| Focus Area: |
Religion, Conflict, and Reconciliation |
| Project: |
Alleviating Suffering of Darfur Genocide Victims |
| Commitment By: |
Michael (Mickey) Bergman, CGI |
| Value: |
$50,000 |
| Required Funding: |
$50,000 |
Objective: To help alleviate the suffering of the victims of the genocide in Darfur and the impacted population in Chad.
Commitment: I commit to personally raise $50,000 for the International Medical Corps to build a health-center that will help provide adequate medical care to Sudanese refugees and their Chadian hosts - the children who are malnourished, the mothers who have been raped, and the fathers who have been beaten. I will do so by mobilizing the North American Jewish Community to support my mission and testimony on the remarkable stories of refugees’ survival in Darfur and Chad.
Background: During Yom Kippur (Day of Repentance – October 2005) I have traveled with the IMC to visit the refugee camps in the Darfur-Chad border. I collected testimonies and witnessed the remarkable stories of survival of the Sudanese refugees. I now plan to engage the North American Jewish Community by telling the refugees’ stories and mobilizing financial support to the IMC operations in Darfur and Chad. On this trip, I was accompanied by a photographer, Richard Levine (my father-in-law). With his help, we have created a photo exhibit and a memorable book filled with pictures to be used for fundraising.
Bergman-Levine Mission to Darfur
| Point of Contact: |
Michael (Mickey) Bergman |
| Geographic Scope: |
Darfur/Chad |
| Anticipated Launch Date: |
October 2005 |
Partnership Opportunity: To date, $14,000 has been raised, and additional funding is being sought. The book produced by Mickey Bergman and Photographer Richard Levine as a result of the trip to the refugee camps in Chad is available for purchase to support additional funding.
Update:
December 2005:
Following the trip to Chad, and the observing of tensions between the local host Chadian population and the Sudanese refugees, it was agreed with the International Medical Corps that the $50,000 will be raised to build a 4-room Health Center in the village of Amnabak. The Health Center will be built in the village itself, close to the Amnabak refugee camp, and will be serving both the refugees and the host population. Construction on the ground has started. To date, $14,000 has been raised and additional speaking engagements and fund-raising events are planned.
March 2006:
To date, $18,000 has been raised.