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Darfur is my new hot topic and this post won’t be the last that you’ll hear about it. There is currently a genocide happening in Darfur, Sudan RIGHT NOW! I recently featured a list of book and video recommendations about the genocide in Darfur, so you can bring yourself up to speed on what is happening. One of those books that I featured was The Sudan Project: Rebuilding With the People of Darfur: A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembruggen.

First off, let me give you some background information about The Sudan Project and how this book came into existence. After realizing that they needed and could make a difference in Sudan, the people of the Ginghamsburg Church in Dayton, Ohio banded together and created The Sudan Project, a relief organization dedicated to serving their local brothers and sisters in Sudan. Since 2004 they have worked with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and created a five year plan to help sustain local farmers with seed and tools, create a children’s protective services program, teacher training, and provide safe sanitary water supplies. Each year $1,000,000 arrives at the church from all over the country to sustain it’s ongoing efforts.

A portion of the proceeds from The Sudan Project: Rebuilding With the People of Darfur, A Young Person’s Guide goes to The Sudan Project. The Sudan Project is a visual ABC book for children approximately ages 9-12. Each letter of the alphabet highlights a fact about Sudan. Words that children may not understand are highlighted and featured in a glossary in the back of the book.

The Sudan Project is a great resource to use in the home with included study unit plans and activities, as well as questions for further discussion, fund raising ideas, and even a Sudanese recipe. The Sudan Project is funded by the Ginghamsburg Church and the UMCOR, so naturally the book is very Christian based but it’s focus is not on them but rather the displaced people of Darfur. Just as it should be.

The photos are large, bright and informative. The only drawback that I could even say about this wonderful little book is that some of the photos were pixilized (about 3-4 out of 26), the photographer in me was slightly bothered by this. But no matter. The subject matter of this book is what is the most important! If there is just one child or even just one adult who learns about Darfur, Sudan and feels a call to action then, in my opinion, it’s well worth the time invested to write it.

Melissa Leembruggen was gracious enough to sit down and discuss The Sudan Project and how we can help.

NM: How did you become involved with the Ginghamsburg church, UMCOR and The Sudan Project? And why did you feel a need to personally become an advocate?

ML: When we found out we were moving to Dayton we started to look at churches online and watch their services, we felt drawn to the work going on at Ginghamsburg. After finally moving 10 months later, we started attending the services and began hearing in-depth stories about The Sudan Project and the partnership with UMCOR. It was heading into the second year of the program, so there had already been a harvest in Darfur and the child protective services programs were beginning. When I enter a new church, I’ve learned to pray about the work God is doing there and then to pray about how I can be involved in it. I don’t like to assume that I can come into a church and start with my agenda.

During that time of transition and prayer, my heart was softened toward the people of Darfur. I had always felt in the past that things happening in other parts of the world were too far removed and out of my purview of influence. But as I listened to reports, I began thinking about the moms just like me, with kids just like mine, trying to feed them and keep them out of harms way. I thought of their husbands being killed or recruited and realized that if it were my family, I would not sit by and just hope and pray things would improve. I would do something. So, at that point I felt I had to do something for them, in case they couldn’t. And do something that would have a lasting impact so that in the future these kinds of atrocities will be a thing of the past.

NM: Wow. Being a mother myself, I know how that feels, I’ve found my heart really has been softened towards small and helpless children. I really liked how The Sudan Project is aimed at a younger generation. Most adults haven’t even heard of Darfur, and worse yet, don’t even want to know. Why a book about Sudan for kids?

ML: Kids aren’t as tainted and de-sensitized to world tragedies like some adults are and they are the future leaders. I hope that the book will help children understand another culture and recognize that people are just people all over the world and we have commonalities just like we have differences. But I think the most important reason why I wrote the book, is because children hear and understand more than we give them credit for in our world. They hear news blurbs on the radio or see it on TV. But parents, and adults don’t always talk to their kids about the hard subjects in life like genocide and war. So I wanted to write an age-appropriate book that would just touch on the issues and would allow conversation and learning to flow from it naturally. Children are fascinated to find out how kids in other cultures live and to realize that their lives touch and connect through things like candy and soda or daily chores.

