Religious, Humanitarian Group Leaders to Convene to Save Darfur
WASHINGTON – Leaders of religious groups and humanitarian aid agencies are convening in the nation’s capital today to help bring a stop to the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
On the day marked as the National Day of Action, the Save Darfur Coalition’s National Leadership Assembly will address America's concern for the millions that have been suffering in Darfur for years.
Religious leaders such as the Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, and Ruth Messinger, executive director of the American Jewish World Service, are meeting with elected officials, including U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), to propose solutions to what many call the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Simultaneously, Save Darfur Coalition members in over 50 local communities in 21 states are holding National Day of Action vigils to reinforce action on the part of President Bush and Congress against the violence and starvation in Darfur.
Participants will write postcards urging Bush to lead the world in protecting the civilians of Darfur and spreading awareness to inform their actions on behalf of the Sudanese people.
According to recent reports by the World Food Program, United Nations, and Coalition for International Justice, around 3.5 million people are now hungry while an estimated 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence and up to 400,000 people have died in Darfur since February 2003.
As an alliance of 134 faith-based, humanitarian, and human rights organizations, the Save Darfur Coalition represents 130 million Americans united in raising public awareness and mobilizing an effective response to the genocide under way in Darfur.
