For Immediate Release
January 28, 2009
January 28, 2009
Media Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
[email protected]
[email protected]
ADVISORY: Basketball Rivals Georgetown and Duke Team Up to Raise Money for Darfur Refugee Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Though rivals on the basketball court, Georgetown and Duke universities are collaborating off the court to raise money in order to provide quality education to Darfuri refugee children. During the January 30th Georgetown-Duke basketball game at the Verizon Center, students and alumni from the two universities will partner with the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program to fund the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings, and provide teacher training, school supplies and sports equipment in the refugee camps.
NBA star Tracy McGrady, John Prendergast, Co-founder of Enough, the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity at the Center for American Progress, and Alexander Aleinikoff, the newly appointed United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, will attend the game and unveil the new partnership with a special video announcement at half-time. Student groups from Georgetown and Duke, including STAND: the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition; the Student Organization for Legal Issues in the Middle East and North Africa or SOLIMENA; and the Duke Human Rights Coalition, will also attend the game and distribute information about the initiative.
“Duke and Georgetown are fierce rivals on the court, but they’ve decided to partner off the court to provide a quality education to kids from Darfur who otherwise would have no opportunities,” said John Prendergast, Co-founder of the Enough Project.
McGrady was inspired to travel to the Darfuri refugee camps with Prendergast after speaking about the crisis with NBA legend and Georgetown alumnus Dikembe Mutumbo. Upon their return, McGrady and Prendergast co-founded the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program, an initiative linking American middle schools, high schools, and universities with schools in 12 Darfuri refugee camps in eastern. More than 350 U.S. schools and universities have signed up for the program, and more than $400,000 in donations and pledges have been received since the program’s launch in March 2009.
NBA stars Baron Davis, Luol Deng, Derek Fisher, Etan Thomas, and Jermaine O’Neal have joined McGrady as Co-captains of the Darfur Dream Team. Additional partners include: USA for UNHCR, the Enough Project, Participant Media, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, Facing History and Ourselves, and i-ACT.
WHAT: Darfur Dream Team Announcement at the Georgetown-Duke Game
WHEN: January 30, 2010, beginning at 1:00 pm, EST
WHERE: Verizon Center, 601 F Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20004
WHO: Tracy McGrady, NBA Basketball star
Alexander Aleinikoff, Appointed United Nations Deputy High
Alexander Aleinikoff, Appointed United Nations Deputy High
Commissioner for Refugees
John Prendergast,Co-Founder of the Enough Project
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The Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program links American middle schools, high schools, and universities with schools in the Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad. U.S sister schools will raise funds to improve the education of their Darfuri peers through the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings and by providing supplies, sports equipment, and teacher training. The program will also foster cross-cultural relationships and mutual understanding between U.S. and Darfuri refugee students through letter exchanges and video blogging. The Sister Schools Program is a dynamic partnership involving professional basketball stars Tracy McGrady, Derek Fisher, Baron Davis, Luol Deng, Etan Thomas, and Jermaine O’Neal; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);USA for UNHCR, the Enough Project; Participant Media; TakePart; Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, co-founded by Angelina Jolie and Gene Sperling; Facing History and Ourselves; and i-ACT. The partnership will expand to include additional professional basketball players. More than 100 U.S. schools have signed up to participate in the program. For more information about the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program, see www.darfurdreamteam.org or contact Stella Kenyi at [email protected].
The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, and the areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To set up an interview, go to www.enoughproject.org, or contact Eileen White Read, 202-641-0779, [email protected].
