Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Fri, May 08, 2009 @ 06:07 PM
(child's drawing of the killer Janjaweed in Darfur) photo credit Mia Farrow
I am happy to be in double digits on this fast and for me the end is in sight: I know that in 9 days it will be over, for me.
This morning when I was thinking about that I realized that those in Darfur have no end in sight. No belief that it will ever end. And they have no idea we weep for them. Or fear for them. Or struggle to know if any of this will make a difference. And as I write this, more than one child has died. More than one woman has been brutally raped and humiliated. More than one man has screamed in agony as he dies, unable to protect his family from the Janjaweed and the government backed killings. As I write this I gasp at the horror of what I’ve written. And the horror of it reaches my soul.
I don’t usually write this graphically. But I’ve seen the poverty in Rwanda, I’ve walked past genocide memorials where there are thousands of bones and skulls stacked neatly representing the dug up mass graves. I’ve seen the skeletons frozen with lime and the faces of agony in death. In Israel, I visited Yad Vashem over 25 years ago and saw the aftermath of the Holocaust. And while seeing is believing, too much of that only causes people to look away. Which doesn’t help. So know I come from a place of knowing as well I can, considering I’m a white woman safely living in the U.S., who has seen enough to know we must do more. I co-founded the foundation for Rwanda because I knew I must do more. I have traveled to Rwanda six times in 3 1/2 years.
Richard Branson has taken over for Mia Farrow in the FastDarfur campaign. She can no longer continue due to health reasons. It is good she is stopping. Richard Branson will become another spokesperson for this cause. It is a sacrifice on his part. On the FastDarfur website he states:
“I’m honoured to be taking over the fast for the next three days from Mia Farrow in her courageous stance to support the people of Darfur. Over a year and a half ago, I travelled to Darfur and was horrified by the stories that people of all ages shared with us. Young children had watched their entire family get killed and then had to survive on their own in unimaginable conditions. I was humbled and inspired by the courage of the Darfuri people and the commitment of the aid organisations that were working on the frontlines. Now, with 13 aid organisations expelled from the country, over 1m people are at grave risk. We cannot stand and watch as 1m people suffer. We all need to stand up and demand that international aid is restored and that the people of Darfur are protected and given the chance to live in peace.”
This is not easy and no amount of money makes you feel better when you can’t eat. And the people of Darfur can’t eat. And so we stand in solidarity with them.
To raise our voices and raise awareness.
Have you been moved to call the White House? (202)456-1111 Don’t worry if you don’t know what to say. Say what you believe about the atrocities being committed in Darfur and ask the President to help restore humanitarian aid and end the genocide. You cannot believe what a difference our calls are making. My brother called and was told by the operator that they’re getting many many calls and THAT is what it will take: the American people saying, “Enough”. (you don’t leave your name – it’s the issues they’re tracking). If you want to write the White House, go to my blog for Day 11 and get the info.
Feel uneducated about Darfur? Watch this 20 minute video on SaveDarfur.org for excellent background and history. Darfur: A Call to Action – Lessons from Faith Leaders
We can do more. And we will. I stand with the people of Darfur.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Tue, May 05, 2009 @ 07:44 PM
God bless Larry King! No, that’s not a lightheaded remark after not eating for 9 days – it’s a celebration of the fact that he’s featuring Mia Farrow tonight on his show! He had her on the first day and she’ll be back on tonight to talk about the Fast and the issues. So, watch it on CNN
What else is happening? Not a whole heck of a lot. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both promised to work to end the Darfur crisis. To date, it hasn’t happened. I could post some YouTube videos of their campaign promises but it won’t help. I haven’t missed the fact that they’re both extremely caught up in other world issues.
But I know this one can’t wait. I would hate for them to call this the biggest mistake of the administration, (ignoring another genocide), as President Clinton has stated time and time again.
I know for certain that President Clinton spends a lot of time in Rwanda without press coverage, without fanfare, to help right a wrong against a nation that began on April 7, 1994.
Can we afford to do this again with Darfur in the future? I pray it is not so.
We must act. And we must fast. And we must not give up hope.
