Eyes on Darfur

Darfur has been in a state of emergency for the last 6 years. The U.N estimates the death toll in Darfur to be around 300,000, according to an article in the Associated Press from April of 2008.  Former U.N secretary puts the death toll at no less than 400,000.

The situation in Darfur is unimaginable to most westerners.  The word genocide doesn’t render a mental image for me, 400,000 deaths doesn’t either. I know it’s awful but how can I, a 25 year old from the suburbs of Utah, really understand the horror that is really taking place?  The key to a non profit organizations success is illustrating their cause so that someone like me can connect emotionally to the cause or situation.

I found a website the other day called Eyes on Darfur. This site profoundly illustrated to me the horror that has and continues to go one in Darfur.  The site uses satellites 280 miles above the earth to show the how the government actions are affecting humans in Africa.

In 2005 the government of Zimbabawe forced 700,000 people from their homes. The first image shows the village before. The second shows the village after the government bulldozed  the entire village leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

I thought to myself after looking at these images – how would I feel if it was my house amongst the ruble. What if the before picture was my neighborhood-Sugarhouse and the government destroyed my home, my neighbors home, the grocery store up the street…everything. What would I do, where would I go and how would I get there?

These images shocked me, the images on the Eyes of Darfur illustrated genocide, these images illustrated an entire village being destroyed.  I now feel like I need to help, I need to do something, anything for the people of Darfur.  I encourage non profit marketers to look at this site, then look at their own and ask themselves “Does my organizations website compel me to connect emotionally with my cause?

These images are not only used to gain support of the cause. Amnesty International is using the satellite images to watch over the 12 intact and vulnerable villages in Darfur.  The project is lead by the Crisis Prevention and Response Center, Amnesty Internationals response center for preventing human rights crises around the world. The project is funded by Save Darfur.

Ad Council

The Ad Council is known for their ground breaking advertising for non profit organizations and good causes. Recently, I came across their campaign to encourage “Life Long Literacy“. The television ads are visually stunning and among the best television commercials I have seen in a long time.

This one is my favorite videos called “OZ”

Volunteer Trips

Spring break is a popular ritual for college students around the country. Students flock to places like Mexico, Florida and Lake Havasu to get away from books, homework and professors. Spring break is often associated with parties, drinking and crazy college antics. However, more and more college students are opting for a very different kind of spring break.

Alternative Spring Break Trips are vacations for students who want to do service work. The trips are set up by non profit organizations, colleges, universities, charities and religious organizations. Students either work in large or small groups do anything from tutor children, build schools or help the homeless.

Choice Humanitarian is a non profit organization that sets up trips for students and families all over the world. Check out a video about Choice Humanitarian’s work in an African village on GoodTube. The volunteers dig ditches, build schools and play with African school children. All in all the trip is a win win situation for all involved.

Ascend is another organization that connects volunteers with humanitarian vacations. Ascend’s primary focus is helping impoverished people ascend from poverty. Volunteers travel to the poorest regions in the world to help people learn skills to be self sufficient.

The following are tips from of an article from Suit 101.com entitled “Alternative Spring Break Tips” by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. It is helpful for students or parents who are interested in finding out more about Alternative Spring Breaks.

” Where do I find out about Alternative Spring Break Trips? Many colleges and universities now organize Alternative Spring Breaks for their students. Contact your school’s Office of Community Service (or similarly named office). You may also look into Alternative Spring Break programs at nearby colleges. Many colleges and universities organize trips with the help of Break Away, an organization that has been very active in the Alternative Spring Break movement since 1991. Check out their website to see if your school is affiliated with Break Away, and to see if there’s a link on their site to your school’s Alternative Spring Break Program.

What kinds of activities do students participate in? All kinds of things. Some of the volunteer work involves manual labor, such as building houses and schools and clearing away debris from storm-torn areas. Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds homes for families, offers a Collegiate Challenge for groups of five or more students to get involved. Other work involves tutoring children, working with the elderly and hospital patients, teaching English to immigrants, or registering voters in rural areas. Do some research to find an activity that you find meaningful and feel comfortable with.

Do these trips cost money? Most of these trips do come with fees, which vary greatly. Does it sound odd that you’re expected to pay to help people? Maybe. But charitable organizations don’t have the money to pay for the expenses of thousands of volunteers, so the fees are necessary. If money’s tight, do some research for inexpensive volunteer opportunities, and some organizations may be willing to waive your fee if necessary. Suffice to say, none of these volunteer efforts will cost as much as it would to spend a week in Cancun.

Can anyone participate? Many Alternative Spring Break trips require students to apply for participation. In some cases the application process is simple and almost everyone who applies can participate, but some opportunities are more competitive. Again, do some research to find trips that suit you best.

How far in advance do I need to plan an Alternative Spring Break trip? As far as possible. This trips are complicated to organize, and many have deadlines to apply for participation.

Is there still a need for students to volunteer to help Katrina victims in New Orleans and the Gulf Region? Absolutely. In 2006 and 2007, thousands of students spent their Spring Break rebuilding homes, parks, and schools throughout the Gulf Region, and help is very much still needed. Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization responsible for organizing the participation of thousands of students in Katrina relief efforts last year, is organizing four-day long relief trips to the Gulf Region for students. Many local affiliates of Hillel, the largest campus Jewish organization, also are organizing trips. In conjunction with thinkMTV, The United Way also is organizing an Alternative Spring Break effort in the Gulf Region.

Are there international Alternative Spring Breaks? Absolutely. These trips are considerably more expensive than domestic trips, but your experiences will be unforgettable. If you’re interested in international volunteer work trips, you may want to wait until summer or winter break and take a longer trip. One organization to contact is United Planet, which organizes volunteers to help people in need worldwide. i-to-i, a similar organization that focuses largely on environmental volunteerism, is organizing Spring Break trips to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

These trips aren’t just for students, many organizations set up trips for anyone who is interested. National Geographic lists volunteer trips for people interested in doing research. Here are a couple of examples from an online exclusive from nationalgeographic.com.

1. Carry Chimps in Uganda
Supported by the Jane Goodall Institute, the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary (www.ngambaisland.org) in Uganda is at the front line of primate research. You’ll hike through the forest, recording observations in a diary as juvenile chimps swing from tree to tree alongside you. “Some of them want to be carried,” says Liz Roodt, a staff member. Bring an extra camera battery. Year-round, one-week stays start at $1,500.

2. Explore Jurassic Park, USA
Roughly 140 million years ago, a 6,000-foot-high (1,829-meter-high) plateau in Red Lodge, Montana, was a stegosaurus watering hole. During a dig with the Cincinnati Museum Center (www.cincymuseum.org) you can lay trowel to the site, now chock-full of fossils. The week-long trip in July 2006 costs $1,200. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center (www.wyodino.org) in Thermopolis, Wyoming, offers a similar, day-long program for $125. Both sites are two hours from Yellowstone National Park.