Hi all,
Colin and I have just arrived in N’djamena, Chad, and are just getting accustomed with the pretty robust heat! I just wanted to take a little time to introduce myself as we get ready to go to the refugee camps.
I’m currently a senior at Brown University, in Rhode Island, and spent a lot of my childhood living around the world, mostly in Latin America and Africa. I became really interested in the Darfur crisis during high school, and helped form my STAND chapter at Brown, participating in several divestment, advocacy, and awareness campaigns. During the last year, I was the Student Director of STAND, a Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, working with over 800 chapters across the country on Darfur activism.
Throughout my entire activism career, I’ve been frustrated that so much of my efforts have been centered around the world of g-mail and phone calls. It’s hard to continually stay motivated and know if our efforts are making a difference. Thus, I’m incredibly lucky and grateful for the opportunity in front of us. I think our activism can be more effective when we listen to the actual people affected by the crisis. It is my hope that, over the next two weeks, we’ll be able to give the many refugees a voice, and inspire you to take more action. This crisis has gone on too long, and we all have an important role to play in ending it.
I recognize that we’re pretty lucky to be able to do this, so please let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like us to talk or write about. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!