K-State students sponsor clothing, supply drive for Darfur refugees

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Source: Sarah Mitts, sem7788@k-state.edu
http://www.ksudarfur.blogspot.com
Editor's note: Sarah Mitts is the daughter of Carol Camper, Coffeyville, and Bruce Cornwell, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

K-STATE STUDENTS SPONSOR CLOTHING, SUPPLY DRIVE FOR DARFUR REFUGEES

MANHATTAN -- A group of Kansas State University students is behind a campus and community effort to help people of the Darfur region of Sudan.

"The K-State Save Darfur Team is a group of dedicated students working to create awareness about the dire conflict in Sudan, Africa, where millions of Darfurians have been brutally attacked and forced to flee their native land," said Sarah Mitts, senior in management, Coffeyville, and a member of the K-State Save Darfur Team. "We have organized a commodity drive to provide Manhattan residents with an accessible way to donate resources to improve the well-being of those affected by this crisis."

According to the United Nations, nearly 2.5 million people have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed by armed conflict in Sudan's Darfur region since it began in early 2003. The U.N. has called the situation in Darfur "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

Mitts said the K-State Save Darfur Team is working in conjunction with International Relief and Development, a nonprofit, nongovernmental international relief agency, to collect supplies that will be distributed to U.N. refugee camps along the eastern border of Chad, which neighbors the Darfur region.

A campus collection box is available through Friday, Dec. 15, in front of the office of student activities and services on the ground floor of the K-State Student Union. A collection bin also is available at the K-State Student Union Bookstore. The store is operated by Varney's, which is supportive of the commodity drive and is helping to create awareness about what the team's efforts, Mitts said.

Items being accepted are clothing for children/youths; personal supplies like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, etc.; and school supplies. Monetary donations, which will be used to purchase more of the supplies, also are being accepted. For more information on how to make a monetary donation, e-mail Mitts at sem7788@k-state.edu

In addition, more than 15 area churches will conduct a collection drive Dec. 3-10. The churches will accept donations from their congregations and the public. A list of the participating churches is available on the K-State Save Darfur Team Web site at http://ksudarfur.blogspot.com

International Relief and Development will pick up the supplies in December and ensure that they are distributed to the refugee camps. Mitts said the organization does relief work in more than 15 countries and is highly credible.

Mitts said she and like-minded students started the commodity drive for Darfur because they think it is important for students to be aware of the crisis and take action.

"We wanted to make an impact on the crisis in the Sudan and to find ways students could make a difference," she said. "It is a huge issue and something needs to be done.

"I believe young people need to be aware and informed about global issues in order to take necessary action," she said. "We often get caught up in our own individual worlds and fail to think about issues similar to what is happening the Sudan -- although there are many things which we can do, such as urge our government to provide support or contribute goods in need."

The commodity drive also is being supported by a variety of student organizations, including Amnesty International, Anthropology Club and the African Student Union. Also, K-State's Student Governing Association has provided funds for advertising and informational materials.

The K-State Save Darfur Team won't stop its work with the collection drive, Mitts said. Currently, the group is gathering signatures for a petition that urges state and national lawmakers to take action in the Sudan in collaboration with the U.N. In the spring, the group and collaborating organizations are planning a benefit concert, as well as inviting educated guests to come and speak about the conflict. The group also will host regular discussions in the spring with students from Africa, and hopes to show a documentary about the conflict to educate people about the crisis.

For Mitts, the K-State Save Darfur Team also is a way to put her education to work. Along with majoring in management, she has a secondary major in international studies and a minor in nonprofit organization leadership. She would like a career in international development, working for an international nonprofit organization. She already has worked with such organizations in India and Pakistan, helping women and children.