Darfur Solar Cooker Project

I've been receiving such positive responses from Lou Ann Merkle's Solar Cooker Project for Darfur from the Darfur Alert Coalition (our sister group in Philadelphia that Mohamed Ibrahim co-founded) that I've included the guidelines here:

HOW TO DONATE SOLAR COOKERS TO DARFUR:

As we hear so much bad news coming from Darfur along with the international community's complicity we could easily despair. In the meantime, women and children are trying to survive in the camps. So we?claim hope because families are counting on us. DAC is thrilled to offer an opportunity to DO SOMETHING NOW that will directly help the women and children in the camps. Please read the info below about DAC's Solar Cooker Project.

DARFURALERTCOALITION

SOLAR COOKER PROJECT

A HOLIDAY GIFT OF A SOLAR COOKER WILL

ASSIST THE WOMEN OF DARFUR NOW

THE MISSION: The Darfur Alert Coalition is proud to assist Solar Cookers International, a California nonprofit, and KoZon (Cooking with the Sun) of the Netherlands in their refugee-camp project in Chad. The project is providing women in Iridimi refugee camp with thousands of solar cookers. This simple life-changing step protects them from rape and other forms of violence by ending their need to leave the camp to forage for cooking fuel. In addition, the women generate income by assembling the cookers in a workshop at the camp and by providing training to others. The cookers have also been used successfully in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

THE REFUGEE CRISIS: More than 250,000 Darfur refugees (mostly women and children) live in camps in Chad, across the border from war-torn Sudan. There is little or no security beyond the camp perimeter, and girls and women who leave to forage for firewood are often beaten, raped and branded by the Sudanese-supported janjaweed militia. The Iridimi camp, holding about 20,000 refugees, is in an area of Chad with abundant sun but devoid of vegetation. Very little firewood or other fuel is supplied by relief agencies working in Iridimi.

THE COOKER SOLUTION: Through this project, refugees in Iridimi are given a simple solar cooker called a CooKit that converts sunlight into heat to cook food and purify water. Being made of cardboard and aluminum foil, it is lightweight and easy to assemble. After training, the women get two CooKits per family (one for rice or other grain/starch, and the other for sauce or vegetables). The cookers provide many benefits: They help the environment by lessening the uprooting of trees and brush. Their fire-free cooking means no more smoke inhalation and eye irritation. Ending the need for firewood frees up considerable time and money that families can devote to improving their livelihood. Eighty women trainers have successfully taught about 600 families in Iridimi how to use CooKits. About 1,200 cookers have been distributed thus far in the project, with the goal of 6,000 for the camp. Once that is completed, KoZon and Solar Cookers may replicate the project in two other refugee camps in Chad. For more information visit: www.solarcookers.org.

Many of the refugees in Chad had only one request: "Don't forget us," they said.

YES! I want to bring solar cookers to the women in the Iridimi Camp.

Name ___________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________

CITY____________________________STATE_______ZIP___________

Phone_________________________ email_____________________

___$30 to buy 2 stoves for 1 family.

___$55 to buy stoves & training for 1 family.

__ $110 to buy stoves & training for 2 families.

__________Other

Checks should be payable to Darfur Alert Coalition, with Solar Cooker Project indicated in the memo field. Acknowledgment of your tax-deductible donation will be mailed to you. Solar Cookers International also will send you its newsletter with progress reports and updates from the field.

Mail your check and this form to: Darfur Alert Coalition, P.O. Box 42036, Philadelphia Pa. 19101

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Next W. Mass. Darfur Coalition Meeting: Jan. 16th

The next Western Mass. Darfur Coalition Meeting will be onTuesday, January 16th, 2007
at 7 pm -- at Fanny Rothschild's house at 26 Morgan Circle in Amherst.

Please mark your calendars and me know if you can come.

All the best to you and thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Please email ideas to revisionary@comcast.net for what you'd like to work on in our next phase so I can put them in the Jan. 16th meeting agenda.

Thank you so much, Fanny Rothschild

Amherst Joins the Divestment campaign!

Actor Don Cheadle joined hundreds of students at the University of California in support of targeted Sudan divestment. In March, 2006, the University restricted holdings in nine "offending" companies. see this link: http://www.sudandivestment.org/home.asp

Dear Darfur Supporters,

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! The Town of Amherst, at a Special Town Meeting last night Nov. 1st, voted to take action to end the genocide in Darfur. The resolution is attached here.

Thank you, Martha and Irwin Spiegelman for working so tirelessly to get the article on the agenda of the Special Amherst Town Meeting last night and organizing a strong lineup of speakers, starting with Martha herself who gave a clear, powerful argument for the importance of a message about Darfur that will resonate from the town to the state to the international communities. Mohamed Ibrahim Elgadi followed with a moving testimony of his abhorrent imprisonment by the Government of Sudan and the importance of divesting from companies who contribute directly to the daily torture and murders by these perpetrators. Select Board member Anne Awad argued for the resolution (that was unanimously supported by the Select Board) by first letting us all know that our community is privileged to have heroes like Mohamed and Magda among us; I felt both proud and teary-eyed upon hearing her words about our two dear, tireless members.

