Damanga Coalition
for Freedom & Democracy receives $100,000 grant
from The Philanthropic Collaborative
November 08, 2007
The Philanthropic Collaborative, a
New York City based organization with offices in the Rockefeller
Philanthropic Advisers Organization, has awarded the Damanga
Coalition for Freedom and Democracy a $100,000 grant.
The Philanthropic Collaborative, founded as the philanthropic
office of the Rockefeller Family, has clients interested
in philanthropy from all over the U.S. The grant, from
an anonymous donor, is a general support grant intended
to strengthen the program and further the building of
Damanga as an organization committed to the welfare of
the people struggling for justice in Western Sudan. The
donors are impressed with what this small group of dedicated
Darfurians and Americans has managed to achieve in a very
short period of time with little or no funding. They are
confident the infusion of $50,000 will further assist
in bringing the plight of the Darfurian people to the
attention of more Americans and those world wide who are
dedicated to a free and democratic society for all peoples.
Damanga is based in Charlottesville, Virginia; its website
address is www.damanga.org. Its executive director, Mohamed
Yahya, a native of Western Sudan and a resettled refugee,
is a popular speaker to groups who desire a more informed
understanding of the situation in Darfur.
Damanga Director Mohamed Yahya says, “On behalf
of Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, and all
the people of Darfur, Sudan, we would like to thank the
Philanthropic Collaborative for the most generous grant
that we have received in the amount of $100,000.00 dated
August 23, 2007. This grant will help us to achieve our
missions and goals to raise awareness and to stop the
genocide in Darfur, Sudan. We are so grateful for your
continuous help, without your help we couldn’t have
reached the goals we have set. The people of Darfur will
never forget what you have done to support their cause.
Your act of kindness will remain unforgettable in our
hearts. ”
Director Yahya goes on to give background on Damanga:
“Damanga was founded by Darfurian students living
in Cairo Egypt, in 1991 under the name The Massaleit Charity.
In 1995 it become the Representatives of the Massaleit
Community in Exile (RMCE); it was renamed Damanga in January
of this year. The history of RMCE and Damanga spans a
decade. It is considered the first grass roots organization
that highlighted, circulated and educated the world about
the genocide taking place in Darfur of western Sudan,
long before anyone else. From 1991 until 1999 it was the
only organization that contributed on a large scale by
sharing significant amounts of information on the enormousness
of the situation in Darfur which in turn provided the
necessary help to those concerned researchers, United
Nations Offices around the world, lawyers, governmental
and nongovernmental organizations, courts, and individuals
around the globe.
“Because Darfur is a very remote area and the government
of Sudan restricts and clouds the information regarding
the situation so it does not reach the world, Damanga
has many challenges to face in order to get out to the
international community and the United Nations the true
story. We began doing this very early on through our humble
and limited reports. One of these reports, an open letter
to the international community titled: The Hidden Slaughter
and Ethnic Cleansing in Western Sudan, for which I was
a co-author, is referenced in the UN General Assembly
of 1999 on page 8, paragraph 37. This paper is available
on our website www.damanga.org
and can be accessed here.
“RMCE and Damanga have provided support and recommendations
for the majority of Darfurian and other Sudanese Refugees,
who have applied for asylum and resettlement to authorities
around the world from Egypt, Chad, Kenya, Syria, Jordan,
Libya, Ghana, Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia. Because
of Damanga’s support and recommendations these refugees
have been accepted into asylum or resettlement. All of
this work was done when we were still students and without
receiving our first grant or funding of any kind. It was
our determination, ambition and belief that pushed us
to do so. The RMCE and Damanga have worked and are still
working with Amnesty International and the Human Rights
Watch and other humanitarian organizations to release
thousands of Prisoners of Conscience inside Darfur, Sudan
and even in some European countries. Because Damanga is
trustworthy and well known for its activities around the
world I was honored and have been presented with a humanitarian
award as a human rights activist from Darfur-Sudan.”
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