Mail Buddies
There is a feeling among Darfurian camp-dwellers that the world is blind to their suffering and has abandoned them. Particularly among the children who have suffered unimaginable trauma and lived in wretched conditions over prolonged periods, the signs of post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and general despondency are heartbreakingly evident. Hopelessness kills just as surely as the diseases that course through the camps.
Mail Buddies is a program intended to heal the psychological effects of the Darfur conflict on its youngest and most vulnerable citizens by encouraging one-on-one relationships between elementary school children and their Darfurian counterparts. Through the exchange of letters (translated into Arabic), drawings and picture books, children in elementary schools can send a clear message of support and hope to the Darfurian children. Schools that participate in the program will be fostering empathy and cultural understanding among their students as well as encouraging global citizenship and responsibility. Mail Buddies also intends to provide educational materials (pens/pencils, paper, books) to camp children through school fundraisers.
If you are interested in learning more about the Mail Buddies program for your school, please call or e-mail the DRP office.