Humanity United
Humanity United Supports Critical Efforts to Advance Peace in Sudan and Congo with Funding for Enough Project
June 02, 2009
$2.25 million grant will strengthen Darfur and Congo advocacy, refugee education
Media Relations Contact
Mike Boyer or Julia Thornton
Telephone: 650.587.2030
E-mail: jthornton@humanityunited.org
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.— A trio of recent developments has created a unique opportunity to help end the conflict in Sudan—the 21st Century’s first genocide. With Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir’s indictment by the International Criminal Court on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Bashir’s subsequent expulsion of 13 international aid organizations, who provided basic nutritional and medical services for as many as 4.7 million Darfuris, and President Barack Obama’s declared position that the genocide in Darfur is intolerable, there is now an important window to bring lasting peace to Sudan once and for all.
To help catalyze and advance peace building and advocacy efforts emanating from these recent developments, the Silicon Valley-based philanthropy Humanity United today announced more than $2 million in support for the Enough Project. A policy and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., as part of the Center for American Progress, the Enough Project conducts intensive field research in countries plagued by genocide and crimes against humanity, develops practical policies to address crises, and develops sensible tools to help empower citizens and groups working for change. It was co-founded in 2007 by former White House officials and leading Africa scholars Gayle Smith and John Prendergast, with support from Humanity United.
The $2.25 million in additional funding announced today by Humanity United will help support two groundbreaking initiatives aimed at increasing public pressure on the U.S. Government to exercise stronger leadership and ownership of peace building efforts in Sudan. The Sister Schools initiatives connects U.S. youth with peers living in 12 Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad with the goal of providing every Darfuri refugee a quality education, and the Not on Our Watch: Christian Companion will engage the broader Christian community about the Darfur genocide and other atrocities in Africa. Humanity United’s grant will also advance efforts aimed and raising awareness and motivating advocacy of the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo by supporting the Raise Hope for Congo campaign, which seeks to build a movement of diverse activists to advocate for the protection and empowerment of Congolese women and girls while ending the scourge of conflict minerals.
“With President Omar Bashir’s indictment by the International Criminal Court, his decision to expel the humanitarian aid organizations that cared for 4.7 million civilians in his own country, and with new leadership in the White House, the international community has a unique opportunity to once and for all create a comprehensive and coordinated roadmap for lasting peace in Sudan,” said Randy Newcomb, president and CEO of Humanity United, in announcing the grant. “The Enough Project is wisely harnessing this constellation of events to develop effective advocates and inform policymakers at the highest levels of government on what needs to be done today to stop the killing. We are pleased to support their work.”
“Humanity United continues to be a driving force in making the movement to end mass atrocities and war crimes more capable, effective, and better coordinated,” said John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project. “We are enormously grateful for not only Humanity United’s support, but for their extraordinary leadership and their willingness to work as a genuine partner in our efforts to build a dynamic constituency ready to stand up against genocide and war crimes around the globe.”
About Humanity United
Humanity United is an independent philanthropy committed to building a world where mass atrocities and modern-day slavery are no longer possible. By helping to build permanent constituencies to end atrocities and slavery, supporting efforts that empower affected communities, and addressing the root causes of conflict and injustice, Humanity United seeks to help restore human dignity in places where it has been lost and to help create a lasting global peace. To learn more, visit HumanityUnited.org.
About the Enough Project
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on the crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Somalia. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more about Enough, go to www.enoughproject.org.
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