Tracy McGrady during his visit to Darfuri refugee camp in eastern Chad
On September 8, Enough Upstander Tracy McGrady was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Enough Project congratulates McGrady on this achievement and thanks him for his tireless commitment to Darfuri children in refugee camps.
In 2007, McGrady, along with Enough Project’s Founding Director John Prendergast and Senior Advisor Omer Ismail, visited camps for Darfuri refugees in eastern Chad. During the trip, McGrady heard harrowing stories from young Darfuris and their desire for a better education.
Following the trip, McGrady said:
“How can we stand by and allow this to happen to these innocent people? How can the world be aware and do nothing? After looking into the eyes of my brothers and sisters who sit in those camps, I made a promise to tell their stories, to share what I saw, and to help in any way that I can.”
Inspired by the visit, he decided to act and the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program was born. The program engaged students in the United States to act in order to support the education of their Darfuri peers living in isolated and under-resourced refugee camps in eastern Chad. Between 2008 and 2014, the program raised about one million dollars, which was directed mainly to primary school education for Darfuri refugees in Djabal and Goz Amer camps. These funds impacted more than 18,500 primary school-aged refugee children, 173 classrooms, and over 213 teachers.
Click here to read McGrady and Prendergast’s 2009 piece on ESPN.com recounting their trip to eastern Chad.
Click here to read about McGrady’s “Enough Moment.”