Fast for Darfur, Fast for the World
by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer
I haven’t eaten in 5 days. That’s 5 days of water only. Five days without any food at all. Last week, I read about Mia Farrow’s fast for Darfur, and like many of us, felt compassion yet a sense of helplessness for starving people half a world away. What could I do to connect my feeling of wanting to DO something to the reality of the people who are living this every day?
The clear answer was to start with a fast of my own.
That’s silly, I thought. What could one celebrity or one person do for starving millions by just not eating for awhile? After all, they don’t have a choice to start eating again. We do. What’s the good in that?
It turns out, there’s plenty of good.
I get it now. 5 days of no food bring things into startling clarity. My compassion is magnified. But that’s not enough. I want to do more. You can do more.
Start with a fast of your own. I promise it will be a life-changing experience!
Connect with the community at FastDarfur.org. Join high-profile celebs like Peter Gabriel. Sir Richard Branson. Congressman Donald M. Paine. Jon Foreman. Mia Farrow, of course. And hundreds of other people all feeling passionately committed to changing the world.
Blog, tweet, and facebook your experience. Tell everyone you know.
Give to relief organizations supporting the people of Darfur (kind of temporarily useless now that they’ve been kicked out, but when they’re allowed back in they will need funding!).
Sign an online letter to President Obama.
Write your elected officials.
Write your local newspapers. This will reach people who don’t get their news online, so it’s an important resource.
Call 1-800-GENOCIDE (U.S. and Canada) to personally plead with your congressperson, your senators, and with President Obama to end genocide in Darfur. Make your voice heard!
Live outside the U.S.? Resources to make your voice heard can be found here.
Thank you for anything you choose to do to help support the people of Darfur. Your compassion, and your action, does make a difference.
UPDATE: Karen has uploaded a video to her website detailing her fasting experiences. Check it out on Polaris Rising.
Image by jspatchwork, flickr
- Posted by Causecast
Related causes: Human Rights
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