The world is watching as one of the greatest genocides and killings in history takes place in the Darfur region of Sudan, Africa. Located in a severely remote section of northern Africa, the Darfur region has made headlines for years, as whisperings of child-slavery, mass murders, and government-supported removal of thousands has leaked to the U.S. The truth is, these occurrences are facts. The Janjaweed, the militia-arm of the Sudanese government is enacting an attempt to "cleanse" its country of those not choosing to practice Islam. The reality is, sweeps of women and children are being victimized at the whims of brutal men with guns, tanks, and other artillery. Attempts by the U.N., and other international organizations to reach these people and help them are slow and arduous, due to the remote nature of the region. Even news correspondence have been turned away by the difficulty in reaching the area, as well as the governments uneasiness with the press splaying their deeds across the media in the West.

The gut-wrenching truth behind all of the motives and reasons of why this is happening is that regardless of the motivations of these power-hungry leaders, the blows are hitting hardest on children. Thousands of children have been left orphans, as parents, and siblings have been slaughtered and left in mass graves, or no graves at all, in their villages. Those lucky enough to escape are destined to spend an unknown number of months, years, or their entire life in the grime of a refugee camp. Schooling, family life, and all security is gone, as they know it.

The questions this raises for me are why haven't more countries stepped in? The U.S. has tried diplomacy with the Sudanese leader, but we are now receiving "secrets" from them regarding the Middle East, so we have no reason to compromise that in order to overthrow such a heinous government. Who will speak up for these children and innocent people? A variety of faith-based and world organizations have stepped in with supplies and much-needed grief and emotional counseling for these hurting, traumatized people. However, there are limits to what they can do due to funding, accessibility issues, and due to the violent, dangerous nature of the Janjaweed. Will we stay detached and lost in our secure lives, or will we act?

To learn more about this real issue, and to create a voice for help for the Sudan people of Darfur, check out the websites below.