Reuniting with Adam from i-ACT on Vimeo.
I don’t have to wake up until 7am, but I open my eyes at 4, and I can’t go back to sleep. Sure, there’s a crazy rooster yelling his lungs out, but that’s not it. I’m excited that today I finally make it to refugee camp Goz Amer.
We are now a short thirty minute drive away, but it took us two weeks to get here from the time we left Los Angeles. I’m happy that we’ll get to do the work we’re here to do: launch the first Little Ripples (LR) Ponds and the third Darfur United Soccer Academy. But I can’t go back to sleep because I’m so much looking forward to seeing my good friends in the camp: Oumda, the LR teachers, Soulieman, and Yaya. I’m also especially excited to see Adam, who came from his village in Darfur to see me.
Katie-Jay and I first met Adam in 2008, when he was a refugee living in camp Koukou, up north from here. He’s a teacher, a father, and a passionate fighter for peace. We became instant friends, and I continued to see him, as he moved south to camp Djabal, and then took his family back to Darfur.
It’s much more dangerous in Darfur. I sometimes get text messages from Adam, telling me that there are bodies on the roads. That, “It’s happening again.” He decided to take his family back to his town because he saw no movement in the camps. Life was at a standstill.
As we drive to the camp, I think back to the many conversations I’ve had with Adam. He believes in the good hearts of the American people, and he asks that we never forget Darfur. We get to the camp, and Adam receives me with the best hug ever. He even lifts me off the ground.
Peace,
Gabriel
Here’s the video from the first time we met Adam:
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 is a global day of giving.
Join iACT in starting a ripple of hope. Our Giving Tuesday goal is to build a new Little Ripples Pond, provide education for 45 refugee girls and boys, and train and employ two refugee women teachers. Your gift of $25 towards a $5,000 goal will allow us to do so.