Darfur Dream Team Coming to Sachem East

On Friday, Sachem East students will be visited by Olabukunola Williams, also known as Buky, the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program Manager. Her goal is to raise awareness of the conditions of Darfur refugee camps and underscore the commitment shown by Sachem East’s The Darfur Dream Team club.

The school’s clubs, along with over 225 U.S. schools, have paired up with 12 schools in the Djabal and Goz Amer refugee camps. Through the Sister School program, students in the U.S. raise funds to help build and rehabilitate school buildings, recruit and train qualified teachers and provide students in the refugee camps with school supplies and sports equipment. Buky’s program will run every period throughout the day on Friday, beginning at 7:20 am.

Bucky, who is originally from Nigeria and now resides in DC will bring her unique perspective to students and the broader Sachem community. Her presentation will include a video describing the conditions of Darfur refugee camps and will explain how the Darfur Dream Team is raising money to support the children’s dreams of becoming educated. The Darfur Dream Team is a dynamic partnership of organizations and professional basketball players working together on the Sister Schools Program, an initiative linking American middle schools, high schools and universities with schools in 12 Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad. 

Sachem East’s The Darfur Dream Team club was started this year by seniors and quickly gained dozens of members. As of now, the club has raised over $1,500. All of the money has been donated to the Darfur Dream Team foundation and sent to Sachem East’s “Sister School” located in the refugee camps in Darfur. 

The crisis for the Darfur region began in 2003 when nearly 3 million people were forced to flee their homes as a result of rebel attacks on the Darfur government. Many have fled to the UNHCR-run camps, where they now receive food, shelter and basic medical care. But without an education, the people of Darfur will not be able to stand up for their human rights. It is the hope of the members of Sachem East’s The Darfur Dream Team club that the presentation on February 10 will help the organization raise awareness of the dire conditions in Darfur and to further help Darfur refugees so that they may receive an education and help create a better world.