Saving Darfur, six inches at a time
Kristin Elber
Issue date: 2/25/10 Section: News
One-hundred yards of vanilla ice cream, separated in six inch chunks, filled aluminum foil-lined gutters last Friday in the HPER Center Old Gym as Delta Tau Delta hosted its second annual "6 Inches to Darfur" event. All proceeds were donated to the Save Darfur organization, an alliance of over 100 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights groups dedicated to the prevention of genocide in the Darfur region of Africa.
The event got its start last year when senior Branden Fugate, former Delt philanthropy chair, wanted his fraternity to get involved with the cause. He hoped that in doing so, both the fraternity and the campus as a whole would become educated on the ongoing conflict.
"I thought it was important," said Fugate. "Two years ago it was such a topic…I really hoped that the event could kind of grow."
The conflict in the Darfur region began in 2003 when two major rebel movements attacked the government as part of a campaign to stop the suppression of its citizens. The government responded by destroying over 400 villages that were thought to support rebel groups, killing thousands. Today, it is estimated that 300,000 people have lost their lives in this seven-year struggle, most due to diseases such as malnutrition and diarrhea caused by the horrifying conditions of the refugee camps. It is estimated that nearly 2.7 million people are still displaced.
However, it seems the efforts of DTD and other groups working to end the genocide are having an effect. On Saturday, a truce calling for a temporary cease-fire was initialed between the Sudanese government and the major rebel Justice and Equality Movement. There was a formal signing of the truce Tuesday.
"It's a significant step for peace in Darfur," said JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein in a recent Associated Press release. "It is a considerable achievement for both parties." Still, there are doubts that this will result in any kind of significant change.
"There've been similar truces in the past and it seems every month new factions are created and breaking off," said Fugate. If one or two groups sign a treaty, there are likely 10 to 20 more who do not agree.
"I think the only thing that's going to change it, is if the entire world puts their foot down," said Fugate, who hopes world leaders can join in the fight against the genocide and hold the government responsible for the 4.7 million people affected.
It's an ongoing problem and struggle that the Delts wanted the campus to stay aware of, even in light of all the recent Haiti coverage. About 350 people were in attendance over the hour and a half event, which managed to raise between $700 and $800.
"We had to work fast and were really happy with how it turned out," said junior Patrick Bierut, this year's philanthropy chair. "It was a definite success."
The event got its start last year when senior Branden Fugate, former Delt philanthropy chair, wanted his fraternity to get involved with the cause. He hoped that in doing so, both the fraternity and the campus as a whole would become educated on the ongoing conflict.
"I thought it was important," said Fugate. "Two years ago it was such a topic…I really hoped that the event could kind of grow."
The conflict in the Darfur region began in 2003 when two major rebel movements attacked the government as part of a campaign to stop the suppression of its citizens. The government responded by destroying over 400 villages that were thought to support rebel groups, killing thousands. Today, it is estimated that 300,000 people have lost their lives in this seven-year struggle, most due to diseases such as malnutrition and diarrhea caused by the horrifying conditions of the refugee camps. It is estimated that nearly 2.7 million people are still displaced.
However, it seems the efforts of DTD and other groups working to end the genocide are having an effect. On Saturday, a truce calling for a temporary cease-fire was initialed between the Sudanese government and the major rebel Justice and Equality Movement. There was a formal signing of the truce Tuesday.
"It's a significant step for peace in Darfur," said JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein in a recent Associated Press release. "It is a considerable achievement for both parties." Still, there are doubts that this will result in any kind of significant change.
"There've been similar truces in the past and it seems every month new factions are created and breaking off," said Fugate. If one or two groups sign a treaty, there are likely 10 to 20 more who do not agree.
"I think the only thing that's going to change it, is if the entire world puts their foot down," said Fugate, who hopes world leaders can join in the fight against the genocide and hold the government responsible for the 4.7 million people affected.
It's an ongoing problem and struggle that the Delts wanted the campus to stay aware of, even in light of all the recent Haiti coverage. About 350 people were in attendance over the hour and a half event, which managed to raise between $700 and $800.
"We had to work fast and were really happy with how it turned out," said junior Patrick Bierut, this year's philanthropy chair. "It was a definite success."
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