Everyday, an estimated 500 people lose their lives in Darfur, due to
violence, disease and hunger.1 One of the largest humanitarian disasters in
the world is the situation in Darfur,2 but the sad part, is that there are many
people who don\u2019t know what is happening in this war torn country. In my
opinion, the first step to helping Darfur is to raise awareness. Nobody can
help when they unaware of a problem. There are many people who believe
that genocide is a thing of the past but in reality, it is happening right now.
300 000 are already dead in Darfur.3 There are things in our everyday lives
that are linked to Darfur that we would never think about. For example,
some companies, such as, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, JP Morgan and
Vanguard, that contribute to the war in Darfur.4 Most of the companies
mentioned are stocks (2 of which are Canadian) that some banks, put our
money into. By being a member, you are indirectly funding genocide and by
perhaps changing to a different bank you are taking a stand against it. On
the other hand, there are companies that contribute money to help Darfur.

First of all, in order to get people to help stop the genocide in Darfur
they need to know about it! Since 2003, the Sudanese military and the
Janjaweed began and continue to systematically kill non-combatant civilians.

1 http://www.edah.org/darfur.cfm
2 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21365&Cr=sudan&Cr1
3 http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/22/darfur-un.html
4 http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/clips/is_your_mutual_fund/

300 000 are already dead and 2.7 million people are displaced from their
home. There is a constant threat of rape, torture and murder living in
Darfur.5 Information like this is what shocks people, and makes want to do
whatever they can. A way to get some information out is to hold events
dedicated to Darfur. For example, you could hold a variety show with all
proceeds going to savedarfur.org and throughout the show you could have
small sections reserved to inform the audience of the their current situation.
Another way to help Darfur in your everyday life is to have post cards, letters
or petitions at a table at school for students to sign. These letters could be
sent to government letting them know that people want to end genocide.

Secondly, by supporting companies that help Darfur you are also help
Darfur. This goes the other way too, by supporting companies that make
money off the war in Darfur is a way of making it worse. The Coca-Cola
company has contributed a lot of money towards helping out this war torn
country. They have committed at least $5 million dollars, and this money
goes towards providing new clean water sources throughout Darfur and
especially in areas where a lot of the displaced families have gone. The
Chairman of The Coca Cola company said this \u201cTo help in Darfur, we are
focusing our resources where we believe they can make the greatest
difference in saving lives and reducing suffering.\u201d6