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Enough Launches “Come Clean 4 Congo” Video Contest

in
Date: 
May 18, 2009


 

 

 May 18, 2009

RELEASE: Enough Launches “Come Clean 4 Congo” Video Contest

Leverages YouTube's New Video for Change Program to Raise Awareness Online

WASHINGTON, D.C., and SAN BRUNO, CA – Enough, the anti-crimes against humanity project at the Center for American Progress, is joining with YouTube™ today in announcing the launch of the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest, which empowers individuals to create compelling messages that highlight the link between “conflict minerals” used in cell phones and the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the deadliest since World War II. (www.youtube.com/enoughproject).

The creator of the winning video will be flown to Los Angeles (from within the United States), where the video will be screened at an entertainment industry event; it will also be featured on the Enough Project’s websites and YouTube page. Judges for the contest are Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, actress Sonya Walger from ABC’s "Lost," and Oscar-nominated director Wim Wenders.

“Much of the violence in eastern Congo is driven by armed groups competing to dominate the illicit minerals trade,” said Enough Project Executive Director John Norris. “These are the same minerals that ultimately end up in our personal electronics devices such as mobile phones, laptops and digital cameras. It seems only fitting that we can use something like YouTube and the huge creativity of its users to help end the scourge of conflcit minerals.” Enough has called on electronic companies to pledge that they will certify their products are ‘conflict free’ and subject their supply chains to transparent audits.

Come Clean 4 Congo marks the first installment of YouTube's new Video for Change program, which leverages the reach of the video-sharing site to spotlight the most pressing social causes that are important to YouTube's nonprofit partners and users.

"Activism today doesn’t just happen through letter-writing, petitions, or protests in the town square – it also takes place online.” said Steve Grove, Head of News, Politics and Nonprofits for YouTube. “We're launching Video for Change on YouTube to highlight the most pressing social causes our users care about, and The Enough Project's Come Clean 4 Congo contest is a great example of an innovative nonprofit using YouTube to empower citizens to raise awareness around the conflict in Congo "

The video contest is part of Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the crisis in the Congo and empower the women and girls who continue to be targets of horrific sexual violence in that country.

For details about how to enter the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest, and about the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, visit www.RAISEHopeforCongo.org/comeclean4congo.

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ABOUT YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR CHANGE

YouTube's Video for Change initiative highlights pressing social causes that are important to the YouTube community. Partnering with YouTube's top Nonprofit partners, each Video for Change initiative empowers individuals to raise the volume on causes they care about, using video. To learn more about the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit www.youtube.com/nonprofits.

ABOUT THE ENOUGH PROJECT AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more, visit www.enoughproject.org.

For Immediate Release


Media Contacts

The Enough Project

Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376

eread@enoughproject.org

YouTube™

Spencer Crooks, 650.214.1304

press@youtube.com

Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20005-4707 United States

 

 

Press Release: NGOs Welcome the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009

in
Date: 
May 13, 2009

 

 
 
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2009
 
Contacts
The Enough Project
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org
 
Global Witness
In Washington: Corinna Gilfillan, 202.380.3583 (o), 202.725.8705 (c)
cgilfillan@globalwitness.org
 
In London: Amy Barry, +44 207 561 6358
abarry@globalwitness.org
 
STATEMENT: NGOs Welcome the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., and LONDON – Enough, the anti-genocide project at the Center for American Progress, and Global Witness, a campaign to halt the abusive exploitation of natural resources, today released the following joint statement regarding U.S. Senate Bill S. 891, the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009:
 
We welcome the introduction of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 in the United States Senate. Senators Brownback, Durbin, and Feingold, the original co-sponsors of the bill, have demonstrated important leadership and welcome dedication to the cause of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and should be congratulated for their efforts. This bill would bring the resources of the U.S. government to bear on a critical driver of war in eastern Congo: the multi-million dollar trade in conflict minerals.
 
Conflict minerals—cassiterite (tin ore), gold, coltan and wolframite (a source of tungsten) that are used in electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops—are a major source of funding for armed groups in eastern Congo, including the Congolese national army and an array of rebel groups who regularly commit horrific atrocities against civilians. If passed, this bill would provide the authority and direction for the United States government to help ensure that the mineral trade stops contributing to human rights violations, including killings of unarmed civilians and sexual violence, while at the same time developing mechanisms to allow the Congolese people to benefit from these resources.
 
