In Darfur, dreams can come true
When I was a kid, I watched the Olympics in a cozy pair of footy pajamas, curled up on the couch with my siblings and our dog. At some point, I'm pretty sure I ate ice cream.
When Lopez Lomong was a kid, he watched the Olympics by leaving the refugee camp he was living in and walking five miles to get a glimpse of track and field events on a black-and-white TV. He was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, orphaned by the fighting in Darfur. By the time he watched the Sydney Olympics of 2000 on that black-and-white TV, he had experienced more fear, violence and hardship than most people endure in a lifetime.
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| UNICEF/ HQ04-0899/Shehzad Noorani |
| SUDAN: Hamudi Abdullah Mohammed witnessed the death of his parents during an early morning militia attack on his village in Darfur. This phopto was taken at the Kalma camp for displaced people, near Nyala, capital of South Darfur. |
Lopez Lomong spent 10 years in the Kenyan refugee camp and was eventually adopted by an American family. Now he's 23 years old and is, himself, an Olympic runner. Last week in Beijing, he carried the flag for the U.S. team during the Olympic opening ceremonies. He is also active in a group called Team Darfur"a coalition of approximately 400 international athletes who work to keep a spotlight on the continuing crisis in Darfur.
When I was a kid, I watched the Olympics in a cozy pair of footy pajamas, curled up on the couch with my siblings and our dog. At some point, I'm pretty sure I ate ice cream.
When Lopez Lomong was a kid, he watched the Olympics by leaving the refugee camp he was living in and walking five miles to get a glimpse of track and field events on a black-and-white TV. He was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, orphaned by the fighting in Darfur. By the time he watched the Sydney Olympics of 2000 on that black-and-white TV, he had experienced more fear, violence and hardship than most people endure in a lifetime.
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| UNICEF/ HQ04-0899/Shehzad Noorani |
| SUDAN: Hamudi Abdullah Mohammed witnessed the death of his parents during an early morning militia attack on his village in Darfur. This phopto was taken at the Kalma camp for displaced people, near Nyala, capital of South Darfur. |
Lopez Lomong spent 10 years in the Kenyan refugee camp and was eventually adopted by an American family. Now he's 23 years old and is, himself, an Olympic runner. Last week in Beijing, he carried the flag for the U.S. team during the Olympic opening ceremonies. He is also active in a group called Team Darfur"a coalition of approximately 400 international athletes who work to keep a spotlight on the continuing crisis in Darfur.
When I was a kid, I watched the Olympics in a cozy pair of footy pajamas, curled up on the couch with my siblings and our dog. At some point, I'm pretty sure I ate ice cream.
When Lopez Lomong was a kid, he watched the Olympics by leaving the refugee camp he was living in and walking five miles to get a glimpse of track and field events on a black-and-white TV. He was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, orphaned by the fighting in Darfur. By the time he watched the Sydney Olympics of 2000 on that black-and-white TV, he had experienced more fear, violence and hardship than most people endure in a lifetime.
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| UNICEF/ HQ04-0899/Shehzad Noorani |
| SUDAN: Hamudi Abdullah Mohammed witnessed the death of his parents during an early morning militia attack on his village in Darfur. This phopto was taken at the Kalma camp for displaced people, near Nyala, capital of South Darfur. |
Lopez Lomong spent 10 years in the Kenyan refugee camp and was eventually adopted by an American family. Now he's 23 years old and is, himself, an Olympic runner. Last week in Beijing, he carried the flag for the U.S. team during the Olympic opening ceremonies. He is also active in a group called Team Darfur"a coalition of approximately 400 international athletes who work to keep a spotlight on the continuing crisis in Darfur.
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| AP/Andy Wong |
| U.S. men's 1500-meter runner Lopez Lomong speaks at an interview in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Eight years ago, Lomong didn't even have a country. Now he's carrying the flag for his adopted nation, leading the U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremonies. |
Have you noticed that Darfur doesn't make the kind of headlines it once did? (O George Clooney, Where Art Thou?) But the situation there is still very dire. Fighting amongst the government, militias and rebels in the western region of Darfur remains ongoing and vicious. And"as has been the case throughout"there is no immunity for civilians. In fact, women and children are specifically targeted. Women are raped as an act of war. Young children are kidnapped and forced to fight.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others have been forced to flee their homes in the Darfur conflict. Throughout, UNICEF has been helping those who have fled Darfur and those who have stayed behind. We've provided essentials like clean water and sanitation, shelter, bed nets, and nutrition and healthcare for children and women. We have immunized over a million children against disease. And, with UNICEF's help, almost 300,000 children are attending school again. UNICEF has helped build classrooms, train teachers, and provide school supplies and uniforms.
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| UNICEF/ HQ07-0878/Georgina Cranston |
| SUDAN: Girls play soccer during playtime at the UNICEF-supported Khorbou Center Basic School in Juba, capital of Southern Sudan. The ball is from a UNICEF recreation kit containing sports equipment and games. |
But the truth is, much more help is essential. We need to make sure that the children affected by this conflict have what it takes to stay healthy and have the ability to get an education. We want them to be able to dream big""I want to be in the Olympics some day""and know that their dreams are within reach.
Click here to make an online donation to support UNICEF's work for the children of Darfur in Sudan and surrounding areas.
