Stop Genocide NowGabriel co-founded Stop Genocide Now in 2005, which gave birth to i-ACT in 2009.
He became involved in the situation in Darfur out of a sense of personal responsibility. He believes the power of community and compassion, combined with personal empowerment, can bring about meaningful change.
“We have been waiting seven years for someone to ask that question, and you are the first to ask it,” a teacher told us, when I asked, “What would you like to tell people around the world about you, your life, and your people?” Someone else said, “You are our bridge.” (#66) Camp Goz Amer […]
The kids get such a kick out of seeing me take a picture of a donkey, and even more if it’s a baby donkey; I’m not sure why! There was this cute little funny guy with the big ears, and I told Rahma, “Donkey.” He laughed but then got serious and said, “Ass, because he […]
Why Darfur? I can’t even guess how many times I’ve been asked this question over the last six years. When I first started becoming an advocate for peace in Darfur, there was not this united front by activists, and we really didn’t know exactly what we were doing, or at least I didn’t. I do […]
The days fly by, and, looking back, they start to flow in to each other, as one long day that started when we landed in Goz Beida and will end in two more days. Refugees have been seeking us out, arriving one by one and often quietly waiting until they catch our eye to pull […]
I was about to write, “It seems so long ago that I was planning for the first i-ACT Expedition,” but, it WAS so long ago! It was 2005! Out here, UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and NGOs call our trips, “missions.” It sounds romantic and dangerous. Looking back through our nine missions, there have been […]
All of our sleeping has been so off. We’re awake in the middle of the night, and we just crash in the afternoon, when we get back from the camp. Today we spent six hours walking around Djabal and having conversations with refugees of all ages. We often end up talking about education, even if […]
Didn’t we take care of Darfur years ago? Isn’t it more important to deal with the North-South conflict, only a month away from the referendum? Why Darfur, again? Why Darfur, now? Starting today, tune in to i-ACT9, webcasting from the Chad-Darfur border for eleven consecutive days, and 100 reasons why we should act for peace, […]
I went for a run today, laps on a dirt track. Each lap is about 20 seconds, and the track is surrounded by tall walls with barbed wire. The UNHCR compound feels secure, but I’m not sure how safe these walls actually are, if armed men really wanted to get in. There is no armed […]
Reason #4: Little boys have a right to a future that doesn’t include child soldier recruitment Reason #5: Darfuri children have a right to a good education that will help them build a better Darfur. (Obama School’s first new classrooms supported by people like you.) Reason #6: Adef’s twins, Bashir and Bashar, now seven, appear […]
4:00am – I woke up way too early and could not go back to sleep. The alarm was set for 5:15 am, so that we could be check-out, out by the door, and ready for pick up by UNHCR driver by 6:00am. But, I woke up at 4:00am! 6:00am – We have checked-out of the […]