Aid in Sudan

Inspired by the movie The Girl in the Cafe, I have done some research on actual G8 Summits and what is going on in Africa based on the work of the Bush Administration. I found this on a government website. Unfortunately the vast needs in Africa and the tremendous obstacles to true reform of hearts, minds and power make it inadequate to completely eradicate the devastation of the past few years in Sudan and other areas in Africa where greed, corruption, ignorance, racism and power hungry people hurt others by the thousand.

In a nutshell at this year's G8 Summit discussions regarding Africa resulted in the G8 leaders announcing new measures on improving education, health, water supplies and sanitation and increasing the number of doctors and nurses in Africa. They set a five-year deadline to commit $60-billion in funding to help Africa fight disease, including pledging 100 million mosquito nets by 2010 which will prevent thousands of deaths from malaria. They also renewed a commitment made three years ago to double aid for Africa to $25-billion by 2010 and to consider pledging further assistance after 2010

The following facts were posted on a US Government website. They sound fabulous--I just confess I doubt that the full intended goals will be reached on the other side of the ocean.

Fact Sheet: Leading the Global Response to the Crisis in Darfur
President Bush Meets With Sudanese Human Rights Advocate, Pledges Continued U.S. Support To End The Violence In Darfur
"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder, and rape of innocent civilians. My Administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide. The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it. ... I promise this to the people of Darfur: the United States will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of the world." – President George W. Bush, 5/29/07
The United States Is Committed To Ending The Genocide In Darfur
The United States is the largest single donor to the people of Sudan, including to Darfur where more than 2.5 million are currently displaced. America leads the world in responding to the crisis there by providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations, facilitating the deployment of an international peacekeeping force, and promoting a lasting political settlement. Specifically, the United States providing support through:
Humanitarian Aid and Human Rights. The United States is the leading international donor to Sudan, providing more than $5 billion in assistance to Sudan since 2005, including $3.7 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance to Darfur. In 2008, the United States provided half of the World Food Program's food aid request for more than 6 million people throughout Sudan and eastern Chad. In FY 2007, the United States gave more than $1 billion in assistance to the people of Sudan, including Darfur.
More than 30 U.S. Government partners are currently implementing programs to provide food, health, shelter, water, and other life-saving services, in the face of the many challenges caused by escalating banditry, bureaucratic impediments, and attacks on humanitarian staff. The United States also continues to promote efforts to ensure the safety and basic rights of Darfur's most vulnerable people. The United States has spearheaded a $16 million initiative to combat the widespread violence against women and girls and help communities to heal. The U.S. government supports radio programming in local languages on human rights issues and peace processes that are directed at persons displaced because of the conflict and other vulnerable populations in Darfur.

Earlier this year, the President made available $100 million in U.S. funding to augment the training and equipping of African peacekeepers pledged to deploy under UNAMID. Up to $40 million dollars of these new funds ensured that Rwanda's forces have the training and equipment they need to deploy four battalions (3,200 troops) to Darfur. Already, the United States has helped train more than 7,000 Rwandans for peacekeeping in Darfur and spent more than $40 million to ensure they are properly prepared, equipped, and on the ground.
Economic Sanctions. Since violence erupted in Darfur in 2003, the United States has imposed economic sanctions on seven Sudanese individuals responsible for violence in Darfur and on more than 160 companies owned or controlled by the Government of Sudan (GOS).
The United States supports a political solution to the ongoing Darfur conflict, including necessary security and compensation provisions as outlined in the DPA, which creates broad structures for an eventual outcome that will allow millions of Darfuris to return to their homes and rebuild their lives in peace.