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Day 2: March 25

Sand over NDJ

G’s Journal–Day 2 – 24 March 2009 – N’Djamena We woke up to find the city enveloped by a strange fog. NDJ already has an eerie feeling to it, and the fog just adds some mystery and unease to the experience. It’s not the kind of fog we get in Redondo Beach coming from the […]

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Day 1: March 24

G’s Journal—Day 1

23 March 2009 12:04pm N’Djamena We took a way-too-expensive taxi ride from our hotel to UNHCR headquarters this morning.  The ride takes you down the busiest boulevard in N’Djamena, with cars honking everywhere, motorbikes weaving in and out, and pedestrians risking their lives—all on the same strip of pavement.  Between the sand filled wind and […]

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Seeking Empathy - A One Month Refugee Diet Take Action

November Fast: Jeremiah’s Calorie-for-Calorie Month-long Fast Alongside Darfuri Refugees

For most in the United States, November is a month to give thanks. On Thanksgiving Day, we gather at our homes and enjoy great food and the company of loved ones. Refugees in and from Darfur have been deprived of a home; many of their loved ones have been killed; and they lack enough of […]

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Darfur Athlete Profiles Day 9: Aug 9, 2008

Darfur Athlete Profile: Husna

Download a printable copy Husna Head of Household Camp Oure Cassoni Sudanese Husna carries the blue UNHCR card which states how many family members are registered, and therefore, how much food they will recieve this month for 5. Who knows how many unregistered people she has to feed. Every month she lines up with her […]

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Day 9: Aug 9, 2008

Hungry, Dependent, Stuck

We spent seven days straight in Camp Oure Cassoni and not once did we see a person or a family eating. When asked what they had eaten that day, many replied, just tea. Yet we have seen women carrying jugs of water from stations to their homes daily. We have seen two different groups of […]

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Day 8: Aug 8, 2008

Extremes

“We have our own in the car,” we say, so that we don’t offend the women that want to give us water and snacks, after we have taken their stories. Of course, the real reason is because we have weak stomachs. Our friend Bouba, always the gentleman, drinks the water and gives thanks. He later […]

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Day 3: Aug 3, 2008

Strong?

Our little room at the UNHCR compound is far from luxurious, but it’s close to comfortable. We have beds with foam mattresses, a fan, and just enough space to have all of our stuff piled in there. The restrooms are not exactly what I’m used to in the US, but they do the job. Even […]

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Day 3: Aug 3, 2008

Jewish World Watch – Updates from the field: Solar Cookers and Backpacks

Greetings JWW! Today we showed your video to a small group of women in Camp Oure Cassoni. Aziza showed us how to set up the cooker, which she received just a month ago. There are now two solar cookers per block in her Zone (which there are three of). They are just beginning to use […]

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Day 3: Aug 3, 2008

Desolation

“The women are really suffering here, more than other camps,” Bouba says to me as we walk past the second school being built by women. The sun is at high noon, and in a camp of 27,000 refugees, there are maybe 20 in sight. Ten children tagging behind us, hoping to get their picture taken, […]

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Day 1: Aug 1, 2008

Old Friends, New Friends

The airport is quiet and calm when we enter. I’m worried about our weight, and also Bouba, who will be taking tomorrow’s flight with one of our bags. Two bags pass through and the other three, plus our two backpacks sit in the corner. A friendly face approaches, Jim! Our pilot from i-ACT4 has helped […]