Darfur Dream Teams Sister School

World Without Genocide is an affiliated partner with the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program, created by the Enough Project.

There are two main objectives of the Darfur Dream Team's Sister Schools Program. They are: (1) to provide a quality education to every refugee child from Darfur; and, (2) to develop connections between students from Darfur and the United States and promote mutual understanding.

Principal partners in the Darfur Dream Team's Sister Schools Program include: USA for UNHCR, Participant Media, The Enough Project, Facing History and Ourselves, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, and i-ACT. MIDC and World will be affiliated partners in the program.

With the funds raised, UNHCR and its partner organizations in eastern Chad will build and rehabilitate primary school buildings, and provide students in the refugee camps with school supplies and sports equipment.

Each school, church, and community group in the US that gets involved and raises funds will then connect with Darfuri students by communicating through letters, pictures, care packages, and eventually video blogs.

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The genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan began in 2003 and continues to this day. The Janjaweed and government forces have burned villages, murdered and maimed residents, poisoned wells, raped women, stolen animals and other valuables, and kidnapped children. They have killed over 200,000 Darfuris.

Over 2.5 million Darfuris have been forced to flee their homes because of the ongoing conflict. Most have moved to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps within Sudan, but approximately 250,000 Darfuris have fled to refugee camps in eastern Chad.

Although they are now forced to rely on international aid for food and shelter, Darfuri refugees dream of someday returning to their villages and to a peaceful Sudan. They dream of hope and stability, but most of all they dream of a better future for their children.

Djabal and Goz Amer, both located near the town of Goz Beida, are two of the oldest refugee camps in eastern Chad. Most of the beneficiaries in the program focus area are from Darfur and belong to a large number of ethnic groups, including Massalit, Fur, Dadjo, Tama, Zaghawa, Ouaddai, Signar, and Mubi. These camps have substantially large adolescent populations that desperately need access to quality education, or they will become severely under-educated relative to their peers in Sudan.

UNICEF estimates that 60% of the population in the Darfuri refugee camps are children. Most of the children have lost one or both of their parents, some of whom were murdered. Some of the children have witnessed horrendous atrocities that are extremely difficult for any adult or child to process or move past. Education in a secure and stable school environment will help children overcome traumatic experiences and prepare them for a brighter future.

Education will equip Darfuri students with skills that will enable them to become doctors, teachers, business owners, and leaders in their communities, and help them tackle the hard work of rebuilding once peace comes.

Since 2004, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) has been working to provide Darfuri refugees with a quality education. However, their resources are very limited, and attendance in the schools is inconsistent. While enrollment is high and children want to go to school, a shortage of qualified teachers, poorly built school buildings, and lack of supplies make it difficult to give the children a good education.

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MIDC and World Without Genocide will raise funds to rehabilitate and support the school called Darasalam in Goz Amer camp in eastern Chad.

Supporting the school for one year will cost $57,500.
Books, school supplies, and uniforms - $11,500
Benches, blackboards, and desks - $8,265
Teacher salaries and training - $17,250
Building and rehabilitation - $17,250
Sports equipment - $2,875