A letter from Executive Director Gabriel StauringIMPACT REPORT 2014

Dear Friends:

i-ACT is not your traditional non-profit organization, and 2014 was a year full of radical steps forward for our work. Our two major on-the-ground projects, Darfur United Soccer Academy and Little Ripples, marked one year from being launched. Together with the refugees, we overcame great challenges and have come out convinced of the need to move even more radically forward in our push for change. When we stand side-by-side with our Darfuri friends at their refugee camps, working on programs that, in the most basic of ways, look to end cycles of violence and exclusion, there is only one way to describe the change we are looking for: RADICAL.

I’m about to embark on my 20th trip to Darfuri refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border. The last nine years have been full of challenges, disappointments, and sadness—but also a surprising amount of joy. The Darfuris have experienced horrors we would never even want to imagine. After 11 years of violence, they are not closer to peace or returning back home, and despite it seeming like the world has moved on and forgotten them, we have found that the refugees remain full of life and will do whatever is needed for their children to have a better future. The solution to their difficult situation is within them—they just need the opportunity. Instead of the world saving the children of Darfur, the children of Darfur will save themselves and the future of their people. That is so radical.

Radical change is knowing that empathy is the pathway to a more hopeful and peaceful world—and that every child contains within them all the empathy necessary to fuel a peaceful lifetime, if it is maintained and nurtured.

Hope, peace, and change can and will come, if we can provide people with the opportunity to give their children safe, nurturing spaces and ways to thrive and connect with others around the world.

Projects that focus on early childhood development, comprehensive sports programs, and people-to-people connections are not the traditional way to have an impact on genocide and mass atrocities, but they are key pieces to this difficult puzzle. They are also joyful and, I would say, extremely radical.

Join us in making 2015 a year of radical positive impact in the lives of millions affected by violence.

Peace,

Gabriel StauringFounder & Executive Director

www.iactivism.orgi-ACT 1732 Aviation Blvd #138 Redondo Beach, CA 90278

MISSION

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i-ACT seeks to empower individuals within communities, institutions, and governments to take personal responsibility to act on behalf of those affected by genocide, mass atrocities, and crimes against humanity.

Through advocacy and on-the-ground change, i-ACT is creating a new culture of participation, built on person-to-person relationships.

YEAR IN REVIEW

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

i-ACT trained the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion on how to create and foster personal relationships and co-create projects in communities

Hosted the Little Ripples Expert Teacher Advisors Symposium

i-ACT18: Team members visited refugee camps Goz Amer and Djabal in eastern Chad to monitor Darfur United Soccer Academy and conduct Little Ripples teacher training

i-ACT launched the new Carl Wilkens Fellowship website carlwilkensfellowship.org

Little Ripples Event: Intimate Gathering of Educators for Global Good

Darfur United Soccer Academy enrollment reached 1,000 girls and boys in camp Djabal

i-ACT coordinated the national Act to End Genocide campaign for Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month

12 Camp Darfur exhibits and genocide education workshops hosted during April reached more than 10,000 people

Hosted the Besos for Little Ripples Event at My Escuelita: Spanish for Kids

3rd annual One Strong Kick gala for Darfur United raised $20,000

Budweiser and VICE News released “Rise as One” episode on Darfur United

MAY i-ACT19: Team members conducted a one-year assessment of Little Ripples, facilitated a Food Insecurity Survey, and organized tryouts for the Darfur United men’s team in refugee camps Goz Amer and Djabal

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JUNE Darfur United participated in the ConIFA World Football Cup in Östersund, Sweden

i-ACT shared its Food Insecurity Report aboutDarfuri refugee camps in eastern Chadrefugeerations.wpengine.com

JULY Little Ripples First-Year Assessment Report Released

i-ACT launched new website

AUGUST i-ACT co-coordinated Decisive Action Sudan, a national action campaign for Sudan and South Sudan• 30 Meetings with Members of Congress across the U.S.• World Humanitarian Day Live Google Hangout with

Darfur United’s Ismail Abdoraman• decisiveactionsudan.org

Carl Wilkens Fellowship Class of 2014 launched and Inaugural Retreat held in Hermosa Beach, California

SEPTEMBER i-ACT revised and re-launched i-ACT Ambassador Program

OCTOBER Tour de Goz Amer, first annual national bicycle ride fundraiser held for the entire month of October in support of Little Ripples, raised $3,000

Beyond Sport Awards and Summit, Johannesburg, South Africa: Darfur United Soccer Academy won Sport for Social Inclusion Award

NOVEMBER i-ACT co-sponsored Jewish World Watch iWitness Awards

DECEMBER Launched #GivingTuesday campaign for Little Ripples Pond

Partnered with FitOn Studios in Manhattan Beach for an indoor cycling fundraiser and community event #FitOn4Darfur

In total, $5,971 raised for our first Little Ripples Pond

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In 2014, i-ACT expanded its reach and demonstrated positive, measured impact through its advocacy, education, and sports programs.

