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"We are all involved!"

- James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause


About These Entries
      This page contains links to groups, listed alphabetically, that focus on news, information, and concrete material relief to the afflicted peoples in Darfur, Tibet, Peru, Somalia, Nigeria, and elsewhere. Some were searched out on the web; others - focusing on Darfur - were sent by Patricia Hatch in the Maryland state government. Thanks, Patricia!

      We invite the reader to apply some important questions, where possible: How has a given group performed in the past? What portion of the funds they collect goes to actual aid? And how much of that aid reaches the actual sufferers in the field, and not the hands of corrupt officials on the bureaucratic / governmental food chain? And how quickly does it get to its destinations?

      These questions are important. Lives are in the balance.

BBC World:  News of the Crisis in Niger
      For unflinching and deeply moving news of the drought and famine in Niger, most of it filmed daily on location, watch the BBC WORLD news. In the national capital area, BBC WORLD is broadcast several times each evening on WETA TV, Maryland Public Television, and WHUR. Check your local listings for channels and times.

Looking for Local Groups, Activities, and Volunteer Opportunities
      Many of these organizations have local offices and activities, including volunteer opportunities. In addition, we recognize the value of local grassroots groups' relief work and education, especially those involving young people, in addition to the efforts of national and international organizations. Your congregation, your school, your business, neighborhood, club, or other group may have something you're doing.
      We welcome news and information about local efforts, activities and groups of whatever size, and happily credit you or your organization as source. Would you like us to list your group here, and to post your activities on the Geotrees email groups? Please send your information to guest AT geotrees.com.

AFRICA ACTION (Darfur)
(Darfur, Somalia, debt cancellation, others)

www.africaaction.org/index.php

One Year After Genocide Declaration, Congress Has Balked on Darfur: July 22, 2005:

"This day last year, Congress unanimously declared that genocide was taking place in Darfur, Sudan. While acknowledging the leadership taken by Congress, Africa Action today criticized its failure to take urgent action to provide protection to the people of Darfur..."

"Africa Action is the oldest organization in the U.S. working on African affairs. Our mission is to change U.S. / Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in Africa. We provide accessible information and analysis and we mobilize popular support for campaigns to achieve this mission."

AFRICARE
(Niger, health, others)

www.africare.org/

"I regard Africare as one of America's greatest gifts to Africa." - Nelson Mandela.

"Africare helps Africa. Over the course of its history, Africare has become a leader among private, charitable U.S. organizations assisting Africa. It is the oldest and largest African-American organization in the field. And Africa is Africare's specialty."

Thanks to L. Michael Green, Vice President, Marketing & Development of Africare, for this information.

BREAD FOR THE WORLD
(Hunger; Faith-based)

www.bread.org/

"Bread for the World is a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers. BFW Institute seeks justice for hungry people by engaging in research and education on policies related to hunger and development."

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
(Peru, South Asia, Niger, Darfur, others)

www.catholicrelief.org/

Click on the "CRS RESPONDS TO FOOD SCARCITY IN NIGER" link

"A serious food shortage is affecting more than 3.6 million people in Niger. A double jeopardy of last year's vegetation-devouring locusts and devastating drought has virtually destroyed food production across much of this agricultural country.

"CRS estimates that as many l 3,815 villages have lost 50 percent or more of their food production. Country-wide, Niger is short of at least 223,487 metric tons of food. As a result, people are eating leaves and grass, selling personal items, removing their children from school, and migrating to neighboring cities and countries to find work or food.

"In addition to providing emergency food distributions and seeds, CRS' response includes 'Food for Work' programs, designed to provide the necessary nutrients during the hungry season to allow people to concentrate on planting and growing the seed they purchase at the seed fairs."

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
(Peru, Somalia, Niger, Darfur, others)

www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Doctors Without Borders has news of Niger and Darfur on its front website page.

"Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 70 countries. (The organizaion also has longer-term programs. -Ed.)

"Each year, MSF volunteer doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals depart on more than 3,400 aid missions. They work alongside more than 16,000 locally hired staff to provide medical care.

"MSF was founded in 1971 as a nongovernmental organization to both provide emergency medical assistance and bear witness publicly to the plight of the people it assists. A private nonprofit association, MSF is an international network with sections in 19 countries."

The HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM'S COMMITTEE ON CONSCIENCE
(Darfur, other genocide-related)

www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/

"Tens of thousands of civilians have been murdered and thousands of women raped in SudanŐs western region of Darfur by Sudanese government soldiers and members of the government-supported militia sometimes referred to as the Janjaweed. Over 1.5 million civilians have been driven from their homes, their villages torched and their property stolen by the Sudanese military and allied militia. Some have escaped into the neighboring country of Chad, but most are trapped inside Darfur. Thousands die each month from the effects of inadequate food, water, health care, and shelter in a harsh desert environment. All are afraid to return home because the military and the militia are still marauding in the countryside..."

