Suliman Giddo
From Solar Cooking
Suliman Giddo directs Darfur Peace and Development Org. which is promoting CooKits in Sudan beginning in 2006 in connection with the organization's women center program in North Darfur.
Suliman writes:
My name is Suliman Giddo, and I am co-founder and president of the Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), a nonprofit that provides humanitarian and development assistance to victims of conflict in Darfur, Sudan. As president of DPDO, I lead the organization in supporting fifteen grade schools throughout North Darfur and Chad. DPDO will also soon begin construction on a high school for orphans in El Fasher that will feature Sudan’s only high-school computer lab, a large library, and several English classes to prepare students for advancement to university. My work with DPDO includes assisting grassroots groups with conflict resolution, organizing training in the production and use of solar cooking technology in 6 IDP camps in Darfur, and operating a women’s center in the Kassab IDP camp. My organization promotes awareness of the Darfur crisis in the United States and advocates for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Born and raised in the village of Korgi in Darfur, I learned at a young age that education could make a difference. Between 500 and 600 children from neighboring villages gathered in the city of Kutum each April to determine, at random, which children would be allowed to enroll at Zatelrasin Elementary School. I had the great opportunity to be one of only 6 children chosen in my area to attend school. The school was 64 kilometers from my home, and I walked for two days and nights to reach the city when I was only seven. Thrilled at the idea of earning an education, I began my first year, learning basic math and Arabic through lessons drawn on the sand. By age 11, I wanted to help educate the children and adults from my locality that did not have the opportunity to go to school. I requested and was granted educational materials from government officials and began tutoring my community members during my summer break from school. I was determined to create more educational opportunities in my community. I worked with community leaders over the next few years, held meetings and formed committees, and was finally able to get permission to build a school in Korgi in 1979. By 2003 and before the attacks, the Korgi School had become one of the highest-ranked schools in the Kutum locality because of the high number of students who went on to complete a university education. I also founded Jabal Mara Social and Culture Association while I was in the University of Khartoum and Darfur People’s Association in the United Arab Emirates, which provided medical supplies to the main hospitals in Darfur. I have remained active in community efforts since that time and I realize the tremendous importance that education holds in Darfuri society.
The Darfuri people revere education. The loss of educational opportunity is a great sorrow to families and communities, and thousands of school age children have lost several consecutive years of their education due to the ongoing conflict. After assessing regional needs, DPDO initiated the Darfur Schools Program in 2005. DPDO now sponsors fifteen schools throughout the Darfur area, educating over 7,500 students, with over 24 other schools in the waiting list. DPDO provides textbooks, school supplies, and teaching kits for each school, and it is the only organization operating in Darfur that pays salaries for Darfuri teachers and principals. In addition to the Darfur Schools Program, DPDO has also established a Women’s Center in the Kassab IDP camp near Kutum, which focuses on income-generation projects, medical care for victims of gender-based violence, counseling, and training in literacy, vocational skills, and civil and human rights. Monthly Solar Cooker Training Workshops throughout Khartoum and Darfur train men and women to produce solar cookers, ovens constructed with locally-purchased materials that cook food by focusing the sun’s rays instead of using firewood, which is increasingly scarce in Sudan. For more information on the programs sponsored by Darfur Peace & Development, please go to www.DarfurPeace.org.
[edit] Contact
Darfur Peace and Development Organization
P.O. Box 5743
Fort Wayne, IN 46895
USA