This bill is an important first step, and we strongly recommend that members of the House incorporate even stronger enforcement provisions when a House version of this bill is introduced.
 
What would this bill do?
 
The bill directs the State Department to support multilateral and U.S. government efforts to break the link between the trade in minerals and armed conflict in eastern Congo. Specific measures include:
 
·         support for further investigations by the UN Group of Experts on Congo;
·         mapping of which armed groups control key mines in eastern Congo;
·         development of a U.S. government strategy to address conflict minerals;
·         inclusion of information on the negative impact of mineral exploitation and trade on human rights in Congo in the annual human rights reports; and,
·         guidance for companies to exercise due diligence.
 
In a further positive direction, the bill demands greater transparency and accountability from companies: all companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges – including major electronics companies which are among the largest end-buyers of some of these minerals would have to disclose the origin of their supplies to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For those minerals coming from Congo or neighboring countries, companies would need to disclose the precise mine of origin. Finally, the bill calls for expanded U.S. efforts to improve conditions and livelihoods for communities in eastern Congo who are dependent upon mining.
 
What improvements are needed?
 
This bill is an important step in the right direction, but there are a number of critical details that should be addressed to ensure its effectiveness. Companies should be required to have an independent audit conducted of their supply chains in order to demonstrate the chain of custody through which the metals passed and ensure that armed groups were not involved. The bill should also require as complete and truthful disclosure as possible, and this information must be made accessible to investors and the wider public. The mine-of-origin disclosure requirements should be effectively enforced through random government spot checks and civil and criminal penalties should apply for those that fail to comply. The SEC should be required to work collaboratively with other government agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, to enforce these provisions.
 
We encourage concerned members of the public to contact their representatives and demand that they act to help ensure our consumer electronics are conflict free. 
 
 
Visit RAISE Hope for Congo to read two reports on conflict minerals in Congo. Visit the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for updates on this issue.
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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises.
Global Witness exposes the corrupt exploitation of natural resources and international trade systems, to drive campaigns that end impunity, resource-linked conflict, and human rights and environmental abuses.  Global Witness was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for its work to combat the trade in conflict diamonds.  In 2007 Global Witness won the Center for Global Development/Foreign Policy Magazine Commitment to Development Award.

 

Press Release: Finishing the Fight Against the 'Lords Resistance Army' in Congo

in
Date: 
May 12, 2009
Author: 
Julia Spiegel and Noel Atama

 

  
 
For Immediate Release
May 12, 2009
 
Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org
 
 
STRATEGY PAPER: Finishing the Fight Against the ‘Lord’s Resistance Army’ in Congo
 
READ the strategy paper.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Operation Lightning Thunder” did not end the threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, and sparked harsh reprisals by the LRA against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet, it would be an even greater tragedy for civilians if key states in this region of Africa and the international community lost their collective will to end the threat of the LRA for once and all. What is needed now is a second Ugandan-led operation against the LRA—with strong international backing and operational support, notes a strategy paper released here today by the Enough Project at the Center for American Progress.
 
 “Finishing the Fight Against the LRA” argues that the United States should take the lead in supporting a new Ugandan military operation by providing solid planning, intelligence, coordination, and logistical support—and take greater responsibility for the execution and outcomes of the operation. “Operation Lightning Thunder” was a joint military operation launched against the LRA in mid-December by the armies of Uganda, Congo, and the Government of Southern Sudan.
 
“The only way to finally bring an end to the LRA’s terror is by apprehending or otherwise removing those key LRA leaders responsible for ongoing atrocities,” said co-author Julia Spiegel, Enough’s Uganda-based LRA researcher. “But in any future operation, the joint forces must make civilian protection paramount; greater resources must be acquired now; and forces must proactively deploy to civilian centers and areas with assemblies of displaced people.”
 
“Abandoning the mission to end the LRA now will have disastrous consequences for civilians through central Africa,” said co-author Noel Atama, an Enough researcher based in Congo. “Now is the time to re-double and reinvigorate international and regional efforts to finally bring an end to the LRA’s devastating reign of death and destruction.”
 
READ the strategy paper.
 
Visit the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for updates on this issue.
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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises.

 

 

Press Release: Beyond Piracy: Next Steps to Stabilize Somalia

in
Date: 
May 8, 2009

 

 
For Immediate Release
 
Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org
STRATEGY PAPER: Beyond Piracy: Next Steps to Stabilize Somalia
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. - For the first time in a long time, Americans are paying attention to what their government does in Somalia, notes a strategy paper released today by the Enough Project at the Center for American progress.
 
