grow up together, not apart.

Hi Christine: Yes, the resilience of the people we meet is beyond our comprehension. What is so sad is that so many of them are being lost. So many other people–women, men and children just like the ones we have been meeting–have been killed. As we heard from the new arrivals, this is happening right now!

Hey JC! Thanks. It is so hard to edit down from the hours of video–stories and images–that we collect to the minutes that we then bounce off a satellite to you. I’m always worried that we might not “get it right.” There is not too much time to get stuck on that, though, since we have to get the next day up! It’s definitely a marathon of activity, but it has flown by, and we’re just about at Day 14. Yep, it was incredible news from Connie :) I was starting to think of names :)

Thank you Julia.

Hola Mom: Si, como me gustaria que mas y mas gente conectara con la gente que estamos presentando en nuestros videos. Al ver a una verdadera persona, no nadamas numeros y estadistica, es mas facil que motive a alguien a actuar. No puede seguir esto asi. Lo que me hace mas triste es que esta gente que estamos conociendo es la que, comparadas con otra que todavia esta adentro de Darfur, es la afortunada. Gracias Mom. Hoy pudimos descansar un poco y ya falta muy poco para que regresemos. Un abrazo a ti y a toda la familia. g

Hi Athina: Thank you for the well-wishes, and I hope that we, all of us, have an impact on this expanding crisis soon, very soon.

Hello Reina! Thank you and everyone from Venice High for coming with us on this journey. Let’s work together to stop this genocide!

Hello Jousuke: Thank you for your kind words, and keep up the good work at Pali High. I look forward to being back there soon!

Hi Jacob: Thanks for watching Day 1, and I hope you make it through the other days. I’m not sure when you posted this, but I’m glad you’ll be following us.

Dear David W: Thank you. It might not be the easy way, but I do believe that connecting person-to-person has so much power and potential to create change. All that I have done since starting to work on this issue has been, in a way, about personal relationships. It is very much about family and expanding our definition of who belongs in our circle. Our circle is our globe, earth.