Darfur United Club works to educate Costa on the crisis in Darfur

By Maysen Marolda
Staff Writer

Mira Costa sophomore Julia Nuttall-Smith has taken it upon herself and her fellow students to make a difference both in Darfur and in the Costa community with her club Mustangs4Change.

Mustangs4Change will work to donate money to the 2.8 million individuals displaced from Darfur in the world. In order to do so, the club will focus on sports-related education and activism, but especially on educating classrooms on the dilemma in Darfur.

“The purpose of Mustangs4Change is not really about raising money but creating a personal relationship where people feel like they can make a difference,” Darfur United Director of Operations and Community Involvement Katie-Jay Scott Stauring said.

After the genocide in Darfur in Western Sudan, the Sudanese people were forgotten by the public, and the refugees from the area took refuge in a desolate area of eastern Chad. They are still in eastern Chad today with a situation that is no better than it was 10 to 15 years ago, so Mustangs4Change is looking to bring awareness to the refugee conflict.

“Through bringing awareness, we can educate others on the Darfurese refugees’ conflict, as it is a human rights issue and no one deserves to be forgotten,” said Nuttall-Smith.

Mustangs4Change members will have the opportunity to write letters to the Darfurese kids and Darfur United coaches and soccer players. The Darfur United Soccer Academy offers these refugee children a safe place to play, move, heal and be empowered under the leadership and guidance of trained and employed men and women refugee coaches.

“Writing letters will create a personal relationship with the Darfurese and allow members of the club to feel more connected to them and become more informed of their situation,” said Nuttall-Smith.

Another goal of Mustangs4Change is to restore the Darfurese’s required daily caloric intake to 2100. As of right now, the Darfurese are only getting approximately 800 calories a day. Mustangs4Change is encouraging the signing of the 2100 petition, each signature of which will go to President Obama and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power to convince them to address the issue.

“By encouraging the Costa community to sign the petition, we can lend a hand in giving the refugees more food rationing, leading to the termination of malnutrition in Darfur,” said Nuttall-Smith.

Mustangs4Change will host soccer tournaments, bake sales and sports equipment drives to raise money for the cause. Donations will be taken to purchase school supplies for Little Ripples, which is the preschool established in the area surrounding the Darfur United grounds.

“Raising money will allow us to buy items for the Darfurese that may seem like basic necessities to us, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste,” said Nuttall-Smith.