The Committee on Conscience is an activity of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and has an ongoing, wide-ranging interest in genocidal threats worldwide. (Editor's note)

OXFAM INTERNATIONAL
(West Africa, others)

http://www.oxfam.org/eng/programs_emer_wafrica.htm

"Severe drought, together with an invasion of locusts, have devastated crops and plunged huge parts of West Africa into crisis, particularly Niger, Mali and Mauritania.

"In Niger alone, more than three million people are facing starvation - 800,000 of them are children. Drought is also beginning to affect huge areas of Southern Africa as well.

"Oxfam is already reaching 130,000 people in Niger, and others across the region."

PASSION OF THE PRESENT
(Darfur, others)

www.passionofthepresent.org/

"Passion of the Present is a place for sharing ideas and inspiration on how to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. We are here every day as a resource for the community, aspiring to be the most effective advocates for the people suffering in Darfur. As a web community, we are the most free to speak the truth and honor that truth with our activism. Please share your thoughts and ideas for action.

"E-mail us at passionofthepresent( AT )yahoo.com. You can help save the people of Darfur through your net advocacy, hacktivism, and netpeace. Please support the Genocide Intervention Fund and other grassroots initiatives. In the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King: 'Man's inhumanity to man is not only perpetrated by the vitriolic actions of those who are bad, it is also perpetrated by the vitiating inaction of those who are good.'"

PROJECT HOPE
(Various)

www.projecthope.org/

"The name Health Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE) is reflected in its mission:

"It is Project HOPE's mission to achieve sustainable advances in health care around the world by implementing health education programs, conducting health policy research, and providing humanitarian assistance in areas of need; thereby contributing to human dignity, promoting international understanding, and enhancing social and economic development. The essence of Project HOPE is teaching; the basis is partnership.

"Identifiable to many by the S.S. HOPE, the world's first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health care education programs on five continents, including North America."

SAVE DARFUR
(Darfur)

savedarfur.org/

"Current Situation:   Two years into the crisis, the western Sudanese region of Darfur is acknowledged to be a humanitarian and human rights tragedy of the first order. The humanitarian, security and political situation continue to deteriorate: atrocities continue, people are still dying in large numbers of malnutrition and disease, and a new famine is feared. According to recent reports by the World Food Program, the United Nations and the Coalition for International Justice, 3.5 million people are now hungry, 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence, and 400,000 people have died in Darfur thus far. The international community is failing to protect civilians or to influence the Sudanese government to do so..."

NEW! Posted Sunday, August 12, 2007
TIBET ONLINE
(Activism; Refugee Relief; Self-Determination; Human Rights)

www.tibet.org/

"Welcome! Tibet Online is operated by the international Tibet Support Group community, providing information on the plight of Tibet and serving as a virtual community space for the movement. This movement is dedicated to ending the suffering of the Tibetan people by returning the right of self-determination to the Tibetan people.

"Tibet's ancient and fantastic civilization and ecosystem are faced with extinction due to 57 years of mismanagement and abuse under its colonial ruler, the People's Republic of China. The ongoing destruction of Tibet will only be halted when the fate of Tibet is once again back in the hands of the Tibetans. Please contact a Tibet Support Group near you to find out what you can do to help!

"Please stay informed about the Team Tibet campaign. You can take part by bringing Team Tibet to the 2008 Beijing Olympics!"

The UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
(Peru, Niger, Darfur, others)

www.wfp.org/
"As the food aid arm of the UN, WFP uses its food to:
• meet emergency needs
• support economic and social development.

"The Agency also provides the logistics support necessary to get food aid to the right people at the right time and in the right place. WFP works to put hunger at the centre of the international agenda, promoting policies, strategies and operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry."

(NOTE:  In addition to focus on Niger, Darfur, and other current crises, this site also includes attention to areas where trouble is probable. -Ed.)

The US FUND FOR UNICEF
(Niger, Darfur, others)

www.unicefusa.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=39306&ct=1209943

"A critical food shortage in Niger, brought on by a combination of drought and locust infestation, threatens the lives of some 3.3 million people - including 800,000 children under age five. Donate now to help UNICEF provide urgently needed relief to the children and families of Niger."

WORLD VISION US
(Niger, others)

wvus.org

"Right now in Niger, West Africa, an estimated 3.6 million people are in critical need of food. The United Nations reports that more than 800,000 children are suffering from hunger, including 150,000 children who show signs of severe malnutrition, after drought and locust swarms devastated crops throughout the country. The government of Niger has declared an emergency and is appealing for help.

"Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176 out of 177 nations listed in the UNDP's 2004 Human Development Report. Every year an estimated 166,000 children in Niger die from preventable diseases and almost 70 percent of the country's 12 million people do not have access to health services."