Last week members of Cal Poly’s SLO for Darfur club demonstrated what life is like in a Darfur refugee camp by camping on Dexter Lawn from April 5 to 7.
The “Live Like a Refugee” event proceeds help a refugee camp school in Chad, a region in eastern Darfur. The club chose the school through the sister school program that connects American universities with Darfuri refugee camp schools.
The club’s goal was to collect $3,528 in donations to send directly to the school to buy a book for each of the 588 students. The money will also train teachers and pay for other supplies like desks. The club asked for donations from students and sold club products like T-shirts and bracelets. As of Thursday the club had exceeded their goal and raised about $3,600.
The SLO for Darfur Club was formed last quarter by students who are passionate about changing the bleak situation in Darfur.
Biology senior Tony Silvestri helped organize the club.
“We wanted our first event as a club for Darfur to really show how students here were connected with students over there,” Silvestri said. “Camping out on Dexter Lawn isn’t exactly ‘roughing it,’ but I think that the people who participated got a sense of how it feels to live in a refugee camp.”
Darfur is a region in western Sudan, a country in northeast Africa. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2003 between the Darfuris and the Janjaweed, Sudan’s government, more than 200,000 Darfuris have tried to escape to refugee camps. According to the club, more than 300,000 Darfuris have been killed by the Janjaweed.
On Monday about 30 students camped out on Dexter Lawn and on Tuesday about 20 participated. Biochemistry sophomore Dayton Pickering said when she heard about the event she was very enthusiastic about joining the club and camping with Tuesday’s participants.
“I’ve always thought there should be a club like this at Cal Poly. I think this event helped people see how people in Darfur live,” Pickering said. “It was really cold and windy, but I think that just added to the experience and got people’s attention.”
Student organization Raise the Respect and the club’s faculty adviser, geography professor Meg Streiff, helped organize the event. Streiff has taught in the social sciences department for five years and is a strong advocate for helping the people of Darfur.
“I’m excited to help this club in any way I can. The members are really motivated about the cause even though everyone is from different majors,” Streiff said. “This sister school project is a fantastic start for the club. I think we reminded people of the real problem that’s still as serious today as it was when it began.”
The club’s creators were very pleased with the week’s earnings as well as the number of people who camped.
“A lot of the people who began the club are close to graduating, so we need younger students to take over the club. I think this event brought people in who will keep the club going,” Pickering said.
The SLO for Darfur club can be reached on Facebook and more information about the sister school program can be found at http://www.darfurdreamteam.org/.