DPDO News

Notes from our staff on the ground in Darfur

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Program Director Susan Burgess-Lent traveled in Darfur most of December to assess programs and to improve DPDO’s capacity to serve an ever-growing population of beneficiaries. Click here to read her journal

Ante Up for Africa donates $200,000 to construct DPDO high school

Monday, December 14th, 2009

DPDO is happy to announce that Ante Up for Africa has generously donated $200,000 to help construct Gangi High School in El Fasher, Darfur. Ante Up for Africa, founded by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke, and Norman Epstein, was created to raise money and awareness for relief efforts in Darfur.

Click “continue reading” to learn more.

DPDO named Dining for Women’s January Featured Program

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Dining for Women: “Changing the World One Dinner at a Time”

Dining for Women is a national non-profit giving circle dedicated to empowering women and girls living in extreme poverty. For more information, click “Continue reading”.

DPDO delivers UNICEF school supplies to 37 North Darfur schools

Friday, November 6th, 2009

In October, DPDO received a UNICEF in-kind donation of blackboards and classroom kits for North Darfur schools.

DPDO staff delivered the supplies to its 14 Schools of Peace and to 23 additional schools in Kutum, El Fasher, and Umbaro localities. Though these schools are not sponsored by DPDO, they had no other access to necessary supplies.

DPDO’s distribution served the needs of 445 teachers and…

Solar Cooker Training Workshop completed in Omdurman

Monday, October 19th, 2009

On October 18th, DPDO Solar Cooker Project Manager Ali Eisa led a training workshop in Omdurman, near Khartoum.

Click “Continue Reading” for photos.

“Dara for Unity and Hope” held in Washington, DC

Monday, October 12th, 2009

October 8, 2009 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than 25 Darfur activists gathered at Busboys and Poets Thursday evening for Darfur Peace and Development Organization’s Dara for Unity and Hope, a gathering modeled after the traditional Darfuri forum for discussion of community issues.

Representatives from the Save Darfur Coalition, Africa Action, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Enough Project, Amnesty International USA, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Refugees International, International Rescue Committee, Darfur Alert Coalition, Southern Sudanese Voice for Freedom, HELO Magazine, STAND, the Senate Finance Committee, and United States of Hope attended to discuss ways to unify the splintered movement and to create more cohesive action to benefit Darfur.

Click “Continue Reading” for more information.

DPDO President joins US Special Envoy on Peace-Building Mission in Sudan

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Suliman Giddo, President of Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), traveled with the US Special Envoy to Sudan, General Scott Gration, on an eight-day mission in Sudan on Sept 8.

The visit highlighted meetings with community leaders in Abu Shouk, one of the largest camps for displaced people in North Darfur. This initiative was designed to develop consensus among Darfuri leaders and support from their communities for sustainable peace after a devastating six-year conflict. It continues a multi-track peace effort begun during recent meetings of Darfuri rebel commanders.

DPDO opens new office in El Fasher, North Darfur

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

During a September 2009 trip to Darfur, DPDO President Suliman Giddo visited the newly opened office in El Fasher, North Darfur. The three-room office has adequate storage for school supplies and baskets en route from Women’s Centers to Khartoum. The location will provide easy access for DPDO’s El Fasher staff to deliver supplies and disbursements to Women’s Centers and schools in the surrounding IDP camps in which DPDO operates.

See photos of the new El Fasher office by clicking “Continue reading”.

Upcoming event- Dara for Unity and Hope

Monday, August 24th, 2009

The Dara for Unity and Hope, hosted by the Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), is a private gathering for the community of Darfur activists.

Modeled after the traditional Darfuri forum for discussion of community issues, the Dara for Unity and Hope will provide the opportunity for Darfur activists to connect with one another for more effective action on behalf of the Darfuri people.

Our goal…

Ante-Up for Africa gives a strong hand-up to DPDO

Friday, August 14th, 2009

2009 has been a make-or-break year for non-profits, DPDO included. Many humanitarian aid organizations have either shut down or scaled back their programs, forcing millions of beneficiaries in Darfur to struggle for survival.

I had recently arrived at a critical point: How could I continue DPDO’s work with so little assurance of funding? My staff and Board of Directors were working continuously to raise money — but…