The STAND Club (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) has been very active lately in their attempt to sound the alarm about the genocide in Darfur.  The Sudanese government had disputes with citizens of the Darfur region of Sudan a few years ago, and there has been a mass genocide ever since.  The Sudanese government has financially supported troops to kill the citizens of Darfur, and as a result, thousands of innocent people have been murdered.  Many poverty-stricken Darfur refugees have been displaced from their homes and literally have no belongings or sources of food.  Families have been split apart, and some lucky refugees have moved to America in hopes of having a better life.

            While the situation in Darfur has somewhat improved, there are still thousands of indigent Darfurians that are homeless and hungry.  In addition, there are currently seven other countries that are very impoverished and are affected by genocide.  These countries include Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eastern Burma, Eastern Chad, Iraq, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.  The STAND Club has been dedicated to asking the U.S. Government to either partake in military intervention or provide financial support to any of the eight nations so that genocide can be stopped.  However, the devastating disaster in Haiti has been the central object of the government’s attention, so it has been hard to ask for help.

            What can students do to help?  Join STAND!  On January 26^th, the STAND Club held a call-in where students called local senators and federal officials to ask for support and spread awareness of the conditions in the eight genocide-affected countries.  Students who participated were able to have pizza, and hopefully the federal officials passed on STAND’s requests to President Obama so action can be taken. 

 Additionally, on February 27^th STAND members will participate in the Welcome to America Project and help Darfurian refugees move into their new American homes.  STAND Club will also host UnderSTAND here at Arcadia this spring.  Previously known as the Candlelight Vigil, UnderSTAND will be a night of remembrance of all the citizens of Darfur who have perished due to the genocide. 

More information will be coming soon, and if you would like to help out at any events or learn about the STAND Club, meetings are held on Tuesdays at lunch in Ms. Weger’s room (6272).