Life In Darfur

Posted by tobiindyke in Periwinkle Takes Action | Social Justice | The World Around You | You Can Make A Difference - (0 Comments)

Civilians continue to be brutally treated, oppressed, displaced, starved and murdered in Darfur, Sudan. After 6 years genocide continues to rage as the GOS (Government of Sudan), Janjaweed militia, and rebel groups continue to clash. The reality is that thousands of innocent civilians are victimized daily as these clashes continue all around them. An estimated 80% of the villages in Darfur have been aerial bombed by the Sudanese military. Water supplies have also been poisoned purposely during these raids to keep the people from returning. As communities flee, the Janjaweed militia surround and the villages on horseback, camelback, and in jeeps. Whether man, woman, or child, every person caught is cut down from infant through the elderly. UNICEF estimates 400,000 Darfuri’s have been murdered or starved to death since April of 2003 when the conflict began. Four million Darfuri’s are currently displaced.

On April 4th, 2009, the ICC (International Criminal Court–of the UN) presented President al-Bashir of Sudan with an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity. Within days of the arrest warrant, the president of Sudan expelled 13 international and 3 national humanitarian aid organizations from Sudan. The result has exacerbated an already horrific situation in Sudan. The president of Sudan continues to be a stumbling block towards progress for a comprehensive peace agreement, fair elections, and much needed humanitarian relief.

In response to the necessity for dialect and action to pursue peace, the NJ Coalition for Darfur is hosting a 4-panel discussion at Kean University in Elizabeth, NJ, on October 16th, 2009, from 9am to 3:30pm. (A NJ Coalition meeting will follow–all are invited.) The 4-panel discussion will cover the history of the conflict, the current situation, national and international actions and advocacy. Each of the 4 panels will consist of 4 guest speakers, totaling 16 speakers. These will include college professors, activists from Darfur and the international community, representatives from the UN, Senator Menendez, and General Scott Gration (U.S. special envoy to Sudan appointed by President Obama in April of 2009).

Please visit our youtube video for more information on the panel event and how you can actively help–by calling, emailing and texting our elected officials to urge them to lead the way towards peace. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si263uL8DmA

National Call-In Day for Darfur

Posted by tobiindyke in Periwinkle Takes Action | Social Action | The World Around You | The World and You | You Can Make A Difference - (0 Comments)

On Wednesday July 22, Darfur advocates and communities around the country have organized a National Call-In Day to the White House.  Please spread the word, urge your organizations to participate, and take action.

Ask President Obama to help the people of Darfur by:

  • Supporting the International Criminal Court and the arrest warrant against Omar al-Bashir
  • Ensuring the IMMEDIATE deployment of the 26,000 UNAMID Peace Forces to Darfur with a full mandate, helicopters, logistics and necessary supplies needed.
  • Pressuring the Government of Sudan to allow all expelled humanitarian organizations back into Darfur without any delays or conditions.

Contact the White House in any of the following ways:

IF YOU ARE IN THE D.C. AREA ON JULY 22, join in a rally by the Sudanese and Darfuri communities to call for international cooperation with the International Criminal Court and the protection of civilians living in refugee camps. The rally is coordinated by the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Starts from the Lafayette square in front of the White House.

WHAT: Rally at the White House. Then walk to the State Department at 2:35 p.m. and arrive at 2:50 p.m.

List of online actions for Darfur:

Dirt Cookies

Posted by tobiindyke in Periwinkle Takes Action | Social Action | The World Around You | The World and You | You Can Make A Difference - (0 Comments)

Recently, I watched a PBS report about the poverty in Haiti. Children in many regions of Haiti are undernourished and often have nothing to eat other than cookies made from dried mud. The U.N. estimates that 840 million people on this planet are undernourished. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people are fighting a decline in food resources.

What are the root causes of food insecurity? According to UNICEF the root causes are poverty, war and civil conflict, corruption, national policies that do not promote equal access to food for all, environmental degradation, barriers to trade, insufficient agricultural development, population growth, low levels of education, social and gender inequality, poor health status, cultural insensitivity, and natural disasters.

On June 15, 2009, the Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on the relationship between climate change and human rights. Panelist Atiq Rhaman stated that global climate change had emerged as the greatest threat facing humankind today. Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the human impact of climate change was not only related to environmental factors but also to poverty, discrimination and inequalities.

Obviously this is a global problem that is in immediate need of a global solution! What can we do as citizens and as sisters and brothers of this human race? We can email and call our elected leaders asking for a change in policies on agribusiness, pollution, and free trade. We can ask our senators and congressional representatives to hold hearings on agricultural practices that make sense for everyone (currently the farm bill causes many farmers to lose their farms while a few wealthy farm owners are paid to not produce food). We also desperately need to minimize our carbon footprints. This summer, buy a share of seasonal fruits and vegetables from a local farmer and ride your bike or walk whenever possible. How about buying sustainable fair trade products–benefitting you, the producer and the environment?

World Trade policies must be changed. Food should be distributed fairly and farming policies should promote sustainable growth practices. The U.N. policy on human rights states that everyone has the right to life, food, safe water and health, home, land, properties, livelihoods, employment and development. It is unjust that the people suffering from food insecurity are also those who are least responsible for the causes of global warming. The most vulnerable societies suffer terribly from climate change–frequent and prolonged floods, cyclone, tidal surges, salinity intrusion, sea level rise and drought.

Say ‘no’ to dirt cookies! Say ‘yes’ to fair trade policies, sustainable farming practices and environmentally-friendly resources!