Pray for Darfur Campaign Statement

Pray for Darfur – An Appeal from the Darfur Women Action Group to Help Save Lives in Darfur

Dear Faith Leaders:

The Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) sincerely appreciates your commitment to human rights and social justice. We are appealing to you for your help. As people of faith, your community has pioneers who speak for justice and peace and for those whose lives are at risk, and in the past, you all have spoken up for Darfur. Sadly, the situation in Darfur is worsening each day, and it has now been eleven years since the genocide began. Despite the mobilization around this cause over the years, the killing of men, women and children continues. The Janjaweed (the armed militia being supported by the Republic of Sudan that is responsible for the violence) is still fully operational, and well-equipped, and they continue to terrorize our people with impunity.

Why your prayers and support are so needed

The genocide that began in Darfur eleven years ago continues today via attacks by Sudanese government sponsored forces. Over 4 million people have been affected by the crises, 3 million of whom have been displaced from their homes. 2.7 million Darfuris remain in camps within Darfur under dangerous conditions. As of today, these camps lack any humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping missions have failed to protect the vulnerable. Nearly 1 million Darfuris are refugees in neighboring countries, 350,000 in Chad alone. The world may think that the crisis has ended because it is not being reported in the news, but the truth is that over 460,000 Darfuris were displaced in 2013 – and over 300,000 have been displaced in the first quarter of 2014.

Some more horrific facts include:

• Over 80% of the population in refugee camps are women and children, and roughly 60% of the children are of school age and have no access to education;

• Rape has been used as a weapon of war, and women and girls remain the main targets;

• Omar al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, is accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, but he continues to commit crimes against Darfuris and Sudanese in other regions. He has isolated Darfur from journalists and international visitors, thereby preventing media coverage of Darfur which helps to diminish the gravity of the situation.

We need you, your prayers, your compassion, and your support!

What we do

The Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) strives to mobilize, educate, engage, and empower genocide survivors, activists from the affected communities, and their supporters from the American public to work collectively to alleviate the prolonged suffering in Darfur. DWAG is a women-led anti-atrocity nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status, founded in 2009 by a Darfuri genocide survivor and supported by dedicated women, men and young adults. We encourage our supporters to speak out, provide assistance to those in need, and to press the US government and the international community to act. We must hold these entities accountable and remind them that in the face of genocide, they simply cannot look away.

What you can do to help

• Donate: DWAG has the benefit of being led by a Darfuri genocide survivor with strong connections in the region. As such, we can ensure that any money you donate goes DIRECTLY to those who need it the most. Make your tax-deductible donation today! (Please make checks payable to Darfur Women Action Group).

• Volunteer: Join our DWAG’s volunteer team and volunteer your time to help advance DAWG’s mission. Go to our website and sign up to receive our email updates about the situation in Darfur and ways you can get involved in DWAG’s initiatives: www.darfurwomenaction.org.

• Contact your government representatives: Ask them to be our voice and influence US policy in favor of Darfuri civilians, safety and justice in Sudan, and holding al-Bashir accountable for genocide.

• Hold a Darfur event: Invite our powerful survivors to speak to your faith community and give your members first-hand information about Darfur. You can also host monthly prayer gatherings for the victims of the genocide.

• Support youth education: Help us provide education to children in the internally displaced camps and the college students who are constantly under attack by the government.

• Skills training: Help us protect women and teach them skills to provide for themselves and for their families.

• Encouragement: Help us empower survivors to stand up and to speak for themselves as they train others on how to do so.

Contact Us At: Darfur Women Action Group | 419 7th St NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20004 | info@darfurwomenaction.org | www.darfurwomenaction.org | Phone: 804-439-2022 | Fax: 203-667-3719

We are more than willing to work with you and your faith community to develop additional ways to become involved in our fight to end genocide. Please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.

We thank you again for your time.

On behalf of the DWAG team,