When I first started speaking about Darfur there were odd looks and whispers. I interviewed person after person that had no idea what Darfur even was. I had guesses like, "a sports team" and "I really have been busy lately and have not seen the news". These reactions hurt me, I felt as if my country failed its citizens in informing them about one of the most important events in the past hundred years.

People ask me why I Give these presentations on Darfur and what is happening. They ask what i am getting out of it, It took me a long time to come up with a responce to that, but i did. Now when i am asked that I simply look at them and say "Nothing, I get absolutely nothing out of helping these people. Except when this is all over I will be able to sit back in my couch and smile knowing that i Changed the world. And you will not." I feel for the people of Darfur. They really are wonderful people. That is something that I cant say about Americans. I wish i could switch places with a refugee, I would do it in a second. I wish others would feel this way as well.

If I could change one thing about the people in this country I would change how Arrogant we are. We claim to be world leaders, yet when it comes time to save a country... We FALL FLAT ON OUR FACES!

I recently joined this group, and I am excited to introduce my organization, Be Their Messenger, which offers support to Save Darfur among others.
This is basically my resource and awareness campaign.

My purpose is to provide a one-stop site to raise awareness and urge political pressure to end the Genocide in Darfur, the crisis in the Congo, and the displaced residents and child soldiers of Uganda. This has been a long work in progress and I still have much to do but wanted my fellow Save Darfur group members to be aware of it.

Please check out my Updates page, as that is where the bulk of my work is done. I post updates from many different organizations there, as well as my own notes and articles I find, or updates from local events.

We recently added 2 new page elements. You will notice 2 orange buttons on every page.
One button is "Tell your story" and one button is "Know their stories".

I wanted to offer a place where refugees, survivors or family members that have experiences from the conflicts in either Darfur, Congo or Uganda, can go and share their story. Then others can view these stories on the "know" page and really identify the personalized experiences. I believe the world needs to put a name and a personal story to the tragedies.
I also plan to send each story I get, individually to our president, with the hopes that I can overwhelm him.

I started this organization after I heard a local refugee say, "I believe if the people know what is happening, they will help to stop it."

Our mission is to be their messenger: get their stories out, make their voices heard and believe that people will then pay attention and apply political and international pressure to implement change. I think just being aware of it is a very significant first step.

After the world became aware of the stories that came out of the holocaust, it altered our beliefs (as a nation) of what was possible, it changed the borders and boundaries of what we knew the human race was capable of. I believe it shifted our compassion overall and I think that when Holocaust survivors began to get their stories out and their own personal experiences, that was a huge part of the growth and healing process not only for them, but for the world to know and understand how very unacceptable these tragedies were.
Sadly, not enough stories or knowledge got out early on about the Rwandan genocide. I want to change that as we go through these current "wars" that will soon be added to the list of what will go down in history as tragic.
I believe that these stories of devastation and survival have the power to impact a change in mankind.

"Today is the day we say let's look around and see what's going on. Put out a hand and say we are one people." (Refugee, Lost Boys of Sudan)

As I receive stories, I will be posting them. I hope you will check this out. Also, if you have access to refugees or survivors of family members of people with these experiences, please pass this information on to them and let them know that I would love to acknowledge what they have been through.

The most important thing you can do is be aware and make others aware. Please pass on the site and flag my updates page for daily news and reports.
You can also sign up to be on my e-mail list in order to receive weekly updates or to be notified when an urgent action is being requested, like a bill or petition that is reaching a deadline. Or, if you have comments, ideas or suggestions please click on the Contact link at the bottom of the site - or e-mail me: leah@betheirmessenger.org.

Thank you for your support!

Be Aware | Know Their Stories | Send Their Message
http://www.betheirmessenger.org/

I recently mailed a letter to the United Nations with a plea to do the right thing. As a request if any other members could send a simliar letter soon, we might be able to change their minds and have them take action. The people of Darfur need help from an outside source, and i think that our voices can make a difference.

Hello everyone, i am new to your organization and i am just looking for any actions i can take as a new member. i feel very strongly for those suffering in Darfur, and i would like to become an active member of your avocacy group. anyone that could come forward and give me any events that are coming up would be greatly appreciated. I am 18 and have not participated in many live protests yet or many events to save Darfur, i would like to participate in more.

Howdy all fellow concerned San Franciscans.  I am glad to be a part of this coalition, and to be taking action in something everyone in this country and the international community need to realize as a grave problem.  The state of life for Darfuris is appaling, and I hope my joining this group will in any way help increase awareness of the problems in Darfur to other people.  I plan on informing all of my friends and sending out emails to get people involved, and I also plan on attending the Torch event next month.  While the situation is desperate indeed, there is always hope for the future, and I believe it is never too late to make a difference.  I look forward to a safe, peaceful Darfur!

 

-Phil

  

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I had very darfurian day yesterday. I saw the "the devil came on horseback" for the second time. Many thoughts about the movie in my mind... but atfer the screening my friend asked question, very simple one.. how this is happening, the genocide..?why the president of the US says "genocide in Darfur" and then does nothing about it...when you realize it it are coming across the awful feeling of being hopeless, dissapointed...overwhelmed...in a way. For people who deal with those issues on daily basis and as well for just random audience who came to the theater to see the documentary movie..

Anyway, the genocide and international response to it... it reminded me one situation I found myself in. I was having my internship at one of the UN organizations in human rights section and my work was to update, write new articles to "dictionary of human rights" and there was a chapter "genocide"- definition of the genocide, international tools, history of B&H and Rwanda.. So I wrote my article. "Genocide in Darfur";) My boss came to me and said that it is not possible to leave it like that- once it would be published with the one on the UN organization signature on it he will be in trouble. Why? The United Nations never stated theat there is a genocide taking its harvest in Darfur and so we can not release this article. That was an awful feeling that left me unease and ambigious.
They can not act on the ground because some countries are intransigent. Moreover they can not even simply say "genocide". The US said, last year, Bush addressed the UN members, I even heard his speech on the radio. I thought that when the president of the US says genocide that's gonna have serious implications... well, not exactly... Someone said in the movie about the "chance" history gives us to redeem ourselves after two genocides in Europe and Africa. That's so shameful we still can't glean a lesson from the past.
I have my own explanation to the UN constant denial of genocide. Imagine what would happen if they said "there is a genocide in Darfur".. That would mean a responsibility, duty to act, to stop it. I guess they are afraid to do anything and so they are forever deeply concerned...Deeply concerned... The word issue is really an issue here. But, even if they "announced" genocide would it much change the
situation of killed, displaced, malnutrished, raped people of Darfur?

Hi, so I'm sort of new on this site, I really want to do something about Darfur, so I was thinking a benefit concert. Can anyone help me with hooks ups? Please?