The Darfur Heroes program, started last year by the coalition, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts. This month, Save Darfur is honoring the tireless work of Darfuri diaspora leaders in the United States – in particular, Darfur Peace and Development Organization president Suliman Giddo and Marwa Salah Eldin Abdalla, the youngest member of the Darfuri Leaders Network and executive member of the Fur Cultural Revival Organization.
Here are their stories:
Suliman Giddo
My name is Suliman Giddo, and I am co-founder and president of the Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), a nonprofit that provides humanitarian and development assistance to victims of conflict in Darfur, Sudan. As president of DPDO, I lead the organization in supporting fifteen grade schools throughout North Darfur and Chad. DPDO will also soon begin construction on a high school for orphans in El Fasher that will feature Sudan’s only high-school computer lab, a large library, and several English classes to prepare students for advancement to university. My work with DPDO includes assisting grassroots groups with conflict resolution, organizing training in the production and use of solar cooking technology in 6 IDP camps in Darfur, and operating a women’s center in the Kassab IDP camp. My organization promotes awareness of the Darfur crisis in the United States and advocates for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Born and raised in the village of Korgi in Darfur, I learned at a young age that education could make a difference. Between 500 and 600 children from neighboring villages gathered in the city of Kutum each April to determine, at random, which children would be allowed to enroll at Zatelrasin Elementary School. I had the great opportunity to be one of only 6 children chosen in my area to attend school. The school was 64 kilometers from my home, and I walked for two days and nights to reach the city when I was only seven. Thrilled at the idea of earning an education, I began my first year, learning basic math and Arabic through lessons drawn on the sand. By age 11, I wanted to help educate the children and adults from my locality that did not have the opportunity to go to school. I requested and was granted educational materials from government officials and began tutoring my community members during my summer break from school. I was determined to create more educational opportunities in my community. I worked with community leaders over the next few years, held meetings and formed committees, and was finally able to get permission to build a school in Korgi in 1979. By 2003 and before the attacks, the Korgi School had become one of the highest-ranked schools in the Kutum locality because of the high number of students who went on to complete a university education. I also founded Jabal Mara Social and Culture Association while I was in the University of Khartoum and Darfur People’s Association in the United Arab Emirates, which provided medical supplies to the main hospitals in Darfur. I have remained active in community efforts since that time and I realize the tremendous importance that education holds in Darfuri society.
The Darfuri people revere education. The loss of educational opportunity is a great sorrow to families and communities, and thousands of school age children have lost several consecutive years of their education due to the ongoing conflict. After assessing regional needs, DPDO initiated the Darfur Schools Program in 2005. DPDO now sponsors fifteen schools throughout the Darfur area, educating over 7,500 students, with over 24 other schools in the waiting list. DPDO provides textbooks, school supplies, and teaching kits for each school, and it is the only organization operating in Darfur that pays salaries for Darfuri teachers and principals. In addition to the Darfur Schools Program, DPDO has also established a Women’s Center in the Kassab IDP camp near Kutum, which focuses on income-generation projects, medical care for victims of gender-based violence, counseling, and training in literacy, vocational skills, and civil and human rights. Monthly Solar Cooker Training Workshops throughout Khartoum and Darfur train men and women to produce solar cookers, ovens constructed with locally-purchased materials that cook food by focusing the sun’s rays instead of using firewood, which is increasingly scarce in Sudan. For more information on the programs sponsored by Darfur Peace & Development, please go to www.DarfurPeace.org.
Marwa Salah Eldin Abdalla
Life in Darfur , Sudan
Life in Darfur was beautiful and peaceful. Darfur might not be like the capital with big buildings, cars and crowded, but in our sense of vision it was always our home land that we love it so much. We had a simple life. Our parents were farmers and we didn’t have the fortune life, but we were always satisfied of what we have. Life was beautiful because we were all one family who always been there for each other. We shared everything together, especially food, when you know your neighbor don’t have that much tonight and you have some, we share our food with them. We were poor, but people in Darfur always shared how they feel their happiness, sadness and tough moments that affect everyone. We didn’t have much, but we were happy with it, until the Government of Sudan started to send these group who call themselves Janjaweed to turn our life in Darfur upside down. First we didn’t think what was happening is coming to affect us. The Janjaweed started the war smartly, they first starve people by burning the farms, and like what I said most Darfurian earn their living from farming. Then of course started to get worst, killing our men who try to fight back for their belongings, then rape our women and young girls, children were thrown into the fire. That was the time when we realized our beloved home is not safe for us any more, and we need to find a safe place to live.
Life in Egypt
How did I get to Egypt? Well, of course after we made our way out of Darfur being through bushes, starvation, sickness, and the lost of many that you love, through village to village, rain, mud, and so on I could keep going the whole nights and hiding during the the day. We made it to the city which is Khartoum, well of course we weren’t welcome, since the Government send their troop to kill us, how would they open their homes for us? We were force to go back to face the killing, burning raping. Then we realized we need a way to get out of Sudan to find a safer life. We didn’t have money or anything, the good thing we met Durfurians who lived in Khartoum that they helped us. Our chance was good for us to get out of the country to come to Egypt because my sister was out of Sudan ahead of us, she was here in the USA . My family was big of course not everyone could come together, we separated me, my dad and my brother came to Egypt in 2002, we were waiting for our process to get there, with a lot of suffering my Dad is an old man and my brother is just a child at the age of 9 , my mom and other sister till now in Egypt… we spend about 2 year, finally in June 2004, the process arrived and we finally made it to America, the great country of everyone’s dream.
Life in America
June 16th 2004 we arrived in America where I never thought I was going to communicate with this environment of different weather, culture, food, basically everything was different for me. The language was the problem, because everything was English. Welcome to America Marwa where you’re going to be a fresh high school student coming straight up from Darfur , Sudan . That wasn’t fun, but to make the story short I worked hard with the help of others, of course I thanks the people of America from the bottom of my heart for opening their homes and heart to welcome us.
But when I got settled I thought I must do something to help those who were left behind – to end their suffering. First I joined my organization in Portland, Maine which is Fur Cultural Revival to get me ready and give me more experience about how I could work in the future because I didn’t really have any experience before. Right after I got involve with Save Darfur by the help of Niemat Ahmadi and Mansour Ahmed the president of our organization, or I would say they are very much encouraging the young generation of Darfur to work with them because they know that we are the future of Darfur, and they want to prepare us for the fight of our home Darfur. I started with my high school, by telling my peers about my own story, that was good because a lot of kids were like I never knew anything about what is happening in Darfur, I always want it to bring people’s attention to what is happening in Darfur, maybe I can get them care and help our people back home, we did that part successfully, now what I want to see it in action to stop the Genocide, not just talking.
I love working with Save Darfur, because I learned a lot from them, plus they are the organization that almost everyone knows about it, they helped us as Darfurian to bring our voice through their wonderful program known as voices from Darfur, through which I travelled to several States for speaking tour to educate Americans about the genocide in Darfur including: I did two speaches in New York City, I did one in a high school and another in a college. I did one in Augusta, the capital of Maine, I did another one in Boston, Massccuehest, I did one in Atlanta, Georgia, another speach in Orlando, Florida. I’m doing any events of course because people want to know how they could help? What could I do? Save Darfur helps people a lot to get involved with what is happening in Dafur. I have much more to say but I will stop here, I hope one day soon peace will come to Darfur, and I want to say thanks for giving me the Title of Durfurian hero of the month. I would be happy if one day soon I will be the Durfurian hero of the future peace, sharing it with my people back home.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: Darfur Hero