I appreciate all efforts to raise this issue to the forefront. But issues are like a pack of kids vying for the teacher’s attention. The economy kid, the H1N1 kid, the war kid, the terrorist threat kid, the unemployment kid, the bank kid, the auto kid, they’re all in the front. Our little Darfur kid gets pushed to the back of the pack and stands quietly wondering how he’ll ever get noticed. Some of us are noticing. So hang in there kid.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Mon, May 04, 2009 @ 08:07 PM
Into this day with renewed optimism and a sense of local community!
Alysha Atma heads up Stop Genocide Now, a grassroots community dedicated to working to protect populations in grave danger of violence, death and displacement resulting from genocide. Through active education, advocacy and policy change SGN resolves to change the way the world responds to genocide. SGN is currently focused on creating awareness and action to stop the genocide in Darfur and deal appropriately with its aftermath. All of our projects focus on and utilize the strength and power in grassroots connectivity.
How wonderful to be part of a bigger focus. We must look for connection – for none of us alone can stop what is happening to innocent people who were born in a place without choosing. Who have no human rights of dignity, respect, the basic necessities for living.
I know from my work in Rwanda that given the opportunity, with support and faith in what is possible, the extraordinary can happen. The aftermath of this genocide, when it finally ends, will be massive clean-up of the wreckage made of human lives who were not valued soon enough.
So we will continue the good fight. And believe that we can make a difference. Because, we can.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Text – care enough about a stranger whom if you met, and could see of what we speak, you would immediately help. Here’s a glimpse.
To see the work of an activist who has been fighting this battle for 12 years for Darfur – Eric Reeves, go to his website: SudanReeves.org
Eric mentions in the video that sometimes when we look out a window and see a bright and beautiful day, and we know we have hours to go until we rest from this work we must do, that we also know there will only be so many of those days. (Eric has cancer). But he continues. And so we must continue.
Thank you to all who care enough to lecture me about the dangers of this fast, who after the lecture thank me for doing this, and for those that just read and wonder. Thank you. Especially to my husband John, who supports me in everything I do to change the world for the better.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Sun, May 03, 2009 @ 10:02 AM
Tedium has set in. There’s nothing exciting about this. But hunger isn’t exciting. And doesn’t appear to be noteworthy either. As I write my blog I want to add links which will further the information about why this is important – but there’s not a lot new.
The world is understandably focused on the H1N1 threat. As of today, 658 deaths have been confirmed by the WHO. Because it affects us directly, we are focused on it.
But don’t all lives have the same value? According to the Washington Post, Darfur’s Real Death Toll, April 24 2005, civilians are dying at a rate of 15,000 A MONTH. And this report is 4 years old! Dying hasn’t died out. And now with 16 aid agencies ejected by President Omar al-Bashir in March 2009, the dying escalates.
So I’m thinking this is about becoming noteworthy, and dare I suggest, newsworthy. Not eating for 6 or 7 days is not a big deal. (I always say this relative to what those for whom we fast are facing).
So I’ll continue without doubt that this matters. But I’m the voice of one. Together, we can create something greater than our individual voices.
What can you do? Educate yourself. Become outraged that we are letting people die and are not spending resources to STOP A GENOCIDE. Go to SaveDarfur.org or FastDarfur.org to read more. And don’t become discouraged. We can make a difference. But it’s going to take a lot of time.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Wed, Apr 29, 2009 @ 05:12 PM
Day 3. Feeling better when I got up this morning.
It truly helps to watch a video on YouTube to be reminded of the importance of this issue. As you watch this video please don’t overlook the harsh landscape, the challenges of the land in itself – and then see the faces – the faces who can’t answer why. Or what next. Or what if. It is our responsibility to be there for those so so so less fortunate. The other images of their smiles and their hope is a reminder that their spirits are intact. But for how long? To have a young musician come and perform is hope. What other hope will we bring? Living Darfur
Mia Farrow has recorded a video of her experience in Day 3 of the fast. She urges us each to call the White House and protest . View her latest comments.
To call the White House and protest, call 1-800-GENOCIDE (436-6243) where you’ll receive instructions on how to choose the elected officials you want to call. It’s simple. It’s important. When you call that number, you’ll be given information and connected to your representative or senator (based on your zip code). You can also connect to the White House, which I chose to do but it is now closed. Call between 9-5 PM EST.
To call the White House directly, dial 202-456-1111.
President Obama has appointed a Special Envoy for Darfur – so if you do call the White House, please thank him for this important step, but tell him we need to get our humanitarian organizations back in to help people who have zero resources.