Following last month’s hostage drama off the coast of Somalia, President Barack Obama is under increasing political pressure to address the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Yet, while short-term measures to curb pirate attacks are certainly necessary, the Obama administration must not allow the politics of the piracy problem to distract it from putting in place a long-term strategy to help Somalis forge a state that, with measured external support, can fight piracy, promote peace and reconciliation, and combat terrorism.
 
The strategy paper analyzes the current situation in Somalia and provides recommendations for how the United States and others can help Somalis address multiple security threats. “For state-building efforts to succeed, the Obama administration must privilege long-term political solutions over short-term military responses to the threats of piracy and terrorism in Somalia and chart a new course that privileges Somali-driven political processes, prioritizes inclusive governance, and respects Somali preferences,” said Ken Menkhaus, one of the paper’s co-authors. Mr. Menkhaus, a noted Somalia expert, is a professor of political science at Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
 
“The election of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and the establishment of a moderate Islamist government under his authority are potentially the best chance Somalia has had to pull itself out of nearly two decades of state collapse,” said the Enough Project’s Co-founder and co-author of the strategy paper, John Prendergast. "In fighting terrorism on land and piracy at sea, U.S. national security interests will be better secured if we align ourselves more with the interest of most Somalis in better security and effective governance."
 
Enough’s Policy Advisor Colin Thomas-Jensen, also a co-author, added: “The immediate challenges for the United States and other external actors are helping to ensure that the transitional Somali government pays its security forces, providing training and non-lethal equipment conditioned on their improved conduct, and establishing oversight mechanisms to ensure that funding does not support abusive forces or political score-settling.”
 
READ the strategy paper.
 
Visit the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for updates on this issue.
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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises.
If you would rather not receive future email messages from Center for American Progress, let us know by clicking here.
Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20005-4707 United States
 

 

Press Release: Darfur Activist Groups Outline "Blueprint for Peace" in Sudan

in
Date: 
Apr 30, 2009

 

         

April 30, 2009

Contact: 

Ann Brown (Save Darfur), 202-478-6181
Nanda Chitre (Enough Project), 202-481-8245
Mame Annan-Brown (GI-NET), 202-481-8220 x309
 

DARFUR ACTIVIST GROUPS OUTLINE ‘BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE’ IN SUDAN

Groups lay out necessary steps for Obama administration to forge multilateral peace strategy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Darfur advocacy groups – including the Enough Project, the Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network – today released an open letter to President Obama that outlines the steps his administration should take to forge a multilateral peace strategy for Sudan. The letter, titled A Blueprint for Peace, urges President Obama to treat the situation in Sudan as a strategic priority, set objectives for U.S. policy, build the necessary leverage and invest in the diplomacy needed to achieve an equitable and lasting solution for all of Sudan. 

The full text of the letter can be found here. 

"The overriding policy goal of the Obama administration in Sudan should be a comprehensive peace,” said Enough Co-founder John Prendergast. “The United States needs to take the strategic lead in putting a credible process together for Darfur, while constructing more effective mechanisms to support the implementation of the North-South deal and the Eastern agreement."

In the letter, the groups lay out a set of focused and meaningful pressures and incentives necessary to leverage the various parties to find a peaceful solution to the interlocking conflicts within Sudan and the region.

“It is vital that the Obama administration work closely with other key governments in dealing with Sudan,” said Save Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler. “The United States can lead efforts toward peace in Sudan, but it must recognize the need to engage with both U.S. allies and with those leaders who continue to back Bashir following the ICC arrest warrant issuance.”

“President Obama and members of his administration have spoken passionately about their intention to act boldly to end the crisis in Darfur and promote international efforts toward a peaceful future in Sudan,” added Genocide Intervention Network Executive Director Sam Bell. “Now theyhave the chance to do so at a crucial juncture in Sudan’s history, by making strong and sustained efforts to build an international coalition for peace.”

The full text of the letter can be found here. 

 

Press Release: Strategy Paper: The Enough Project's Comprehensive Approach to Conflict Minerals

in
Date: 
Apr 24, 2009

 

  

 

For Immediate Release

April 24, 2009 

 

Contact: 

Nanda Chitre

 
STRATEGY PAPER: The Enough Project’s Comprehensive Approach to Conflict Minerals
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2009 – Electronics companies must ensure they are not using minerals which finance the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the deadliest conflict in over 50 years, says the Enough Project in a new strategy paper released today.
 
