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Strayer University Honors Alumnus Who Works to Build Schools and Improve Education in Darfur
Thursday, August 28th, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sonya Udler sonya.udler@strayer.edu
(703) 247-2517
Strayer University Honors Alumnus Who Works to Build Schools and Improve Education in Darfur
While Advancing His Education in the U.S., Suliman Giddo Establishes Non-Profit to Provide Humanitarian Assistance to His Native Land
ALEXANDRIA, VA., Aug. 23, 2008 – For Suliman Giddo education is much more than a means to career advancement. The Darfur, Sudan native, who immigrated to the United States in 1999, believes education can play a role in helping his home country find a path to peace.
“I have always believed that if people are educated they can solve problems and find ways to peace,” said Giddo, who Co-founded the non-profit development organization Darfur Peace & Development to assist Darfurians affected by mass killings sanctioned by the Sudan government. “Education is my primary goal and I believe that it is important to continue supporting education in Darfur until the government can step up and take responsibility. Unfortunately, we don’t know when that will happen.”
So far, the organization has built 15 schools, replacing those that have been bombed by government soldiers and government-backed militias. Giddo, who lives in Alexandria, Va., but still has family living in refugee camps in Darfur and outside Sudan, will be honored as Strayer University’s Outstanding Alumnus during the Aug. 23 commencement ceremony in Baltimore. He graduated in 2004 with a master’s degree in accounting.
Strayer University, a leading post-secondary adult education institution, will award degrees to more than 7,000 adult students – a record for the 116-year-old University – at six regional ceremonies in 2008, including two on Aug. 23 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
“We encourage our students, who are mostly working adults, to consider ways they can apply their newfound knowledge not only at work, but also in their communities,” said Strayer University President Dr. Sondra F. Stallard. “We grieve with those who are enduring so much suffering in Darfur, and we applaud the efforts of Suliman Giddo and Darfur Peace & Development to ease their pain, improve their living standards and find a solution to the crisis through education.”
The University is working with Giddo to donate computers to the schools his organization has founded in Darfur.
Giddo’s community service dates back to his elementary school days. Chosen by lottery to attend school in Kutum, the second largest city in North Darfur located 86 miles away from his home village, he realized he needed to repay his community for his good fortune. He convinced local government leaders in Kutum to donate school supplies like portable chalk boards, chalk and books, so he could teach others in his village under the shade of a tree.
In addition to building and staffing schools, Darfur Peace & Development established an income generation project that assists women who are frequently the targets of rape in the ongoing humanitarian crisis. At centers created by the organization women weave baskets that are purchased by the group. The communal work gives the women the freedom to talk about their experiences and social workers the chance to counsel them. DPDO also operates a program to train displaced women in the construction and use of Solar Cookers, a simple technology that reduces the need for firewood and women’s exposure to rape during the task of collection. DPDO has been vigorously involved in the documentation of human rights abuses in the region and in public advocacy about the crisis in Darfur.
When Giddo initially struggled to find support for Darfur Peace & Development he relied on education to convince people to help.
“I started by talking to small groups and when I took it to the organizational level I found that international organizations really wouldn’t listen to me,” he said. “I realized that I had to educate them by bringing video and photos of burned villages and that was the strongest tool we had to gain their support.”
About Strayer University
Strayer University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has been in operation since 1892. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, information technology, education and public administration. With more than 38,000 students, Strayer University operates 60 campuses in 12 states in the Eastern United States and Washington, D.C., as well as worldwide via the Internet. For more information, visit www.strayer.edu or call 1-888-4-STRAYER (888-478-7293)
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