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Day 10: December 18

Fresh Eyes (Reasons #74-76)

This was my first visit to Goz Amer camp. It felt so different than any other camp. Each camp really has it’s own feel to it, just as each urban city in America or Europe does. We visited with the schools first snapping photos, greeting teachers, and getting our first chance to walk the camp. […]

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Day 8: December 16

Donkey – Burro – Ass: More Than Just A Joke

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 […]

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Day 6: December 14

Letters to “America” (Reason #37: Darfur believes in us)

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 […]

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Day 5: December 13

ACT: Join the Blue Key Campaign

December 14, 2010 is the 60th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Refugee Agency. In support of their work to protect refugees worldwide displaced by war, violence, or persecution, join The Blue Key Campaign. Today there are nearly 43 million, nearly the combined populations of New York and Texas, who were forced from […]

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Day 4: December 12

Mangos (Reasons #22), Guavas (#23), and Lost Memories of Home (#24)

We always ask the people we meet what they miss about Darfur. The refugees have given a diversity of answers that paint a beautiful picture of a calm and peaceful life of agrarians and villagers. They speak about their fields, the herds that the boys watched over during the day, and the marketplace where they […]

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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 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

Ah, Beautiful Paris…Airport. On Our Way to Chad!

This is my ninth time flying to Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, shopping and fine dining. Nope. Paris is just a necessary stop on our way to the capital of Chad, N’Djamena, and–eventually–the refugee camps in the East, along the Chad-Sudan border. In Paris, I only get to see the airport, which is pretty […]

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i-ACT 9: Dec 2010 SGN Blog

Help us raise $1,000 for iOnGround: Darfur Refugee Journalism by on-the-ground refugee contributors. Their lives, through their eyes.

Update: Thanks to you, we reached our goal of $1,000! Check out what the refugees film and photograph during i-ACT’s Expedition #9! This coming December, our i-ACT team will be returning to the Darfuri refugee camps on the Chad-Darfur border. Help us expand and enrich the mission by creating a space for direct reporting by […]

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SGN Blog

I’ve been asking myself, what do I write about? I am perplexed on what to say.

I could try and convey a message that compares something we are familiar with to trying to understand the hardships of our Darfuri brother and sisters. I could write about how my parents’ AC unit went out this summer. Now, they live in 110 degrees of summer heat. Their house is unbearable and probably a […]