The Darfur Challenge

Downloads Campaign Downloads (PDF files)

Campaign Resources

The Darfur Crisis

Campaign Graphics

	Elementary School Participant Kit
	Middle & High School Participant Kit
	Fundraising Ideas
	Event Planning Guide
	Being an Effective Leader
	Guide to Attracting Media
	Registration Form

	Darfur Backgrounder for Elementary Students
	Darfur Backgrounder for Secondary Students
	Elementary School PowerPoint Presentation
	Middle & High School PowerPoint Presentation
	Children's Stories from Darfur
	Map of Darfur

	Campaign Logo
	High Resolution Logo
	Official Campaign Poster
	Poster for Promoting Events
	Photos from Darfur
	One page intro to the campaign
	T-shirt logo
	Desktop Wallpaper

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the questions below to link to their answers.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DARFUR CHALLENGE
- What is the Darfur Challenge?
- When is the Darfur Challenge?
- Who can participate?
- Is it too late for me to join?
- Can you tell me more about the Darfur Challenge organizers and beneficiaries?
- How do I get started?
- How are the Darfur Challenge winners chosen?
- What are the prizes?
- How can I tell where my team ranks in the Darfur Challenge?
- What are fundraising and advocacy ‘Challenges’?
- Do groups have to participate in every advocacy and fundraising Challenge?
- How do we submit the money we have fundraised?
- We want to plan a Darfur Challenge event or activity, but we don’t know where to start. Can you help us?

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DARFUR CRISIS
- Where is Darfur?
- Can you tell me more about the crisis?
- How does the violence affect Darfuri kids in particular?
- I don't know very much about Darfur, but would like to prepare a presentation for my class (school, community group, etc.). Can you help me?
- We are holding an event and will have a table or booth for people to learn about Darfur and our Darfur Challenge activities. Do you have any materials we can use?
- Do you have any posters or photos we can use in our promotions and activities?
- We would like to make Darfur Challenge t-shirts for the members of our group. Do you have graphics for t-shirts?

Q: What is the Darfur Challenge?

The Darfur Challenge is a campaign for Canadian students to help make a difference for kids in Darfur.

Teams of participants across the country compete to raise funds for organizations working on and in Darfur. They also compete in national advocacy campaign challenges.

A variety of prizes will be awarded to top Darfur Challenge groups throughout the competition.

Q: When is the Darfur Challenge?

The Darfur Challenge runs from October 19, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

Q: Who can participate?

Canadian elementary, middle and high school students can take part in the Darfur Challenge.

Teams can organize as school groups, chapters of youth groups, sports teams, groups of friends or siblings, etc. Individuals can also participate without a team.

Find out how to register on our ‘Join the Campaign’ page at: http://darfurchallenge.org/jointhecampaign.html

Q: Is it too late for me to join?

New participants can join the Darfur Challenge at any time! The campaign runs from October 19, 2009 – April 30, 2010.

Q: Can you tell me more about the Darfur Challenge beneficiaries and organizers?

Darfur Challenge fundraising proceeds will benefit the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network’s advocacy work on Darfur here at home, and War Child Canada’s programming for young people and their families in Darfur.

The Darfur Challenge is a campaign of the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network, a national coalition of over 30 organizations, working to keep Darfur on Canada’s foreign policy agenda. Find out more about the coalition’s work and members at: www.peacenetwork.ca.

War Child Canada was chosen as a beneficiary of the Darfur Challenge, to support its programming for displaced kids and their families in Darfur. Find out more at: www.WarChild.ca.

Q: How do I get started?

Find out how to get started in the Darfur Challenge in 5 easy steps on our ‘Join the Campaign’ page: http://darfurchallenge.org/jointhecampaign.html.

Q: How are the Darfur Challenge winners chosen?

Darfur Challenge teams will compete in a variety of fundraising and advocacy ‘Challenges’ throughout the course of the campaign. Prizes will be awarded to winners of Challenges, and periodically to participating groups who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the Darfur cause.

Grand prizes will also be awarded to groups raising the most funds by the end of the campaign (April 30, 2010).

Q: What are the prizes?

Check our ‘Special Thanks’ page for Darfur Challenge prizes and a list of our generous prize sponsors.

Q: How can I tell where my team ranks in the Darfur Challenge?

The progress of participating Darfur Challenge groups will be charted on the ‘Campaign Tracker’ page: http://darfurchallenge.org/campaigntracker.html.

Stats for each team will include their achievements in both fundraising and advocacy Campaign Challenges.

The Darfur Challenge grand prize will be awarded to groups raising the most funds for War Child Canada and the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network by the end of the campaign.

Q: What are fundraising and advocacy ‘Challenges’?

Fundraising and advocacy ‘Challenges’ are mini-competitions between Darfur Challenge groups across the country.

Some of the Challenges involve fundraising. Others involve advocacy activities such as signing petitions or getting involved in video campaigns.

Challenge participants will work against a deadline and will have to return their materials to the Darfur Challenge Team by specific dates. Prizes will be awarded to top groups.

Participants will be notified about Challenges by email. Information on the current Challenge will always be available on the Darfur Challenge website.

Q: Do groups have to participate in every advocacy and fundraising Challenge?