Many of these minerals end up in cell phones and other electronic devices used daily by millions of American consumers. Audits of the supply chain for these deadly minerals are part of a four-part strategy to curb illegal profiteering from the trade in conflict minerals, detailed in the paper by the Enough Project at the Center for American Progress and the Grassroots Reconciliation Group.
 
The paper is the second in a series of strategy papers on “conflict minerals,” the ores that produce the tin, tungsten, and tantalum found in many popular electronic products. 
 
"Bringing transparency to the consumer electronics supply chain is an essential first step if we want to transform Congo’s mineral resources from a curse into an engine of growth for millions of people who remain trapped by both violence and poverty," said John Norris, Enough’s executive director. “It is no accident that the majority of the violence in eastern Congo has been carried out in areas rich with minerals. Conflict minerals remain a key source of financing for some of the most reprehensible armed groups in the world."
 
“As consumers and global citizens, we have a critical role to play in demanding that companies and governments exercise leverage over the supply chain,” says Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast.
 
The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or a girl—in significant part because of the international demand for electronic products that requires minerals found in eastern Congo. Eastern Congo is a complex crisis—fueled by tensions over land, rights, identity, regional power struggles and the fundamental weaknesses of Congo as a state— and the trade in conflict minerals is one of the key drivers of the conflict.
 
“At the same time,” adds Enough Project Research Associate David Sullivan, “a more comprehensive approach will be necessary—one that embraces a significant, sustained, and long-term investment in Congo’s security, governance, and livelihoods.”
 
Read the full strategy paper here.
 
Visit the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for regular updates on the crisis in Congo and visit RaiseHopeforCongo.org to see details of the Conflict Minerals pledge electronic companies are being asked to endorse. 
 

 

Press Release: Chicago Youth Rally Raises $16,000 For Darfuri Refugee Camp Schools and Illinois Sudanese Community Center

in
Date: 
Apr 19, 2009

 

For Immediate Release
April 19, 2009

Contact:
Stella Kojo Kenyi, Sister Schools Program Coordinator, Enough Project
301-919-0588, in Chicago
skenyi@enoughproject.org

Ethan Barhydt, Founder, Youth United for Darfur, Chicago
847-494-2629, in Chicago
ethan@youthunitedfordarfur.org

Eileen White Read, 202-741-6376, in Washington, Enough Project
eread@enoughproject.org

RELEASE: Chicago Youth Rally Raises $16,000 For Darfuri Refugee Camp Schools and Illinois Sudanese Community Center

CHICAGO, IL - Youth United for Darfur, a coalition of 40 Chicago youth and student groups, announced at its rally, concert, and art exhibit here for Darfur that $16,000 had been raised by 27 Chicago schools and universities for the Enough Project’s Sister Schools Program and the Sudanese Community Center, Naperville, IL.

Enough’s Sister Schools Program is an innovative initiative to provide a quality education to Darfuri children living in refugee camps in eastern Chad, and to connect American middle schools, high schools, and universities to the Darfuri refugee camp schools through video blogging and letter exchanges. The program’s coordinator, Stella Kenyi, is a native of Sudan.

The April 19 events at Federal Plaza included an address by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL,) a longtime supporter of the Sudanese people. Music was provided by the bands Company of Thieves, The Hood Internet, Scott Lucas of the band Local H, and Paul Green’s School of Rock Music. The event also featured a display of artwork by children who were victims of violence in Darfur and photographs of members of the Sudanese Community Center.

Other speakers at the event included: Mohamed Abdelrhman Kauda, President of the Darfur Association in Illinois; Reverend LaDonna M. Sanders of the South Africa Ubuntu Project; Harold Rogers of the Chicago Black Trade Unionists; Morgan Leek of Metro; Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan; and Ashal Yai, a Sudanese student and poet.

Youth United for Darfur’s founder, Ethan Barhydt, issued a call to the Obama administration to take swift action to promote peace and justice in Darfur. “We want people to see the power of student voice – the fact that teenagers organized this event and brought people together and got politicians to notice says a lot. We truly do have a voice in this country, and I think it's important that we continue to use it as the situation in Darfur deteriorates,” he said. Mr. Barhydt, a senior at Deerfield High School, has been active in the Darfur movement since he was in seventh grade and created Youth United for Darfur last year.

