www.savedarfur.org
It’s HTS’ natural inclination to direct her readers to the absurd and the ridiculous, both of which the Internet has in spades. But really, the Internet is good for plenty of other things besides obscure celebrity gossip and egomaniacs—one of which is raising awareness amongst the placid masses. Everyone knows there’s a humanitarian crisis (as in, genocide) in the Sudanese southern province of Darfur, where at least 400,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced in the past two years, right? Even if you were blissfully (stupidly) unaware, you can still catch up on the news in Save Darfur’s “Learn” section.
The website, the work of an alliance of over 170 faith-based and humanitarian organizations, gives you the complete guide to Darfur—the history of the conflict, the latest news on the genocide front, links to a blog that shares accounts from Darfur activists and reporters and news from local groups, and a plethora of information as to what you can do to lend a helping hand, from lobbying Congress to getting your neighborhood to organize a demonstration.
So it’s not such a good time, and meandering on over to the url will probably make you feel like you’re piddling your life away with unworthy pursuits (or am I just projecting…?), but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort. Sometimes, even a typically American pastime can do double-duty as do-gooding. It might seem a little weird, but buy Save Darfur paraphernalia (t-shirts, bumper stickers, lawn signs, baseball hats), and you can tell people you did your part by posing as a human billboard spreading the word. And yes, proceeds go to the cause.—Nell Boeschenstein