Darfur Challenge groups can pick and choose the fundraising and advocacy Challenge activities they compete in and are encouraged to develop their own activities based on their interests and capacities.

Q: How do we submit the money we have fundraised?

Send a cheque to the following address:

    The Darfur Challenge
    C/O The Darfur/Sudan Peace Network
    PO Box 56094
    Montreal, QC
    H3Z 3G3

Q: We want to plan a Darfur Challenge event or activity, but we don’t know where to start. Can you help us?

There are a variety of resources under the 'Campaign Resources' menu on the Darfur Challenge website to help participants plan their activities for the campaign. Of course, you can always email us at: Info@DarfurChallenge.org if you have questions or need pointers!

To start, check out the following guides under the ‘Campaign Resources’ menu:
- Fundraising Ideas
- Event Planning Guide
- Being an Effective Leader
- Guide to Attracting Media

Q: Where is Darfur?

Darfur is a region in the west of Sudan, Africa's biggest country. You can download a map of Darfur from a link under the ’Campaign Graphics’ menu on the Darfur Challenge website.

Q: Can you tell me more about the crisis?

The Darfur crisis started in 2003.

Most of the people and communities affected by the violence in Darfur, have nothing to do with the armed groups who are fighting. Tragically, much of the violence targets innocent bystanders who are just trying to live their lives.

Many people have been forced to flee from their homes after attacks on their villages. Those remaining in their villages live in fear that they will be next.

The Sudanese government is involved many of the attacks, and people know that they can’t count on the police or army to protect them. There are international police and peacekeepers in Darfur, but there aren’t enough of them right now to effectively protect vulnerable people and populations.

Over 200,000 people have been killed in the past 6 years in Darfur, and another 3 million have been forced to leave their homes. The United Nations has repeatedly called this situation ‘the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.’

The people of Darfur want 3 key things right now:

A ceasefire and peace agreement between the groups who are fighting;
An effective peacekeeping force on the ground to protect people and communities until the violence stops; and
Humanitarian assistance from the international community (like food, supplies and medical care) for those who need it until it is safe to return to their homes.

There is an important role for the international community and countries like Canada to play in helping Darfurians get these 3 things.

For most Darfurians affected by the crisis, their biggest hope is for the violence to end, so that they can return to their homes and get on with their lives.

To learn more about the Darfur crisis, download the ‘Darfur Backgrounder’ for elementary or high school students from the ‘The Darfur Crisis’ menu on the
Darfur Challenge website. You will also want to check out the Power Point presentation on Darfur from the same menu!

Q: How does the violence affect Darfuri kids in particular?

Kids caught up in Darfur’s violence face realities nobody should face.

Many are traumatized, having seen their parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and neighbours become the victims of terrible violence. Many have been assaulted themselves. Most have had to flee their homes with only the clothes on their backs, often not knowing what happened to their families and friends back home.

Once displaced, many kids live in makeshift camps where food and supplies are not always available, and where preventable diseases take many lives. These places are not safe, and many people are subject to further violence there.

Young people – especially those who have been displaced – do not have the family and community support that they did in peaceful times. This puts them at high risk for a variety of problems.

They are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, recruitment to armed groups and ongoing violence. Many kids also can’t go to school and don’t have access to organized recreation or programming to help them deal with their problems and stress.

Q: I don't know very much about Darfur, but would like to prepare a presentation for my class (school, community group, etc.). Can you help me?

Doing presentations on Darfur in your class, school, house of faith or community is a great way to inform others about the Darfur crisis, and the challenges affecting kids and their families.

To help you out, the Darfur Challenge website has a variety of resources for you to use and adapt in presentations.

Start by downloading the following resources from the ‘The Darfur Crisis’ menu on the Darfur Challenge website:
- The ‘Power Point Presentation’ for either elementary or high school students
- The ‘Darfur Backgrounder’ for elementary or high school students.

If you need more information or ideas, don’t hesitate to contact us at: Info@DarfurChallenge.org. We’re here to help!

Q: We are holding an event and will have a table or booth for people to learn about Darfur and our Darfur Challenge activities. Do you have any materials we can use?

The Darfur Challenge website has a variety of information materials for you to use and adapt or photocopy for you’re activities.

They include:
- A ‘Darfur Backgrounder’ under the ‘The Darfur Crisis’ menu
- The ‘Children’s Stories from Darfur’ download under the ‘The Darfur Crisis’ menu
- Posters under the ‘Campaign Resources’ menu
- Photos from Darfur under the ‘Campaign Resources’ menu
- A ‘Power Point Presentation’ under the ‘The Darfur Crisis’ menu

Q: Do you have any posters or photos we can use in our promotions and activities?

You can find a variety of graphics, posters and photos on the Darfur Challenge website for use in your activities and promotions. Look under the 'Campaign Graphics' menu to see the variety of materials available for download!

Q: We would like to make Darfur Challenge t-shirts for the members of our group. Do you have graphics for t-shirts?

You can find an 'eps' format Darfur Challenge logo for t-shirts under the 'Campaign Graphics' menu. A 'jpg' format of the logo is also available under the same menu as the 'high resolution logo' download.