The Africa Series!--Part 2--Rwanda!

Hotel Rwanda--Based on the true story during the Rwanda Genocide

After my summer trip to Senegal, I decided that my son and I would do a Unit Study on Africa this year. I wanted to learn about as many African countries as we could, but I especially wanted to learn about 3 countries in particular: Sudan, Darfur has been a focus of mine, Rwanda because of the genocide in 1994 and Somalia because of Black Hawk Down.

After learning of the genocide in 1994, I also learned that like most African countries, Rwanda has a lot of orphans and street kids. Operation World is a book that has statistics on every single country in the world and how you can pray for them.(I use it all the time, and highly recommend it!) According to OW, Rwanda has up to 900,000 orphans.

It is for this reason, that I picked a 12 year old girl named Beatha from Rwanda to sponsor. The group I went with, Food for the Hungry, had several countries in Africa, but I felt led to Rwanda. My kids are helping with their money as well in this sponsorship. So, it has become a family project.

What made me even prouder, was when my 17 year old daughter went to a Christian concert and decided to sponsor a little boy with AIDS from Rwanda all by herself. She is sponsoring him through Compassion.

I am seriously considering and praying about going back to Africa this coming summer. I am looking at a possible Tanzania trip, and I also found a trip to orphanages in Ethiopia and Rwanda that looks awesome, but praying for God to lead me where He wants me to go.

Previously:
The Africa Series!--Part 1--Senegal ABC's!

Horrific Flogging of Woman in Sudan!

Via Gateway Pundit:

Societies that treat women badly, are dangerous societies.~~Condoleeza Rice

I have been outspoken about human rights abuses in other countries, especially against women. Sudan is plagued by genocide in Darfur and their human rights' abuses are atrocious. Sudan is run by Omar al-Bashir, who was listed as the world's 2nd worst dictator by Parade Magazine last year.

Sudan needs our prayer, and the women in the Middle East and other countries need our help and prayers as well.

A Review of "Attack on Darfur"!

Darfur is an issue that I continue to care about. I watched the movie, Attack on Darfur over the weekend. It was a difficult, but important movie to see.

As I watched the Janjaweed rape and murder the innocent villagers, I could hardly comprehend how there could be such evil people in the world. People need to have their eyes opened to the genocide that is going on over there.

While, I wouldn't recommend this movie for children, I think its important that people watch it, so more can be done for the people of Darfur! Yet, I would caution that many of the scenes are obviously pretty disturbing

To learn more about what is going on in Darfur and how you can help, go here!

Previously:
Genocide in Darfur
President Bush Fed Up With UN's Lack of Action on Darfur
Against Darfur Genocide

Other Links:
Save Darfur Coalition

President Bush Fed Up With UN's Lack of Action on Darfur

"I promise this to the people of Darfur: the United States will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of the world."--President George W. Bush

The genocide in Darfur is one of those issues that I care deeply about. I did a comprehensive post on it a year ago where I highlight what was going on and what could be done to stop it. As I pointed out a year ago, I was skeptical that the UN would make any real steps to actually solve the problem. They have done nothing but pass resolutions which isn't effective in curbing the violence and President Bush has had enough.

Steve Paterno, a Sudanese man living in the US, points out how Bush has cared about this issue and has done much more than past administrations to change things in the Sudan and of course, has gotten little credit for it. Here is some of what he had to say:

"When it comes to Sudan, President Bush knows it too well that he dedicated most of his efforts and time to issues affecting Sudan. There are even rumors that he has been nicknamed within the White House circles as "Sudan Desk Officer." It has been alleged that President Bush does not only passionately taken into heart the problems affecting Sudan but also developed some level of expertise on Sudan in the course of his tenure as president of the U.S."

"It was in 2002, that the U.S. under the leadership of President George W. Bush took serious initiatives to broker a peaceful settlement between the North and South Sudan. If history will record Iraq, Iran, North Korea as President Bush’s international diplomatic blunders, and then the same history will favorably record the peaceful settlement between the North and South Sudan as President Bush’s successful diplomatic legacy. President Bush enthusiastically involved in the North-South peace agreement."

Now Bush is taking things a step further and issuing tough economic sanctions. He spoke on this last Tuesday. Here is some of what he had to say:

"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder, and rape of innocent civilians. My administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide. The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it.

Last month I announced that the United States was prepared to take new steps if the government of Sudan did not allow the full deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force; if the government did not begin living up to its many commitments, that the United States would act. I made clear that the time for promises was over, and that President Bashir had to do something to end the suffering.

I held off implementing these steps because the United Nations believed that President Bashir could meet his obligations to stop the killing, and would meet his obligations to stop the killing. Unfortunately, he hasn't met those obligations. President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising cooperation while finding new methods for obstruction.

One day after I spoke, the military bombed a meeting of rebel commanders designed to discuss a possible peace deal with the government. In following weeks, he used his army and government-sponsored militias to attack rebels and civilians in South Darfur. He's taken no steps to disarm these militias in the year since the Darfur peace agreement was signed. Senior officials continue to oppose the deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force.

The result is that the dire security situation on the ground in Darfur has not changed. And so today, at my instruction, the United States has taken the steps I announced in April. First, the Department of Treasury is tightening U.S. economic sanctions on Sudan. With this new effort, the United States will more aggressively enforce existing sanctions against Sudan's government."

Once again I am extremely proud of my President for standing up to evil and doing something about it. A liberal whined last week that I hadn't done any I love Bush posts lately, well consider this the latest edition ;-)!!

Others blogging:
Gateway Pundit
Politik Ditto (He named Bush his person of the week for his action on Darfur!)