Fable.. 8th grade audience

A young man was waking down the street when he was approached by a charity worker asking for money to help provide aid for poor people in Africa. The young man waived her off and told her he did not have time. When he went out to buy groceries later on, another young lady was in front of the store collecting money to save orphaned children in Darfur. The young man lowered his hat and quickly entered the store unnoticed. 'All this Africa business,' he thought. 'I do not have the money, I have to buy my dinner,' he thought to himself.
The next day a commercial came on TV as he was getting ready for work. Again, it was an organization helping villages get food and medical treatment in Africa. This time he hesitated and watched the commercial all the way through. At the end he decided that there was nothing he, a successful young businessman, had in common with those people. He had worked hard for his money, why waste it by giving it to people living on another continent? He thought, 'what could one person really do?'
So off to work he went. Around lunchtime, he received a call from his secretary. She informed him that the police had called. There had been a fire in his apartment building and nothing could be saved. The young man sank in his seat. What was he going to do? All his possessions, all his money, was kept at home for fear of bank errors. Now, he had nothing.
When he returned to work from his lunch break, he immediately contacted the Human Resources department. He asked how much money had been contributed to the "Employee Crisis Fund," and asked if he could get an advance from it. The Human Resources employee reminded him that he had declined when asked to contribute to the fund, making him unentitled to its benefits.
The young man feared for his future. He had shunned his fellow employees and his neighbors because of lack of interest. He had little contact with his family. The young man was scared and alone. As he returned to his office he sat at his desk and cried. Suddenly the thought of the "Africa-Aid" commercial came to mind. Sadly, he realized that he did have much in common with the people in Africa.

Timed Writing

For project three, I explored the crisis in Darfur. I created a blog , wrote letters to Darfur organizations, and wrote a fable having to do with this topic. I wanted to explore the situation in Darfur because it is a crisis that is extremely important, but one that does not receive much attention. My goal was to educate my audience on this topic, and give them ways to get involved if they felt inspired.
I felt that the blog was an excellent way for people to learn about Darfur. I posted my project two research paper on the subject, which gave my readers important background information and statistics on the subject. This was the most useful part of project three, because it gave me an easy way to open people’s eyes to horror that is happening in Darfur. Also posted on the blog were the three letters that I wrote to different Darfur organizations. This was useful because it gave the readers contact information to people who are already involved in the fight and gave a way to get involved if they were inspired to. It also gave them additional sources for information on the subject. I am hoping that at least one person was inspired by my blog and decided to get involved.
The last part of project three was the fable. I thought that this was an excellent way to preach my message to young children without giving them the harsh details of what is going on in Darfur. If my fable inspires just one child, all of the work that went into this project would have been worth it. Who, knows, maybe in the future that one child will be a person who helps stop the violence in Darfur.
The goal of project three was to educate people on the crisis in Darfur. I hope that my blog provided sufficient information on the topic and that it inspired at least one reader to get involved.

Darfur Organizations

Save Darfur Coalition
Website: www.savedarfur.org
Contact: info@savedarfur.org


USA for UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency
Website: www.aiddarfur.org
Contact: 1775 K Street NW Suite 290 Washington, DC 20006

Help Darfur Now
Website: www.helpdarfurnow.org
Contact: arielle@helpdarfurnow.org

Dear Help Darfur Now

Dear Help Darfur Now,
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this organization was founded by three high school students. Your work in the fight against genocide in Darfur is very admirable. I am a college student, and I have always had the false impression that young people do not have the power to take action against issues on this large a scale, but I was obviously wrong. Your work has helped me realize that I can make a difference, and I want to do everything I can to help. I would like to join your organization, so what steps do I need to take to make that happen? And after I become a member of your organization, what can I do to get my local community involved? Please contact me at my blog site http://rachelsdarfur.blogspot.com.

Respectfully,

Rachel Finch

Dear USA for UNHCR

Dear USA for UNHCR,
I was extremely touched by the work that your organization is doing to help the people who are suffering in Darfur. You are building villages for refugees, as well as shelters, clinics, and schools. This work is very admirable, and I would like to help. Besides donating money, what do you suggest I do to draw attention to the crisis in Darfur and what can I do that will really make a difference? Please contact me at my blog site http://rachelsdarfur.blogspot.com.

Respectfully,

Rachel Finch

Dear Save Darfur Coalition

Dear Save Darfur Coalition,

I am extremely impressed by your website and the work that you do. You give suggestions on how to start your own group to help save Darfur, how to reach out to others in your community, and how to pressure members of Congress to support the Darfur legislation. I am interested in following your lead in the fight against genocide. How effective has your organization been at bringing about change? I know that it is difficult for one group to change the minds of many, and I will do whatever I can to help pressure the representatives of my community to bring awareness and aid to Congress. If you have any suggestions please comment on my blog at http://rachelsdarfur.blogspot.com/.

Respectfully,
Rachel Finch