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Fasting To Increase Urgency for Darfur Genocide

Stop Genocide Now promotes 100 day fast to honor Rwanda and bring attention to Darfur

REDONDO BEACH, CA, April 17, 2008—April 7, 2008 marked the 14th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. 800,000 Rwandans were killed in 100 days. In commemoration of the mass killings in Rwanda, Stop Genocide Now, a community dedicated to ending genocide, will fast to honor the victims of the Rwandan genocide and bring attention to the 5th year of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. SGN’s global community members will give up food from midnight to midnight, donating funds to the World Food Program’s Darfur relief mission; a mission that recently cut food rations to 1200 calories per person. Each faster will be connected with one survivor living in a refugee camp who is still in grave danger of death, starvation and rape.

Stop Genocide Now Co-Founder and Director, Gabriel Stauring, will fast for three days in solidarity with those he has met in the refugee camps in Eastern Chad. Stauring admitted, “It’s not exactly fun not to eat, but I want to use my fast period to personally refocus myself on the urgency that my actions should carry, as people continue to die, as women and girls continue to be raped, as people continue to starve today in Darfur.” Stauring continued, “I cannot imagine what it must be for a father to be walking across the desert and not know if there will be enough food and water to keep his children alive.”

Cambodian genocide survivor Chann Noun has also chosen to participate in the fast, breaking a 20 year vow, “After having gone through an extremely terrible starvation during the Cambodian genocide era in 1975 and … one in the refugee camps in the mid 1980’s, I vowed never to experience anymore hungry feelings ever again after I had arrived in America. However, for this very important cause and my absolutely personal experiences, I will break my vow.” Noun will join Stop Genocide Now and fast on May 25, 2008, along with several other Cambodian-American community members.

Stop Genocide Now is encouraging universities, communities, and people across the United States to help bring attention to the genocide in Darfur through their participation in the fast. Those wishing to partake in the fast and/or make a donation to the World Food Program may do so by signing up at www.stopgenocidenow.org.

For more information regarding the 100-Day Fast or Stop Genocide Now, please visit www.stopgenocidenow.org/fast.

About Stop Genocide Now:
Stop Genocide Now (SGN) is a grassroots community dedicated to working to protect populations in grave danger of violence, death and displacement resulting from genocide. Through active education, advocacy and policy change SGN resolves to change the way the world responds to genocide. SGN is currently focused on creating awareness and action to stop the genocide in Darfur and deal appropriately with its aftermath. All of our projects focus on and utilize the strength and power in grassroots connectivity.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Carl
Stop Genocide Now
amanda@stopgenocidenow.org