Monday, December 10 to Friday, December 14, 2007

Check out coverage of Darfur Fast in The Crimson.

Firewood is a necessity for Darfuri civilians displaced within Sudan, but those who venture from IDP camps to collect it risk rape or death at the hands of the Janjaweed.  Funding is needed for African Union peacekeepers to provide protection and accompany Darfurians in search of firewood.

For Darfur Fast, students across the nation are fasting from some item--a latte, movie ticket, etc.--and donating the money saved to the Genocide Intevention Network's on-the-ground civilian protection program.  The program supports safer cooking options such as:

• Alternative-fuel stoves
• Income-generating projects for women so they can afford to buy firewood when there is none to gather
• Guarded firewood patrols to protect women who leave the camps in search of firewood

The Harvard Darfur Action Group (HDAG) will be collecting donations from December 10-14 outside the Science Center between middway classes.  Every donation will bring the Genocide Intervention Network closer to its goal of raising $50,000 for civilian protection this holiday season.  On the night of Thursday, December 13, HDAG will host Wake Up and Jam, a concert in the Cambridge Queen's Head, as a thank you for donating.  Click here for more information about the concert.

Darfur Fast is co-sponsored by the the Harvard African Students Association, the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship, the Harvard College Human Rights Advocates, the Harvard College Coalition for Ugandan Peace, Students Taking on Poverty, and the Harvard College Democrats.