Darfur effort in Brooklyn

This man lately has spent a lot of time making phone calls to Libya to see about a shipment of supplies which has been stuck there for weeks but is bound for the camps in Eastern Chad where a quarter of a million refugees from Darfur now live. He came to the US in 1993, but most of his family stayed in Darfur. Since the genocide began, some of his family has gone missing, and some have been killed. He’s the treasurer of The Darfur People’s Association of New York and last year raised $45,000 dollars to send its first shipment. The group’s Secretary General flew to Chad to oversee the distribution and saw with his eyes the need of the people there. but the office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees says these shipments may not be the best kind of aid. Even so Brooklyn’s Darfurians are already gathering supplies for the next shipment. A local high school has donated extra shoes and sandals and several stacks of clothing. The Treasurer says in this community of Darfurians, the events of Darfur are never far from their minds.