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Day 1: December 9

Why Darfur…Again? 100 Reasons Why

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, […]

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Day 1: December 9

Running In Circles – (Reason #2: 270,000 refugees remain vulnerable in Chad)

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 […]

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Day 1: December 9

Permanency – (Reason #3: a permanent life as a refugee is not fulfilling)

The people of Djabal are so beautiful and welcoming. Each time we return I feel more and more at home in this community. People remember my name and they ask about Yuen Lin, Ian, and Eric, all of whom spent many days in this camp. They always thank those who have come before and hope […]

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Day 1: December 9

4 More Reasons

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 […]

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Day 1: December 9

ACT

Tell five friends that the i-ACT team has reached the Darfuri refugee camps and to follow us in the coming days. Join the National Week of Action for Sudan, sign the Sudan Now Petition and share it with your community!

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Day 1: December 9

Pictures from Day 1

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Day 0: Preparations

Travel Day Musings and Some Questions for You

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 […]

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Day 0: Preparations

Through Interaction

“It’s only through interaction that we learn.” Oscar is an animated and charismatic individual, but that is not what struck me most about him, Delphine, and other HCR (in Chad the ‘UN’ is dropped and they are known as ‘Hache-C-R’) workers in N’Djamena. It was their desire to connect people, and to be connected to […]

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Day 0: Preparations

Visiting UNHCR office in N’Djamena

Today was a bit of deja vu as we retuned to the UNHCR compound to get our filming permits. We made the best of our wait by interviewing three people working in different but interconnected offices. First we spoke with Delphine Marie who essentially works as the spokesperson for the UNHCR mission in Chad. She […]

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Day 0: Preparations

Teamwork and Technology

It was nice to see Yuen-Lin (YL) and Eric (E) live on our computers last night. We tested the three way communication using the equipment we’ll be using out in the refugee camps. It was quick and pretty simple. Out here, there’s no high speed internet. There’s no medium speed internet. There’s slow and slower. […]