Who are we? Students Take Action Now: Darfur (STAND) - Canada is a non profit, volunteered-based organization that is making it easy to act against genocide.
What do we want? STAND’s long-term goal is to make responding to threats of genocide a cornerstone of Canadian foreign policy, starting with Darfur.
Where does Darfur fit in? STAND is firmly committed to bringing about an end to the on-going crisis in Darfur, where, according to the United Nations, some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes. The international community's response to the atrocities committed in the Darfur region of Sudan is the first test of how we will react to genocide in the 21st Century.
How do we make it easy to act against genocide? STAND provides tools and resources for regular Canadian citizens and members of government curious about how they can help end mass violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Our hotline, 1-800-Genocide, connects Canadians directly with their representatives in the government, including the office of the Prime Minister. Our monthly publication, the Darfur Digest, includes updates of the situation in Sudan and nuanced policy directives to bring about a comprehensive solution to the crisis. We work with numerous Members of Parliament from all parties to develop immediate and effective policy solutions to the crisis in Darfur.
Why should I support STAND instead of a humanitarian organization? While humanitarian agencies are absolutely critical to the survival of vulnerable populations within Sudan, they cannot provide a solution to the situation. By supporting STAND's advocacy work, you can lobby to increase government assistance for humanitarian aid while at the same time pushing for the government to protect civilians from genocide and bring about a long-term political solution to the problem.
Why should I care? On May 4th, 2008, villagers from the little town of Shegeg Karo in North Darfur looked up to see where the ominous humming that filled the sky was coming from. They did not have long to wonder. The bombs that fell from the aircraft were designed to create widespread damage, a deadly gift from a government that is meant to protect and provide for its people rather than killing them. The six children killed when one of the bombs hit the Shegeg Karo School for Peace were promised education, not violence.
Unfortunately, genocide can occur at any time in any place. Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Cambodia, Germany, Ukraine, and Turkey have all witnessed genocides to some degree in the past century. By allowing something like this to happen, allowing the perpetrators to go unpunished, we are ensuring that it will happen again. Help us work to make sure that schools everywhere are reserved for education, not violence.
How will my donation be spent? With very low overhead costs, 90% of donations go directly to continued advocacy work by the organization. Recently, Ottawa hosted the STAND-Canada national conference which trains students to become tomorrow's leaders in acting against human rights abuses and genocide. Our extensive network of high school and university chapters across the country work to dramatically increase awareness of the conflict. In the future we would like to be able to send Members of Parliament to Darfur to see for themselves the urgency of the situation so that they can become government leaders in acting against genocide.