| Affiliate: | Heartland |
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| Location: | Fulton, United States of America |
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| Created: | 5/24/2009 |
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| Last Update: | 10/15/2009 |
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Project Goal: Keeping the tax payer's money from going to Sudan Government which has violated so many human right instead to invest those money in Missouri schools whose funds were cut.
Root Cause: The civil war in Sudan is often thought of as a struggle between Islamists and Christians, however it is much more convoluted and includes not only religion, but poverty and race as well. It also has much to do with struggles for power which originated when current day Sudan consisted of several smaller nations. Currently, the situation in Darfur has escalated to a situation of government backed genocide.
Also, schools in Missouri are suffering from funding cuts and the mandates of the No Child Left Behind act. Employees pension funds are invested in companies that help to fund the Sudanese government and we need to divest from the Sudan and invest in our local schools.
Project Plan: I read the International Crisis Group’s Policy Brief, “Getting the UN into Darfur” and familiarized myself with divestment, its impact, and efficacy. I then studied other states’ and institutions’ divestment proposals. I Interviewed Missouri State Treasurer, Sarah Steelman, contacted and interviewed a Sudanese refugee living in Missouri, and interviewed superintendents, president of the PTO for the state of Missouri, and educators regarding the state of schools in Missouri.
I also collected data from Sudan Divestment Task Force, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, Genocide Intervention Network, etc. to build a solid knowledge base. |
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