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100 cities in U.S. to raise funds for uprooted Darfuri civiliansDisciples' WeekEnd of Compassion conference in April will host a tent Petaluma, Calif., February 20, 2008 - Tents of Hope (www.tentsofhope.org) announced the launch of a spring campaign to raise $1 million for emergency humanitarian relief operations in Darfur, Sudan. Over 100 cities in 30 states will participate in the national effort to relieve the suffering of an estimated 2.5 million displaced persons in Darfur and 300,000 Darfuri refugees in Chad. The spring campaign, called "Hope is Global," will include community-wide events in over 100 cities during the weekend of April 12 and 13. Amy Gopp, associate with Week of Compassion, the Disciples' relief and development organization, will bring the Disciples of Christ tent to the WeekEnd of Compassion conference on April 11-13 in Nashville, Tennessee. WeekEnd of Compassion (www.weekendofcompassion.org) will be "a catalyst for changing the lives of so many who suffer in the world as well as the lives of those who give." Conference attendees will be invited to paint the tent and learn about the genocide in Darfur. Conditions in Darfur and Chad are deteriorating with a new wave of brutal attacks on villages in Darfur by the Sudanese military. In recent weeks, thousands of Darfuri civilians have streamed into refugee camps in Chad. "The refugees are destitute and terrified," according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which administers the camps. "They told of their villages being looted and burned, and encircled by militia," said a UNHCR spokesperson. More than 400,000 civilians have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the violence began in 2003. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the recent attacks on civilians in Darfur. President Bush, on a recent visit to Africa, said, "I must confess I am a little frustrated by how slow things are moving. We expect other nations to join us in this effort to save lives from the genocide that is taking place. We will use all our diplomatic resources to urge full deployment of an effective United Nations force. We will continue to deliver humanitarian aid. We will continue to enforce sanctions, tough sanctions, against the Sudanese government officials, rebel leaders, and others responsible for violence." The violence in Chad has impacted efforts by U.S. students to help the Darfuri refugees. Students from Meadow Elementary School in Petaluma, California recently sent 300 painted canvas panels to the Farchana refugee camp in Chad. The panels were painted on one side by Meadow students with images such as hearts, doves, peace signs and children holding hands. Darfuri children in the Farchana refugee camps painted scenes of soldiers attacking their villages on the other side of the panels. They were to be sewn together into an 8 x 10 tent. But the panels were lost when rebels attempted to overthrow the government of Chad. After learning that the canvas panels were lost in Chad, Reliable Tents Company in Billings, Montana donated 300 canvas panels to Meadow school. The students plan to reproduce their previously painted images, and the Darfuri children's art work, for a new tent. Meadow Principal Melissa Becker said, "Our students haven't lost hope. They want to help the Darfuris and have already raised over $1,000 for humanitarian relief. It was wonderful to watch the videos of Darfuri children smiling when they saw the panels painted by Meadow students." Tents of Hope is a community-based campaign in which people respond as communities to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan by creating tents that are both unique works of art and ongoing focal points within communities for learning about, assisting and establishing relationships with the people of Sudan. Local communities are inviting religious congregations, students, civic organizations and other groups to participate in the artistic creation of the tents and related activities such as education, advocacy and fundraising for humanitarian relief. The Tents of Hope campaign was launched last fall by the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Press contact: Tents of Hope |