Meanwhile, the ARHS Stand members came in full force -- their presence in such numbers communicates so much to the town that our community places Darfur in the forefront of their concerns. And thank you, Juliana Morgan-Trostle, for trying so hard to be heard at the Town Meeting. We strongly recommend that you submit your speech (by email) as a letter to the Editor of The Amherst Bulletin. Your voice will be heard!

Note that the attached resolution says:

"that copies of this resolution be distributed to the President, members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, other members of Congress in positions of leadership of the House and Senate and committees with jurisdiction over foreign policy and commerce, the Governor of Massachusetts and members of Amherst’s delegation to the state legislature, and other leaders of the state legislature as deemed appropriate..."

Our next move should be (1) to communicate our success to other communities around Massachusetts so that all our individual town voices will resonate together in urging the Mass. legislature to pass the Sudanese Divestment Bill that will be brought back in the upcoming session; and (2) to disseminate our resolution even further, around the country, in order to encourage other towns to create a lot of noise about divestment, UN peacekeepers and the ICC. As we know so well, grassroots work is so crucial. Again, thank you Martha and Irwin.

So email me your ideas on ways to spread the word. I will contact my colleagues at Save Darfur -- national and Massachusetts group -- and give them our resolution. Other ideas?

Also upcoming event: Darfur Panel at UMass (along with Darfur Children's Art Exhibit -- it's really traveling!!!) on Wed., Nov. 15th, 7 pm (mark the date -- details to come -- Magda and Mohamed are among the speakers; if you want an in depth analysis of the current situation in Darfur, hear it from them). Organized by our member, Stephanie Aines (contact her at saines@student.umass.edu.).

Come discuss the dissemination of the resolution and other issues at next meeting:
Tuesday, Nov. 7th at 7 pm at Fanny's, 26 Morgan Circle, Amherst (directions attached).

Regards,
Fanny Rothschild
Western Mass. Darfur Coalition

UN Representative ordered to leave Sudan

A convoy of Sudanese refugees arriving at a safer camp deeper inside Chad, from camps near the border. ©UNHCR/H.Caux

On Sunday, the government of Sudan ordered the UN Special Representative Jan Pronk to leave Sudan by today. They accused him of "psychological warfare" after Pronk commented that the army's morale had suffered after two major defeats in the Darfur region since September. This decision by Sudan has been met with negative reactions by the UN, the African Union, the United States, and others. Mr. Pronk has returned to New York for consultations with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. UN officials say Mr. Pronk's status is unchanged.With the peace treaty in "disarray," experts in the region fear that the Sudanese government will resort to air raids on villages along the border. While the attacks target suspected rebel hideouts, it is often innocent civilians and refugees who are the victims.
from: http://www.unrefugees.org/

محاكمة البشير في نيويورك ....!

http://www.sudaneseonline.com/cgi-bin/sdb/2bb.cgi?seq=msg&board=60&msg=1156426691
In this post you can read writings of 3 members of our W. Ma Darfur Coalition: Abu Asal; Tumadir; and Mohamed. The post title in Arabic is محاكمة البشير في نيويورك ....!
which translated to The Trial of al-Bashir in New york...!
The post is mix of Arabic and English writings, and was visted by more than 2393 vistirs (as of today)..

W. Ma Darfur Coalition to Join the JOG campaign

"The Judgment on Genocide (www.judgmentongenocide.org) is a presentation constructed to dramatize the urgent need for UN peacekeepers in Darfur. We aim to educate the public in further detail of the decades-long crimes of the Sudanese government against their own citizens and the failure of the international community to end the genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur."

Hundreds of cities around the US is participating in delivering the indictment to president al-Bashir. Amherst Town, represented by WMADC, is among those active communities and commited to send at least 100 indictments.
Go to this link to participate: http://www.judgmentongenocide.org/action.html

Darfur Events in October, 2006

We are overflowing with events on Darfur the month of October (please mark your calendars):

1) Thurs, Oct. 5th, DarfurFast Day: monthly meeting at 5:30 pm and potluck (following at sunset/6:30 pm) to break the DarfurFast at Fanny Rothschild's; 26 Morgan Circle in Amherst (email for directions to revisionary@comcast.net).

2) Mon., Oct 2nd - Wed. Oct. 18th, Darfur Children's Art Exhibit at Arms Library at Main and Bridge Sts. in Shelburne Falls.

At the closing on Wed. Oct. 18th, our Magda Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim will talk at 7 pm. Children are invited to make drawings for children in Darfur from 6 to 7 pm.

3) Tues., Oct. 3rd -- Nicholas Kristof (!) will speak at Amherst College, Johnson Chapel at 6:30 pm.

4) Sat., Oct. 28th Panel discussion along with Children's Art Exhibit at Springfield College from 1 - 4 pm; our Magda Ahmed is on the panel (flyer is coming).