Stop Genocide NowGolf balls, tennis balls, bouncy balls from the 25 cent machines, large balls tumble from far above, one after another against the tin roof. More, quicker, louder, closer. I’ve fallen asleep at the UNHCR guesthouse in Abeche and awaken to our first encounter with an amount and a harshness of water that will fill one […]
From the Paris to N’Djamena flight, I could start to feel a different, more relaxed vibe for the capital of Chad. The plane was full, as usual, but this time it was a very diverse crowd, with children, women, and even two Mexicans (me not included). When we hit the ground, the more-relaxed-vibe was confirmed. […]
It’s a quiet early morning in N’Djamena. It’s not the eerie, bad, thick quiet that we could almost feel in February. There are fishermen out in the river, moving oh so slowly. The moon, looking full, is hanging low over on the Cameroon side. We made it to the capital, leaving the east and all […]
It looks like there’s no longer a chance that we can make it out to refugee camps this time. After spending so much time getting permits, talking to officials, and waiting for flights that never left, it’s frustrating to see it slip from our fingers when we came close so many times. I’m trying not […]
The rebels have left Goz Beida and UNHCR has resumed flights to the area. All 230 international and national staff members of NGOs stationed in Goz Beida spent last night safely at the EUFOR compound. These same troops, mostly Irish and Danish, are also responsible for protecting the almost 16,000 Darfur refugees who fled their […]
We had cell phone service early in the morning but the signal went dead well before noon. Our friend and translator, Bouba, has been in Goz Beida since Friday, going up with our car, supplies, and extra luggage, to supposedly meet us there when we flew in. Of course, we have not been able to […]
I was hoping that this would be my first journal where I could tell you what it felt like to be sitting down with refugees that I’ve been working to help for years. That I could finally say that Scott and I had represented the thousands of students working to bring peace to the region. […]
t’s getting late, and my computer is running low on battery, so I’ll keep this entry short. It’s been a really long day, and the heat has gotten to me a bit, but you’ve heard all the details from everyone else. Although the day started off well with a Celtics victory, it finished out pretty […]
It’s been an eventful, uneventful day. Waking up after a rough night’s sleep, accentuated by the very vivid dreams produced by my weekly malaria medication, I had high hopes that we would soon be finally seeing refugees. Despite hearing the bad news that the Boston Celtics had taken a three to one lead over the […]
The bright morning sun pours through our windows, today we make it to Goz Beida, I thought to myself. The car arrived on time, unusual for Chad, but to great relief since we still needed that one last stamp to board the plane and be cleared to enter refugee camps in Goz Beida and KoKo. […]