About

Fast4CAR week is part of the wider campaign Action4CAR, led by a group of young volunteers (such as myself) from the UK, the US and Rwanda. It is coordinated by the Aegis Trust, an international organization committed to prevent genocide, working in partnership with the American association Stand. As the acronym CAR suggests, the campaign is centered round the situation in the Central African Republic. THE PROBLEM Following a violent coup d'etat in 2013, tensions in the Central African Republic have run high. Though the roots of the conflict are not religious, recent violence has increased divisions between Muslim and Christian communities and militia attacks have forced thousands of civilians to flee their communities and the country. A large majority of these displaced people are Muslim and 80% are women and children. United Nations Special Adviser on the prevention of Genocide, Mr. Adama Dieng, has warned that the "widespread and systematic targeting of civilians based on their religion or ethnicity indicates that crimes against humanity are being committed and that the risk of genocide remains high." Elections are scheduled to take place in CAR this summer. If significant movements towards political inclusion and inter-communal reconciliation have not been made by the time these elections arrive, there is a high possibility of genocide and mass atrocities that, once started, will be difficult to stop. OUR SOLUTION Over the past years, Aegis Trust has run peace education programmes in Rwanda that train young Rwandans to confront the beliefs and prejudices that can lead to genocide. Our aim is to now bring these trained Rwandan youth leaders to CAR, to share their experience and training with young Central Africans. The latter will then develop and implement peace and business projects that confront identity based tensions in their home communities while boosting local economies. FAST4CAR During the week starting the 23rd March 2015, myself and the other volunteers will be giving up something significant to our everyday lives. I, Camilla Savanco, have pledged to give up cutlery and eat all my meals using a wooden spoon in solidarity to the people of CAR. More than 1.4 million lack food security and cutlery is surely the last thing on their minds. YOU CAN SUPPORT MY EFFORT BY DONATING TO ACTION4CAR!! :D HOW WILL YOUR MONEY HELP? By donating to Action4CAR, you will support the work of Aegis' International Youth Department, contribute to the costs of our peacebuilding and diversity trainings in CAR and help to provide the seed money needed to kick start the peace and business projects developed by young Central Africans. Note: All the money that you donate at givey.com goes directly towards our projects, as the online platform is completely non profit. For more information on the campaign, visit www.action4car.org or the Action4CAR Facebook and Twitter pages.