March 31, 2008 by Richard Alan Krieger
When the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned earlier this month that their air transportations to help war-torn Darfur, Sudan, would soon stop due to lack of funds, George Clooney stepped up with his charity group Not On Our Watch by contributing $6.24 million to keep their air transport operations going.
“We are proud to help ensure the survival of this lifesaving program and strongly encourage others to do the same,” said UN Messenger of Peace and award-winning actor George Clooney. “Protection of these victims should not fall solely in the hands of charitable organizations,” he added. “Governments have a responsibility to help those who cannot defend themselves.”
“Having seen first hand the epic humanitarian challenge in Darfur, George Clooney and his colleagues know the life saving power of the Humanitarian Air Service,” WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said.
She added, “This contribution will make a difference to the millions of vulnerable women and children trapped there, and we hope it will inspire other donations.”
Even with the help George Clooney and his organization has done, WFP representative in Sudan, Kenro Oshidari mentioned that they are still in need of funds to keep their air operations going past April of this year.
“We are hoping that more funds will come in, because there is a big gap between the $6 million we have now and the $77 million that we need this year,” he explained.
Darfur is currently known by many humanitarians as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in the world today. Yet, at the same time, it’s one of the most neglected problems in terms of help coming from the world community.
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3 comments
Good article. I hope it helps get some more millions of dollars to Darfur!
It is so awesome to see celebrities like George Clooney being involved in causes like this- and it helps to get his money, too! Peacekeepers aren't just in the UN and other organizations - they are anyone and everyone who wants to help.
Join Clooney today in thanking UN Peacekeepers for their hard work around the world at www.BetterWorldCampaign.org/peace and watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMCFMjAqwD0
4 months ago