NM: I agree that we don’t give enough children credit for what they understand and what they are capable of doing with their knowledge. So what are some ways that children can become involved in humanitarian work, advocacy, or awareness in regards to the current genocide in Darfur?

ML: Children are also passionate and powerful. There are many children who have made a great impact on behalf of The Sudan Project both by helping educate others on the crisis and through raising financial resources to support the three main project areas: sustainable agriculture, child protective services, and clean water facilities. Schools have been holding rallies, educational programs, and fundraisers.

I’ve been asked by students, teachers, and parents to present programs to entire schools to help other students learn about the culture and crisis in Darfur. Children are doing swim-a-thons, run-a-thons, and all kinds of -thons. They are writing letters to political representatives on a local and national level. But one of the biggest activities that children are participating is the Birthday for Darfur. Children invite guests to bring donations for Darfur rather than presents for the birthday child. Last year alone the kids at Ginghamsburg raised over $20,000.

Here is a video of a swim–thon, Olivia Jones raising money for the Sudan Miracle Offering by asking people she knows to sponsor her as she attempts to swim 100 laps in one hour:

NM: I have to admit that that video made me cry. It’s a powerful thought that even one person using their God given talents can really can make a difference. What is the single, most memorable story that you encountered while researching this book? How has it touched you?

ML: The single most memorable story involving this book has to do with the picture on the Zz page. It is a picture of a celebration, but I wondered what they were celebrating. It turns out that the first harvest was exceptionally good. There was a 400% profit on the peanut crop. Because the project is designed for sustainable agriculture the first 5200 families were asked to give one bag of seed peanuts back to the organization to help other families get back to farming. When it was time to collect the seed bags, only some of the families were handing in their portion. The project workers weren’t sure why so they started asking around.

Then a delegation from Ginghamsburg, Ohio arrived to visit and encourage the local Darfurians and to show them that we were committed to long term change. When they arrived there was a huge celebration and time of thanksgiving. They were singing. “You have set our children free.” It turns out, that many of the families had sold there children into slavery to keep them alive and from starvation. With the bountiful peanut harvest, they bought over 500 children back out of slavery and brought them home. All because of some peanut seeds and tools paid for by ordinary people from a church in Ohio.

NM: You’re making me cry again. Wow, that is simply amazing. What are some of the current projects that Ginghamsburg Church is involved in and what can we do if we’d like to help?

ML: Ginghamsburg committed to a 5 year program to begin a sustainable agricultural program, child protective services (education, food, shelter), and clean water facilities. We have been told by the tribal leaders and vice-president of Sudan that clean water for all will equal peace. It is essential. We are in year 4 of the project and Ginghamsburg and our partners raised over $3 million dollars to fund these life-changing projects. We are
hopeful that other people from around the country and the world will continue to help us fund the projects.

People at Ginghamsburg have been giving up Christmas presents for 3 years (”Christmas is not your birthday” has been the theme) and making additional sacrifices, digging deep into our wallets to make a difference in Darfur. Maybe someone reading this will feel inspired to do the same. 40% of my profit from the book goes to The Sudan Project. 100% of donations to The Sudan Project goes to fund programs in Sudan. We do not keep any of it for overhead. For more information, project updates, and to donate visit www.thesudanproject.org.

NM: If you could share just one thought about Sudan with us, what would it be?

ML: Every person can make a difference. I only imagined that I would be able to reach 1000’s of people all over the world with the message of HOPE for Darfur, Sudan. But then I did it.

Thanks Melissa! and I urge each of you to learn more about Darfur and what you can do to help. The Sudan Project is an excellent resource to help you sit down with your children and discuss the ugly face of genocide.

Please visit www.thesudanproject.org and Melissa Leembruggen’s website to learn how you can donate or help the cause. Melissa has an early elementary aged fiction book called Benny the Baffled Behemoth, illustrated by award winning artist Trish McKinney coming out late fall 2008. A portion of the proceeds will go to help children in poverty.

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