Scanning through my feeds today I came across a post about Eyes on Darfur. Sure I’ve heard the name mentioned several times on the news here and there, but knowing there are so many tradgedies and in justices in this world I probably filed under….who knows, probably “ignorance” or “not today please”.
Today instead I read the post. I went to the site and I really took some time to look through it and find out what it was all about. Amnesty International is using the power of the internet to update (sometimes daily) satellite images of violence torn Darfur villages. Did you know 200,000+ people have been killed; 2 million+ have been displaced; murder, rape, abduction, forced displacement happens regularly. I didn’t.
I’m by far no political activist and I don’t know much more then the headlines about what is going on in the world. But this really caught my eye today. What a great idea! Amnesty is using the power of the internet, satellites and the world’s thirst for knowledge.
From the site:
“Amnesty International USA has identified 12 towns and villages in Darfur and eastern Chad that are at risk of attack by Janjawid militia, the Sudanese government, and/or armed opposition groups. Using satellite technology, AIUSA is closely monitoring these sites – and others in the region. Action must be taken now to prevent these sites from joining the long list of towns and villages utterly destroyed in Darfur and eastern Chad. Tell Sudanese President al-Bashir the world is watching – that we will know if harm comes to these civilians – and ask him to take all necessary steps to prevent attacks on these sites.”
If you don’t sign the petition or send off an email from the site, at least take a few minutes to look at the information, the before and after photos, and what they are trying to fix here. We really should all be informed about what is going on in our world and be impressed at the measures we can each take to try to help.