LOS ANGELES, December 10, 2015 – California-based Jewish World Watch and iACT call for increased attention to the 350,000 Darfuri refugees living in eastern Chad who have been experiencing severe cuts in food rations for more than one year. On today’s International Human Rights Day, we remind powerful US leaders to address the needs of a population disrupted by genocide, and demand them to take immediate action.
Darfuri refugees are living across 12 camps in eastern Chad. Due to funding shortfalls within the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP), conditions in the camps have drastically deteriorated: Food cuts prevent refugees from consuming more than a few hundred calories each day, leaving alarming impacts on the health and lives of over 350,000 Darfuris. As a result, children are forced to spend their time helping their families find food and meet other basic needs. Adults and children often fall ill. In addition, the humanitarian community and the Chadian government have adopted a strategy that aims at moving refugees towards more “self reliance” and “integration”. This is a highly concerning process, as it could ultimately lead to removing the protection that comes with the status of being a refugee.
Jewish World Watch and iACT have delivered over 1,400 signatures to President Obama, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator Tom Delaney asking for their support. We condemn the lack of effort towards such a big group of people that has been neglected for the most part of the past decade.
Today’s International Human Rights Day is a day that commemorates the adoption of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. It should remind US and world leaders of their responsibilities towards Darfuri refugees.
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iACT is a Los Angeles-based organization providing humanitarian action to aid, empower, and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities, creating a world where people are connected and equipped to act. Through responsive action campaigns and leadership development in the U.S., iACT provides tools and training necessary to create a new culture of participation for people facing and responding to humanitarian crises. i-ACT utilizes innovative thinking, human-centered design, and collaborative relationships to co-create replicable and cost-effective programs in refugee camps. Since 2005, iACT has facilitated refugee-led education, sports, and human rights programs that build resilience and cultivate recovery in refugee camps in eastern Chad. For more information: www.iact.ngo.
Jewish World Watch (JWW) works to combat genocide and mass atrocities through education, advocacy and grantmaking programs. JWW currently supports programs in eastern Chad for Darfuri refugees, and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Additionally, JWW raises awareness and advocates on other conflict areas and the prevention of mass atrocities more broadly. Through highlevel engagement with members of Congress, and grassroots activism, JWW works to end current genocide and atrocity situations, and prevent future ones from occurring. For more information: www.jww.org
Contact: Katie-Jay Scott, ktj@iact.ngo (310) 738-0285 iACT Director of Operations and Community Involvement
Mike Brand, mike@jww.org (818) 501-1836 x214 Jewish World Watch, Director of Policy and Programs
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