This story was a reminder to me that every country has kind-hearted people. Too much of the news about Sudan focuses on its leader, his treatment of minorities, and his troubles with the international court. But this story is about Sudanese youth reviving a tradition of service.
Isma’il Kushkush reported the story for the NY Times.
“Their temporary headquarters are a beehive of young volunteers buzzing in and out of rooms, up and down stairs, carrying bags of donated food, medicine and large packets of plastic sheets. …
“They are the members of Nafeer, a volunteer, youth-led initiative that responded swiftly to the humanitarian crisis caused by heavy rains and flash floods that struck Sudan [in August]. …
“The area around Khartoum, the capital, suffered the hardest blow. …
“ ‘We saw that the heavy rains and floods were going to impact the lives of many, and we felt we had a social responsibility to help people,’ said Muhammad Hamd, 28, a Nafeer spokesman. ‘The idea came out of a discussion on Facebook among friends.’
“A ‘nafeer’ is a Sudanese social tradition that comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘a call to mobilize.’ The group’s formation was all the more important because the Sudanese government was slow to respond, some critics say.
“ ‘It was a weak response,’ said Khalid Eltigani, the executive editor of Ilaf, a weekly newspaper. ‘The Nafeer youth broke the silence on the flood situation.’ ” More here.
I love that the latest manifestation of this Sudanese tradition got organized on Facebook.
Men built a barrier to protect houses from rising water in Khartoum, Sudan, the last week of August. More than 300,000 people were directly affected by the flooding.
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