In the preface to Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival, Paul Rusesabagina writes:
"'Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.' Yes, the refugees of Darfur need food and shelter, but more than that they need schools to teach their children; they need the means to rebuild their lives and their homes.
"To the international community, I offer this message: It is the duty and obligation of adults to teach the children to heal. The international community would be wise to help provide jobs and education for the adults and children of Darfur. It must assist in enabling the refugees of Darfur to return home and rebuild their lives, their communities, their society. Children of genocide, left to be orphans, uneducated, and jobless, will grow to be adults who will repeat the atrocities they have witnessed."
It's a simple message, and yet it forces us to consider the complexities and long-term effects of genocide. Education. Empowering youth to overcome trauma, heal communities, and build a better world.
Easier said than done. Thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I think this situation illustrates the interconnected nature of so many global problems. Genocide in Darfur can never be overcome without addressing its poverty and deteriorating environmental situation, yet at the same time these should be goals for the international community independent of the experience of genocide. Appeals to altruism rarely generate the necessary political consensus to realize these goals, and the few examples of really successful and large-scale foreign aid programs, such as the Marhsall Plan, were in fact motivated by national security concerns. I think part of the answer may lie in realizing that in the modern age, poverty, genocide, environmental degradation, and other issues are inherent security threats. We should begin redirecting some of the billions spent on high-tech aresenals to confronting these more basic, but far more complex, threats.
Post a Comment