BY MICHAEL GLUK

In print | Published December 4, 2008 — Updated December 05, 2008 10:18

This week, SwatSTAND, the Swarthmore chapter of STAND, A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, has been encouraging the Swarthmore community to participate in a nation-wide STAND fast to raise money for and awareness about genocide. “We are asking that for a period of time, be it for one day or for the entire week, students give up one luxury item and donate the money they would have spent toward that item,” Neena Cherayil ’11, an officer of SwatSTAND, said. Also, in an initiative unique to Swarthmore, SwatSTAND is collaborating with the local co-op in a further effort to raise funds. For the next three weeks, students have the option of donating their ten percent co-op student discount to the cause.

STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, an anti-genocide organization that originated at Swarthmore College.

All proceeds raised during this national period of fund-raising will go directly toward civilian protection efforts in Burma and Darfur, where peaceful civilians and refugees are under attack from armed forces.

Money allocated for Darfur civilian protection will help fund armed escorts for women in refugee camps, who run the risk of rape, kidnap and murder by hostile forces when they venture beyond the camps’ secured perimeters to collect firewood and water. In Burma, villages and communities of monks peacefully protesting the current military regime come under frequent attack from government forces. The raised funds will be used to buy protective equipment for the monks. “[It’s] essentially a warning system of radios and antennas to inform villages of approaching attackers,” Cherayil said. STAND chose to invest in these measures because they have been proven effective in protecting civilian lives.

According to Cherayil, SwatSTAND alone hopes to raise at least $1,400 for the cause. By Tuesday, the group had amassed roughly $700.

So far, much of the Swarthmore community has been participating in the fast. “Most of my friends seem to be participating,” Michelle Walters ’12, a participant herself, said. Walters and other students have been making small lifestyle changes during this week. According to Walters, she has chosen to “substitute [her] daily $3.00 latte for a $1.50 cup of coffee,” a process that will culminate in a $10.50 donation by the week’s conclusion.

Not only does the weeklong fast raise money for the anti-genocide campaign, but it also helps raise awareness for STAND and the cause. “Each time I consider buying a pastry from the Science Center café and remember that I can’t, my attention gets redirected toward the conflict in Darfur … To enjoy daily luxuries now involves recognizing those who don’t have those privileges,” Linnet Davis-Stermitz ’12 said.

At the end of STANDFast, Swat STAND will give a dinnertime presentation in Sharples. By then, the new SwatSTAND t-shirts will have arrived, Cherayil said in an e-mail, and the group will be selling them for $10 each. All proceeds will go to GI Net’s civilian protection program.

According to Cherayil, each such fundraiser, event and meeting helps promote awareness of current conflicts and of the STAND organization. “We used to be called Swat Sudan, and our focus was mainly on Darfur. Through this event and its dual focus on Darfur and Burma, STAND hopes to put our name out there and rebrand ourselves.

“We want to become a broader anti-genocide coalition with a global focus instead of a narrow one. As a chapter, we’re trying to reestablish ourselves,” she said.This year, Swarthmore has become one of the most active organizational hubs for the national campaign.

Nicholas Gaw ’09 is the student leader of the national organization. Gaw and other students on campus are working intensively to promote STAND’s efforts at Swarthmore and across the country. Cherayil emphasized the need for student participation on a campus known for its vigorous advocacy campaigns. “I hope that everyone can help Swarthmore live up to its reputation as an activist school,” Cherayil said.

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »