Project Description

R.O.O.T. (Running Out of Time) Darfur Activism Committee was co-founded by my friend Ana and I after we attended the Save Darfur Rally in New York City. Darfur, a vast region in Western Sudan, Africa has been the location of increasing violence. Not in a Civil War, but in genocide, the governmentally supported Janjaweed militia has been systematically killing the non-Arab African population since 2003 in what has been called "The Holocaust of the 21st Century". To initiate awareness for our group and this under-publicized atrocity, Ana and I worked with our school's TV Production teacher to create a short film documentary about the crisis and the opportunity to help through ROOT. At our first weekly meeting 25 students attended and began to generate ideas to raise awareness and aid for the victims. ROOT's many activities have included bake-sales, a candlelight vigil, and information tents held at regional fairs. Donations from events like these have been used to send over 300 solar ovens to refugee camps in Darfur which not only fight the disease by sterilizing water but also protect women and children from rape and abduction which most commonly occurs when they leave the camps to forage for wood (to burn as fuel) and water. ROOT also participated in the efforts of larger groups. We helped to create the "Day for Darfur" at the Bridgeport Blue Jays minor league baseball team's game in which half the proceeds were sent to Darfur support groups, joined the Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur and local STAND (a student anti-genocide coalition) group to heighten regional awareness, and worked with Amnesty International of Connecticut to lobby for a more Darfur-supporting political agenda. Finally, networking was a huge aspect of ROOT's efforts. We presented information and ways to help the victims of the genocide to Republican and Democratic parties, philanthropist groups such and the Exchange and Rotary Club, and local churches, temples, and youth groups. The efforts just explained were some of the accomplishments of last year. This year we are continuing with the similar projects and will vote on two other students to replace mine and Ana's position as the leaders of the group so the effort to help will continue.