6th Annual Event Raises Money for Genocide Intervention Network
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore men's soccer team hosted its 6th annual youth soccer clinic on Sunday, February 3, raising over $1,000 to benefit the Genocide Intervention Network.
For the past three years, the benefit has donated money to G. I. Net, a non-profit started three and a half years ago by several Swarthmore College students. The organization is now a fully-operational non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. The Chief Executive of G.I.Net, Mark Hanis, as well as several of the organization's staff members, are now Swarthmore graduates who pursue the mission full-time. The on-campus presence of students, known as Swarthmore STAND, also helps to spread the word about G.I. Net's purpose.
It is the sixth consecutive year that the team has hosted the event, raising over $9,000 in total donations over that time. The Garnet soccer program has been active in community service during that time, and the annual benefit has steadily grown since its inception in February 2003.
In addition to learning basic skills, such as passing, juggling and shooting, over 70 children had a chance to play matches against each other during the two-hour clinic. Members of Swarthmore STAND, G. I. Net's student-spokespeople briefed the children and their parents about the terrible humanitarian situation in Darfur, the Sudan.
The clinic also served as an educational opportunity for the children, their parents and the College's student-athletes. For the past five years, the Janjaweed have been one of the major players in the Darfur conflict, is a battle over resource and land allocation. Millions of Darfurians are internally displaced, with over 400,000 killed since the genocide started. Presently, the African Union has 8,000 peacekeepers in the region, roughly the size of France. The G.I.Net has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help various agencies in the region.
For more information about the G.I.Net (www.genocideintervention.net). or about the Benefit Clinic, please contact Eric Wagner at (610) 690-6882 or by e-mail at ewagner1@swarthmore.edu.