Event sponsors included the American Jewish World Service, Amnesty International, the Enough Project, the Save Darfur Coalition, and STAND, the student anti-genocide coalition.

Press Release: Can You Hear Congo Now? Cell Phones, Conflict Minerals, and the Worst Sexual Violence in the World

in
Date: 
Apr 1, 2009

For Immediate Release
April 1, 2009

Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org


STRATEGY PAPER: Can You Hear Congo Now? Cell Phones, Conflict Minerals, and the Worst Sexual Violence in the World  

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2009 – The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress today issued a call to action on “conflict minerals” that are mined in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, sold by rebel groups to purchase arms, and serve as a direct cause of widespread sexual violence in that country.

In a new strategy paper authored by Co-founder John Prendergast, Enough called for electronics companies to endorse a pledge that they will manufacture their products without conflict minerals and make their supply chains subject to a transparent audit. Enough also urged activists around the world to endorse a similar pledge calling on companies to examine their business practices. “The deadly nexus in the Democratic Republic of Congo between conflict, sexual violence, and resource exploitation is undeniable,” notes the strategy paper, Can You Hear Congo Now? Cell Phones, Conflict Minerals, and the Worst Sexual Violence in the World.

The strategy paper notes that most electronics companies and consumers genuinely do not appreciate the complex chain of events that ties widespread sexual violence in the Congo with the minerals that power cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, video games, and digital cameras.  Since research has clearly demonstrated those linkages, however, the Enough Project believes it is time to understand these linkages, expose them, and bring this deadly war fuelled by conflict minerals to an end.  Militias and armies responsible for the scourge of sexual violence in eastern Congo battle for control over conflict minerals – the ores that produce the tin, tungsten, and tantalum found in electronic products – and finance themselves through illegal taxation and illicit trade.

 “Because we are all unconsciously part of the problem in Congo, all of us can consciously become part of the solution,” said Mr. Prendergast. “Collectively, American consumers have enormous leverage over the companies from which we purchase our electronics. We can marshal that power to press them to play a positive role to protect and empower Congo’s women.”
 

Press Release: Enough Project Applauds NBC for Law and Order SVU Episode on Uganda Rebel Group

in
Date: 
Mar 27, 2009

 

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2009

Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org

RELEASE: Enough Project Applauds NBC for Law & Order SVU Episode on Uganda Rebel Group

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Enough Project, which has served as adviser for an episode of the television series Law & Order Special Victims Unit scheduled to run on March 31, applauds NBC Universal and Executive Producer Dr. Neal Baer for the episode’s sensitive portrayal of difficult and ongoing issues in Africa. 

In the episode, entitled “Hell,” a young female Ugandan turns up in New York City with a severe knife wound, and doctors notice that her body displays evidence of long-term physical and sexual abuse. The young African girl, when asked who hurt her, makes a stick drawing of a devil. The girl’s character, and that of a young boy – a former “child soldier” - were written to symbolize the plight of survivors of the 22-year war in Northern Uganda waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, a brutal rebel group known for abducting an estimated 20,000 children. The group forced thousands of boys to become child soldiers and girls to become sex slaves and “wives” to its commanders. 

Information about the LRA and issues surrounding its activities were provided by Enough’s Co-founder John Prendergast and Uganda-based policy researcher Julia Spiegel. As an educational tool to accompany the episode, Law & Order has been featuring the Enough Project on its website throughout the month of March. On the Enough Project website, a box on the home page sends visitors to a special section, “An In-Depth Look at the Lord’s Resistance Army,” featuring policy research reports, stories of survivors, multimedia content, and actions activists can take. As recent Enough Project reports have noted, the scourge of the LRA continues; although the unit was forced from Uganda in 2006, it has in recent years wreaked havoc in Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic.

"In our continuing commitment to bring the audience stories that resonate with timely social issues, SVU presents the plight of child soldiers, innocent children throughout the world who are being forced, often under threat of death, to commit atrocities against others,” says Dr. Baer.  “We have had the privilege of working with John Prendergast, who has guided us with his expertise and shown us that only by knowing the truth, can we act to stop this horror."

