Ecumenical group hopes education helps undercut violence in Darfur

Published: 2007-08-08

NYALA, Sudan (CNS) -- An ecumenical relief organization working in Sudan's Darfur region is hoping to undercut violence by educating displaced people about human rights and peace. For instance, the organization -- Darfur Emergency Response Operation -- has helped displaced women build more efficient cooking stoves, lessening the number of trips they have to make out of the camps to forage for firewood -- journeys that often result in rape by Arab militia members. After police failed to respond to the women's complaints about rape, the ecumenical organization began educating women about their rights, while training local paralegal committees to accompany the women when they go to the police to report the assaults. The Darfur Emergency Response Operation is a joint effort of Caritas Internationalis, the Rome-based network of Catholic aid agencies, and Action by Churches Together, a Geneva-based coalition of Protestant relief groups. In addition to providing a variety of humanitarian services -- such as wells, latrines, health care and housing materials -- to families in the displaced-people camps and neighboring communities, the operation also has conducted workshops for police and rebel groups on the rights of the displaced.

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