the independent campus newspaper of swarthmore college since 1881

Sunday, October 12, 2008

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »

Students start fund to combat Sudan genocide

BY CHRISTINA TEMES

In print | December 2, 2004

As the genocide in Darfur, Sudan rages on, Swarthmore students are raising money for the Genocide Intervention Fund, a private fund that would support peacekeepers in the region, as well as any future costs for genocide intervention.

The fund, created by Mark Hanis ’05 and Andrew Sniderman ’06, will provide financial assistance to African Union troops who currently lack the resources to carry out their mandate of protecting civilians, securing delivery of humanitarian aid, and monitoring a tenuous cease-fire in the region.

“These soldiers are willing and ready to go but are unable to get to Sudan and be effective without financial and logistical support,” according to “Creating a Genocide Intervention Fund,” an informational pamphlet distributed by the organizers.

Organizers hope to raise $4 million by February to meet the budget shortage of the AU, according to the fund’s outreach coordinator Cara Angelotta ’05.

Hanis and Sniderman hope to secure an AU endorsement by Friday and to set up a bank account within the next two weeks. Because the details have not been finalized as of press time, organizers did not know how the money will be spent, but emphasized that they will provide donors with details of what their contributions will purchase once more information is available.

“We do know it will be spent on helping the AU stop genocide,” Sniderman said. “We do know that Colin Powell has said the single best short-term way to contribute is by supporting the AU.”

The fund has already received support from former senior officials, including the former secretary to the National Security Council under Ronald Reagan, seven-term Congressman Howard Wolpe and Gayle Smith, a former director of African affairs on the National Security Council and current senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, according to Hanis.

To solicit enough funds, organizers are reaching out to alumni, colleges and universities, faith communities, the media, as well as non-governmental organization such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Other potential sources include philanthropists such as George Soros and Peter Lewis.

So far, Hanis and Sniderman have successfully enlisted the college’s help in their outreach efforts. The Alumni Relations Office has agreed to include information about the fund in its e-newsletter, which is sent out to around 10,000 alumni. In addition, it has also put the fund’s organizers in touch with alumni in positions of power, according to Hanis and Sniderman.

For the college community, Hanis has set up a genocide information page on Blackboard, and hopes students will help out in any way they can.

“We want and need their support,” he said.

“Our only real yardstick for measuring success will be effecting real change on the ground,” Sniderman added.

Additional reporting by Sue Chen

Discussion

Comments are closed.

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »