i-ACT 5, Day4: Child drawings

Scott, Colin, KTJ and Gabriel say good bye to N'Djamena for now and make their way east to Abeche. After gathering necessary permits, the four meet with UNHCR representatives and discuss the current situation near the Chad-Darfur border where approximately 5,000 refugees have been resettled in camps Kounoungo and Mile, while around 5,000 still remain scattered at the border. Of those who have chosen to stay, many were able to retrieve livestock from their villages and bring them across the border. Others are attending schools built by JEM. UNHCR missions report that they can hear and feel bombings inside of the Darfur region.

After an update on the situation, Youssouf brings KTJ and Gabriel a familiar piece of luggage! Tent panels that were painted on by elementary school students in Petaluma, CA on one side, and Darfur refugees on the other. This was part of their mission during i-ACT4 in January/February 2008, when the team was forced to leave the panels during an attempted military coup when the team was evacuated.

On one panel side Ryan has drawn a soldier holding a gun with a circle and a line through it, indicating "No War." Moubarakh, with no guidance, on the other side shares his experience when war and genocide ravages a nation. When men are targeted for slaughter and women gang raped. His picture is one of military planes bombing innocent civilians, and janjaweed riding in to burn and loot the homes.

More at http://stopgenocidenow.org/iact/iact5/day4

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News & Politics

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• iact
• i-act
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• genocide
• stopgenocidenow
• darfur
• chad
• child
• drawings