nj responds

JOIN THE STATE WIDE SOLAR COOKER PROJECT

Action Ideas for Organizing Advocacy and Fund-Raising Initiatives

Organize your classroom, your religious community, your student groups, your Boy Scout and
Girl Scout Troups, your book group, to raise money for the women and children of the OureCassoni
Refugee Camp in Chad.

Download and duplicate the Solar Cooker Flier, Purchase ($10) the Jewish World Watch DVD on the Solar Cookers in the Refugee Camps, and learn about the history of Darfur and the on-going Genocide.

  1. Invite speakers and plan an assembly for your school about Darfur. Show the Jewish World Watch DVD (www.JewishWorldWatch.org).
  2. Display a Solar Cooker and ask students to involve their parents in fundraising efforts. Organize fund raising events such as: doors to door in your neighborhood, car washes, Walk a thons, dances and concerts.
  3. Solicit businesses in your community, such as retail stores and restaurants, and ask them to post the Flier and Sponsor 10/20/100 families in the Oure Cassoni Camp. Their donation of $150/$300/$1500 can make the difference between life or destruction for these women and children.
  4. Set up a Solar Cooker Project Table in front of gathering places in your community.
  5. Schedule movie nights at your school or in your community and show, for example, “Darfur Diaries: Messages From Home”; “The Devil Came on Horseback”;Sand and Sorrow”; “God Grew Too Tired of Us: the Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan”; “A Journey to Darfur”. Charge admission of $15.00 pp, explaining that each admission provides a Solar Cooker for a refugee family.
  6. Plan a candle light vigil for Darfur. Ask each person to contribute $15.00, for one Solar
    Cooker.
  7. Plan poster making contests on Darfur to raise awareness about the crisis and make and display your posters throughout your school, communities and places of worship. Plan a Poster Opening and provide a Solar Cooker Table to raise money for the project.
  8. Introduce the topic of Darfur at your place of worship. Show “Darfur- A Call to Action”, a 20 minute documentary produced by the Save Darfur Coalition and visit the “Faith Outreach” link at their website, www.savedarfur.org for discussion guides. Charge admission of $15.00 for one Solar Cooker.
  9. Join a local Darfur facebook or myspace group to share information about your Solar Cooker Project. Invite others to join you, or organize their own event.
  10. Write articles to your newspapers and letters to the editor to keep Darfur in the spotlight. Let your local papers know that you are participating in this State Wide Solar Cooker Project.
    For help, visit the “Letters to the Editor Guide” at www.savedarfur.org)
  11. Contact the media – let them know about your event and invite them to come and/or cover your event. Not only does this help spread the word about the crisis in Darfur, it will make more people aware of your group for when you have future events.

REGISTER YOUR EVENT WITH THE NEW JERSEY COALITION

These action steps were prepared by the NJ Coalition Responds to the Crisis in Darfur. The Coalition is made of diverse organizations based in New Jersey who come together with the mission to alleviate the persecution and end genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan through education, advocacy and assistance.