Community Corner
Lilburn Resident Organizes Fight Against Famine Event
Fight Against Famine fundraiser event this Saturday will help feed the thousands stricken by famine in areas of Somalia.
Awo Rage, a Lilburn resident, has seen the horrors that have plagued Somalia for decades. She fled Mogadishu in the 1991 in the middle of the night. Her immediate family fled by car through dangerous and dark roads, avoiding life in a refugee camp.
Rage is far from danger now, establishing roots in the Lilburn community, raising her three children while working at a pharmaceutical company in Gwinnett. But she never forgets those distant relatives and fellow Somalis struggling to survive.
To make the the community aware of the growing problem in Somalia, Rage helped organize a fundraising event, “Fight Against Famine," in Clarkston this Saturday. The proceeds will help fight against the famine sweeping across Somalia.
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Somalia has been plagued by war since 1991 and is currently experiencing a devastating drought, resulting in hundreds of thousands of people being displaced and forced into refugee camps. As food aid, supplies and accommodations run low, famine has gripped the country.
With Clarkston designated as a city for refugees by the United States, large pockets of ethnic minorities are concentrated within the area. Thousands of Somalis reside in the Atlanta area and are looking for ways to help. This weekend, the Somali community aims to help save lives in their native land.
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About two months ago, Rage decided it was time to get the local community involved. Not only has the Somali community responded, but the student community in Clarkston has heard the call, with students from Emory and Georgia Perimeter getting involved to make the event a success.
Many members of the Atlanta Somali community were not as fortunate as Rage, spending years in refugee camps. Omar Mohamed lived in the refugee camp in 1992.
“There is not enough food in the camps,” said Mohamed. “There is a little bit of water and food, but the new arrivals complicate the situation.”
“The civil war and the drought are forcing thousands into the camps,” said Mohamed.
“We have an individual and collective obligation to help,” continued Mohamed. “We need people to come to the event and contribute whatever they can to help those in refugee camps or Somalia.”
CARE, one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations based here in Atlanta, will ensure the proceeds from the event get to the neediest of places.
“They chose CARE because of the solid reputation we have for getting the funds to the right place,” said CARE organizer Nicole Harris.
The event will run from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston. The festival will include youth activities, a pre-school reading corner, martial arts demonstration, fashion show, artist exhibit, presentations, and more.
Next time you are in line at the grocery store and are frustrated by the long wait, remember that thousands of people are waiting in even longer lines in refugee camps to get just a little bit of nourishment to stay alive. It really puts things into perspective.
If you would like to donate please visit their Fight Against Famine page at Causes.com.
Plan your weekend to stop by the event.
The schedule of events for:
Fight Against Famine in Somalia
10:00 - 10:50
Children Story Telling and Kids Corner
Youth Sport Games
Artist Reception (*Art Exhibit Will Be Available for Viewing Throughout the Event*)
11:00 - 11:15 OPENING CEREMONY
Opening Remarks
Girl scouts of Greater Atlanta Raising of the Flag and the National Anthem11:15 - 11:35 Tabala Martial Arts - demonstration by local children
11:35 - 11:55 Give Now to Sustain the Future: CARE
11:55 - 12:55 Lunch
1:00 - 1:10 Creative Interpretation of the Issues by local Children
1:10 - 1:30 The Importance of Giving: Mr. Nadim Ali, Imam, West End Mosque
1:30 - 1:45 Achieving Nonviolence Through Sports: Mr. Ali Osman, Chair of the Somali American Sports Committee
1:45 - 2:10 Horn of Africa Cultural Fashion Show
2:15 - 1:20 BREAK
2:20 - 2:30 Closing Ceremony