Violence, murder, rape, and torture are some of the horrid things the civilian population of Darfur, Sudan is going through.

The Sudanese government along with the hired militia group known as the Janjaweed, are responsible for the genocide happening in Darfur today. They target and wipe out entire villages, destroy their food and water supplies, and murder, torture, and rape hundreds of thousands of Darfurians.

Jennifer Vogt-Erickson, a history teacher at Albert Lea High School, decided to set up a project that required her 10th grade students to think of a way to reach out to others and spread awareness about what’s happening in Darfur.

“The students actually had to make something and take action,” Vogt-Erickson said.

Sam Sickels, one of Vogt-Erickson’s students, along with her fellow group members took action by writing a letter to U.S. Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Along with the letter they sent a petition with 152 signatures urging Walz to spread awareness about the genocide.

“It makes me want to donate more time and tell more people about,” Sickles said. “A lot of people don’t know about Darfur.”

Vogt-Erickson considers the Darfur project a modest success.

“I think some students really stretched themselves to reach out to others,” Vogt-Erickson said.

Students Brianna Meyer and Shelby Hansen had the most success, raising $180 following their articles on Darfur in the Albert Lea Tribune.

“It’s great to see how people in the community have responded,” Vogt-Erickson said.

The United States Congress, President Bush and two U.S. secretaries of state have labeled Darfur a genocide, but the suffering hasn’t stopped. The majority of the people don’t even know what’s happening in Darfur or don’t know enough about it to care.

It’s time to take action. Make a difference by spreading the word about the suffering people in Darfur. There are Web sites online for you to make donations to send relief and aid to the victims.

Visit Savedarfur.org or related sites to find out how you can help the cause.

Abbey Arends is a sophomore at Albert Lea High School.