“Law & Order is taking on the very hard issue of child soldiers in a sensitive way,” says Prendergast. “The death of Elijah, the former child soldier, illuminates the stories of thousands of children all around the world who are in captivity, forced to fight in wars and commit atrocities. The hell on earth referred to in the episode is the area of central Africa destabilized by the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan militia that abducts children to act as child soldiers and sex slaves. Countering the LRA and freeing the child soldiers and concubines are urgent human rights priorities. International action is needed, and hopefully the Law & Order episode can contribute to galvanizing that action.” 

Darfur Dream Team Launches Sister Schools, press release, 3-18-09

in
Date: 
Mar 18, 2009
Author: 
Eileen White Read

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2009
 

Contact:
Stella Kenyi, 202.481.8231
skenyi@enoughproject.org
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org

 


RELEASE: Darfur Dream Team Launches Sister 
                   Schools Program To Educate Students
                   In Refugee Camps
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Basketball stars Tracy McGrady, Derek Fisher, Baron Davis, Luol Deng, Etan Thomas, and Jermaine O'Neal have joined together to announce the launch of the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program. As part of the program, the players will work with U.S. schools to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur and money for Darfuri refugee camp schools. The Sister Schools Program links American middle schools, high schools, and universities with schools in Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad. U.S sister schools will raise funds to improve the education of their Darfuri peers through the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings as well as providing teacher training, sports equipment, and other school supplies. The program will also foster cross-cultural relationships and mutual understanding between U.S. and Darfuri refugee students through letter exchanges and video blogging.

The Darfur Dream Team is a dynamic partnership involving professional basketball players; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); USA for UNHCR, the Enough Project; Participant Media’s Darfur Now Social Action Campaign; TakePart.com, the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, co-founded by Angelina Jolie and Gene Sperling; Facing History and Ourselves; and i-ACT. The partnership will expand to include additional professional basketball players.

The Sister Schools Program was conceptualized following Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady’s trip to Darfuri refugee camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the Enough Project.  McGrady’s journey is chronicled in the documentary film, 3 Points. In 3 Points McGrady says, “I just imagined this could be us. What if the roles were reversed? This is not a joke, this is not a game. This is real.” Following the trip McGrady spoke at his high school in Florida about the crisis and the importance of the Sister Schools Program, saying “I want to challenge you to help these kids get an education and help them better themselves. They want books, they want to be educated.” Already, more than 100 U.S. schools have signed up to participate in the program.

McGrady has since reached out to other professional basketball players who have made addressing the crisis in Darfur a priority. Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers said, “When I first heard about the crisis in Darfur, I wanted to find some way that I could contribute that would not only help the survivors of the war, but also raise awareness of what is happening there.” Baron Davis added that watching “3 Points,” showed him how influential the program could be. “I was blown away by what the Darfur Dream Team could accomplish,” Davis said. “We have a chance to dramatically improve the lives of young people from Darfur, and help educate young people here in the United States about issues beyond our neighborhood.”

The Sister Schools Program‘s web site, www.darfurdreamteam.org, includes an itemized registry that allows  schools, basketball players and their teams, companies, and the general public to see the resources and supplies needed by Darfuri refugee camp schools and donate toward items of their choice. Items needed range from textbooks to teacher training to sports equipment; individuals can even donate toward the actual construction of school buildings in the camps. “Anyone can get involved and make an immediate difference in the lives of young refugees from Darfur,” said John Prendergast. Select basketball players will work with their teammates to adopt one or more schools in Darfuri refugee camps. Other players will recruit U.S. high schools and colleges to become sister schools to refugee camp schools. 


For more information about the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program, see www.darfurdreamteam.org or contact Stella Kenyi at skenyi@enoughproject.org.


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The Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program links American middle schools, high schools, and universities with schools in the Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad.  U.S sister schools will raise funds to improve the education of their Darfuri peers through the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings and by providing supplies, sports equipment, and teacher training. The program will also foster cross-cultural relationships and mutual understanding between U.S. and Darfuri refugee students through letter exchanges and video blogging. The Sister Schools Program is a dynamic partnership involving professional basketball stars Tracy McGrady, Derek Fisher, Baron Davis, Luol Deng,  Etan Thomas, and Jermaine O'Neal; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);USA for UNHCR,  the Enough Project; Participant Media; TakePart.com;  Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, co-founded by Angelina Jolie and Gene Sperling; Facing History and Ourselves; and i-ACT. The partnership will expand to include additional professional basketball players. More than 100 U.S. schools have signed up to participate in the program.


The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more about Enough and what you can do to help, go to www.enoughproject.org.

                      
                                      

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