Waiting in Congo/Attente au Congo

Women in Kibati Camp, eastern Congo, waiting for food rations.Kibati Camp was attacked three days ago; women & girls, as usual, are the most vulnerable to attacks--from soldiers on all sides of the conflict. This maddening never-ending war truly boggles the mind. Here is a link to IRIN News Agency story.

Please go to the Enough Project for ideas on what you can do. An email or two goes a long way & costs nothing.

Photo by Les Neuhaus/IRIN. Courtesy of IRIN.

Darfur Olympics. Day Eight: The Closing Ceremony

In our closing ceremony, we juxtapose images from Darfur - showing the anguish underwritten by China - with images from the promotional materials for the Olympics. The disparity could not be greater.

Think for a moment about all the time, money and effort that has been spent to stage the Beijing Games. Now think about the time, money and effort that has been spent, over the same time period, to help the people of Darfur.

Now that China's complicity in the Darfur slaughter is known to all the world, we invite you to help us keep the pressure on China to bring security to Darfur. Please visit the organizations featured throughout the Darfur Olympics to find ways to take action. To stay involved with Dream for Darfur, sign up for our newsletter

Thank you for your concern about the people of Darfur and for participating in the Darfur Olympics.

Also from Mia's site today:

Support Darfuri Diaspora Groups

Many of those in the Darfuri Diaspora community hope to provide better lives for family and friends still living in Darfur and Eastern Chad. Darfuri Diaspora groups provide support for the Darfuri population with an array of services from humanitarian aid to assistance with resettlement in the United States. Please visit the websites of these groups to support their vital work:

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
The Darfur People's Association of New York
Darfur Alert Coalition
Darfur Association of the United States
Darfur Peace and Development

**Note from GG's editor: We will substitute YouTube code for MySpace code [some prefer it for their subscription purposes] when it becomes available. We will also be posting more video footage & music through the end of the Beijing Olympics next week. Please check out Team Darfur's site...these are people doing their very best as athletes & as humanitarians. Let's show them some support. Ciao-meow.

Day Seven: The Women of Darfur

Women and girls living in Darfur and eastern Chad-- in camps, towns and rural areas--live in constant fear of sexual violence. The perpetrators are usually men from the Sudanese security forces, militias, rebel groups, and former rebel groups. Gender-based assaults occur as part of attacks, but also in times of relative calm.

In this webcast, Mia talks with women about their lives in the refugee camp. [For those who prefer YouTube for subscription purposes, we will replace the MySpace code with YouTube code when it becomes available later this evening or tomorrow. GG does have other aspects to her life, contrary to some people's perceptions. I mean, we're off to Provence, after all...]

Coming tomorrow: The Darfur Olympics Closing Ceremony.

Darfur Olympics: Day Three. Caring For Families

Today's dispatch from Mia Farrow & Darfur Olympics. Coming tomorrow: Mia talks about the Beijing Olympics at a refugee camp.

"Refugees have insufficient food, shelter, clean water and medical attention.

In Darfur, there are roughly two million people who have been outside the reach of humanitarian aid for years.

As the violence in the region has worsened over the past few months, humanitarian groups have been forced to scale back their operations, leaving a greater number of Darfurians without assistance.

In today's report, Mia talks to refugees about how they survive life in the camp."

Darfur Olympics: Day Two. How Refugees Live

In this webcast, Mia Farrow looks out across the expanse of a refugee camp for Darfurians, and describes how people live and still manage to hope after five years. "Our partners, Gabriel Stauring and Katie-Jay Scott of i-ACT / Stop Genocide Now, produced this event in Chad. Please visit their website to help bring Darfur's voices to the world." Coming tomorrow: Mia speaks to a woman about caring for children.

Audrey Hepburn & UNICEF

UNICEF has been much on our mind. They are helping Darfur Peace & Development with much-needed school supplies. We are so grateful & it brings to mind one of our very favorite people: Audrey Hepburn. There are many wonderful people who serve as Goodwill Ambassadors, just as Audrey did. Please support UNICEF. It's just plain good manners--and who would know good manners better than Audrey? [photograph via myvintagevogue]

Giulia especially loves this this photo of Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany's (she has a crush on the handsome orange "Cat.")

Give Refugees a Hand

Since early 2001, renowned American actress Angelina Jolie has traveled the world as a Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency. On World Refugee Day, she pays tribute to the forcibly uprooted and to the people who protect them.