We begin our journey home today from Guereda to Abeche to N’Djamena to Paris and finally to Los Angeles. Ian goes on to London from Paris and Eric should have already arrived home in LA.

We have so many photos, so much video, and so many thoughts to share with you all about this i-ACT.

As we begin our journey back to see you we will periodically post new stuff here. Please check back regularly, SIGN UP FOR OUR UPDATES (left hand column), follow our facebook group or iact on twitter.

For me, this i-ACT was a dream come true. In addition to posting same-day videos, photos, actions and blogs, we connected live with the world. We did one VIP live event to Washington DC, one marathon of live video to the world to honor refugees for World Refugee Day, one live connection from Camp Kounoungo to Price Waterhouse Cooper in Australia, and one live video interview with a women’s magazine in China. All with the voice of the refugees at the center.

Thank you to the entire i-ACT team both in the US and here in Chad who made this possible. Without our team, i-ACT would not have the impact, scoop, or possibilities for more. Working with UNHCR and getting to know the staff more personally was a treat. Thank you Annette, Greg, Marco, and staff in Goz Beida and Guereda.Finally, thank you to the refugees who have opened their hearts to us and to you. Allowed us to visit their homes and film their lives.  To hold the newborn babies and play with their children. The refugees in their strength dignity and humanity are my heroes and my fuel to keep going.

Click here for more entries and updates!

World Refugee Day (WRD) is a time of celebration. To honor the survivors who were forced fled their homes and sought refuge and safety from violence. To recognize them as part of us. WRD is also a time to reflect on the root causes of mass atrocities and solutions to bring those who were forced to run back home. It should be a day of action, as action is the very best way to honor and celebrate the sorrows and triumphs of humanity by connecting with humanity in the toughest of times.

On Saturday June 20, 2009, World Refugee Day will be celebrated around the world in internally displaced person’s camps and refugee camps throughout the world. This year’s theme is Real People, Real Needs. We ask you can be part of this day and to bring celebration and action into you life.

ACTIONS:

1. Participate in a live web streaming from Chad refugee camps. Follow our team as they capture the daily life and special WRD events. Ask questions via the live chat, and spread the word via your online social networks.

2. In solidarity with and in honor of the theme, Real People, Real Needs, fast from midnight to midnight for WRD - join here.

3. During the World Refugee Day web streaming, invite a few friends and family to your home to share in the experience. The live streaming and chat offer the opportunity for you to actively deepen the relationship between your community and refugees. Making our very large world personal is part of the long term solution that can create peace, justice and equality.

World Refugee Day Flyer - Download and Share!

Dear Friends and Family,

Tomorrow I board an Air France flight to Paris, then N’Djamena, and within a few days will reach Camp Djabal. I feel rather calm in our preparations for this trip, although I may be leaving many things unfinished. I think mostly I am simply beginning to protect myself because I know this trip will be an emotional one for me. I didn’t quite give myself enough time to gain my strength back from i-ACT7, so my heart is already vulnerable. Or maybe I am fully feeling, at a deeper new level, what it feels like to be part of a community that suffers each and every day. I consider my friends in the camp part of my growing community and want them to be part of yours also.

On this trip I will be with Gabriel and two team members, Eric and Ian, who will be experiencing i-ACT and the strong embrace of this population for the first time. Please follow our journey and be part of i-ACT. Our collective action can save lives. I believe in humanity and I believe in peace. I don’t think we can achieve it without you.

If you are part of a group or community, please consider forwarding this note or the short paragraph at the bottom of this email. If you have blog or website please consider adding this button to a side bar or a blog post.

We will also be web-casting from the camps on World Refugee Day, Saturday June 20th. Stay tuned to our website for more information and the web address so you can tune in. We encourage you to be part of this by hosting a viewing party either of these days. Serve refugee rations or ask your guests to participate in Darfur Fast for Life.

paz, ktj

To send out to your community or post:

Beginning on June 15th, i-ACT (interactive-activism) will connect you with Darfur refugees through the web for ten consecutive days. Each day delve deeper into the lives of this community by watching videos, viewing photos, reading and commenting on blog posting and taking action to bring peace and justice to Darfur. Being part of i-ACT allows you to develop a personal relationship with Darfuris and inspires us all to continue acting for each individual who has survived the horrors of Darfur. i-ACT will bring you innovative and interactive live programming for World Refugee Day on June 20th. Join us, be i-ACT.

Help us spread the word about our upcoming i-ACT by displaying our dynamic banners on your website. Banners come in 2 sizes, and will be updated daily with the latest frame captures from our new videos.

Copy and paste the code above the banner you’d like and you’re all set!

Note: Please do not store the following images on your server as they will be updated each day during i-ACT.

Option 1

   <a href="http://stopgenocidenow.org/iact-currentday.php?utm_source=distribution&utm_medium=banner-250&utm_campaign=iact6">
     <img src="http://stopgenocidenow.org/material/banners/250x150horiz.png"/>
   </a>

Option 2

   <a href="http://stopgenocidenow.org/iact-currentday.php?utm_source=distribution&utm_medium=banner-150&utm_campaign=iact6">
        <img src="http://stopgenocidenow.org/material/banners/150x120horiz.png" />
   </a>

i-ACT Team returns to Darfuri refugee camps in Chad. Departing on June 10th, the team will be reporting on a regular basis, with 10 consecutive days of daily video webcasts beginning on June 15th.

More details will be posted in the coming days, please sign up  on our mailing list (see “SIGN UP FOR UPDATES” on left side of the page) to get daily updates during the trip.