And we continue to do what we can, where we are, with what we have, in the time we have left.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 @ 02:55 PM
Day 2. By the end of today we’ll be 10% completed in this action. I have a headache (slight but there) and I feel this fast. And that’s the point. In the past, I’ve tried to distract myself. Not this time. A couple of times yesterday when I was feeling hungry I just watched YouTube videos on Darfur. And I know this must continue.
photo credit: BBC
1972 I was in Jr. High School. The Vietnam War was raging. I was aware but not informed. A friend of mine, Molly, announced she was going to fast every Wednesday until the war was over. I couldn’t believe it! Very nice – very serious – but unlike me and my other friends, she cared about the world outside of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
She wore a P.O.W. bracelet to stand with the anonymous family whose loved one was a prisoner of war. And she fasted. Every Wednesday. I’d sit with her and have my lunch, and she would fast.
I don’t remember her making a big deal about it – it was who she was, not what she was doing. But she knew that doing her part, mattered.
I’ve not thought of her in decades. But she came to mind as I began to fast yesterday. And so it is those moments, possibly decades ago, that will inspire us and remind us that we’re not the first to care, not the first to protest, not the first to be so outraged at how human beings can treat, mistreat, or ignore their fellow man and woman.
The Darfur Genocide: A Present Reality Watch this on YouTube. I will watch this and other videos whenever I’m ‘hungry’. I’m hungrier for change, for WORLD PEACE, for love and kindness than food.
What does this have to do with my coaching business? Everything. I will walk my talk of changing the world. Whether it’s in a business, a life, a country. It is all the same. Because when I’m gone, I want to be remembered for my action, not just my mere grief.
Read Mia Farrow’s interview
And keep believing like Molly that what each of us does, matters.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Mon, Apr 27, 2009 @ 03:37 PM
It is always easy to begin something that is important. There is a sense of optimism, of excitement, of hope. But as time passes, that initial feeling can become eclipsed by personal emotions and feelings.
I’ve fasted before. For health reasons, for spiritual reasons. But never in solidarity with a group. This is happening this time. I’ve signed by with FastDarfur.org My goal is to fast for 21 days on water only, flavored with some maple syrup and fresh lemons. I stay motivated by remembering the bigger cause, the bigger picture, the greater need.
When in Rwanda I will go for long days without food, and very little water if we’re working out in the countryside. It’s impossible to work and think within just a few hours of no food and drink. I do not know how people survive, and from the pictures, you begin to see we cannot tolerate this level of cruelty in the world.
I can sustain this fast through this small amount of nutrition – certainly less than the people of Darfur experience – and yet it’s only a few hundred calories (if that). But it’s more than they have. And the water I drink will be clean. And it’s as close as the sink. Not hours away by foot.
Fasting at this level is simple – comparatively speaking. And I can be further inspired and touched by the messages and information available to me. And so I fast to show I care. Here’s some wording from the website Fast Darfur:
________________________________________
(click on picture to watch video)
We fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people.
We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur’s defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.
We fast for Darfur’s courageous people —because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child. {end}
I will continue to educate myself and others about the issues. If we believe we can make a difference, if we do more than talk and become outraged, then we are beginning.
Countless others have gone before us. Millions have died. And I choose not to honor those who have died not only by my grief, but by my action.
Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Sign up for just a day or two at Fast Darfur. And thank you.
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Sun, Apr 26, 2009 @ 02:49 PM
If you follow my work in Rwanda you know I don't use dramatic pictures to get your pity. I believe we must all work from strength and our highest and best selves. I do not believe that pity serves or has long term effects which leave lasting change. http://itafari.org
This picture shown is from Mia Farrow's website and she asks us all to use her photos. http://MiaFarrow.org
When I see the poorest children in Rwanda, they remind me that I must act, not react. This child in Darfur, more than likely dead as you read this, never asked for conflict, never asked to be hungry and never asked to be born. Our duty as citizens of this world is to do what we can, where we are, with what we have, in the time we have left.
The genocide must stop and our collective voices can change the fate of a child.
One of the best sites to read more about this work and get tools to be seen and heard by the heads of government is http://savedarfur.org
If you are interested in publically participating in the fast, go to: http://fastdarfur.org