ACTIVISM SPORTSEDUCATION

IMPACT

In August 2014, i-ACT launched the 4th class of the Carl Wilkens Fellowship (CWF), the only adult leadership program specifically focused on increasing the capacity of community leaders and grassroots organizers to create sustained political will for the prevention and cessation of genocide.

Carl Wilkens Fellows are influential change-makers who are making a difference in the way the world responds to genocide and mass atrocities. This year the CWF network grew to 67 Fellows in 30 states and Washington, D.C. Fellows are working on current and past mass atrocities in Armenia, Burma, Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, Congo, Syria, Sudan, the Holocaust, and with refugees living in the United States.

Fellow Highlight: Martina KneeMartina has over 20 years of experience practicing corporate and security law. As the descendant of Holocaust victims and daughter of a survivor, Martina has experienced the multi-generational effects of a genocide. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition (SFBADC), she is a member of the advisory board to the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley. Martina and the SFBADC are co-founding members of Act for Sudan. She is a 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow (CWF), current CWF Advisory Board member, and the recipient of the the 2008 JCRC Honorable Tom Lantos Memorial Humanitarian Award. She earned her J.D. from The UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law and her B.A. from UC Berkeley.

ACTIVISM

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The interactive traveling refugee camp exhibit and educational workshop empowered more communities to raise their voices and take action for the individuals of past and current atrocities. 10,000 people walked through the camp and took action to end mass atrocities. Exhibits and workshops deepen the personal connections between students and Darfuris and lead to sustained action and fundraising campaigns.

campdarfurcampdarfur

Kimi Frith has advised Operation RAD [Raising Awareness for Darfur] since 2008. A small group of dedicated students created a video about Darfur that motivated them to first host Camp Darfur. Since then, the club has grown. They’ve helped support numerous projects for Darfur including R2E Human Rights Library, This Is Darfur, Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools, Darfur United, and Little Ripples. In September 2014, ‘Iolani hosted Camp Darfur for the 2nd time and created meaningful relationships between their students and Darfuris. They have committed to raising $5,000 to build a Little Ripples Pond.

ACTIVISM

Partner Highlight: ‘Iolani School and Kimi Frith

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ACTIVISM

Act for Sudan (AFS), an alliance of 76 organizations representing American citizen activists and Sudanese U.S. residents, is dedicated to advocacy that is directly informed by the situation on the ground and by Sudanese people who urgently seek protection, justice, and peace. In coordination with AFS, i-ACT led national multimedia actions including: Obama’s Stained Legacy, Act to End Genocide, Decisive Action Sudan, and 10 organizational sign-on letters to senior US officials.

ACT FOR SUDAN

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LITTLE RIPPLES PRE-SCHOOL

Over the past year, i-ACT laid the foundation for learning, peacebuilding, and trauma recovery through the creation of the first Little Ripples school program. Little Ripples is a cost-effective resilience-and-capacity-development program that trains and employs refugee women to provide community-based preschool education to improve early development of refugee children.

In May 2014, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Survey Center and a team of trained refugee interviewers, i-ACT conducted a one-year assessment of the first Little Ripples school. Results demonstrated that Little Ripples has increased empathetic behavior, decreased violent behavior, and improved both cognitive skills and the health of the children.

EDUCATION

14 refugee men and women were trained and employed to conduct the Little Ripples one-

year assessment

181 children were assessed to measure the impact of Little Ripples.

400 children benefitted from the first Little Ripples program in

refugee camp Goz Amer

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Little Ripples has been transformational for the women teachers. Through Little Ripples training, teachers have gained leadership skills, self-confidence, knowledge in early childhood development, and have been able to express themselves through art, story-telling, and play-based activities.

CURRICULUM

Following the completion of four teacher trainings in refugee camp Goz Amer, i-ACT formalized a Little Ripples Trainers Manual and Teacher’s Manual in order to facilitate the expansion of Little Ripples and to share the program with other humanitarian actors and organizations.

Saleyma and Mariyam

Now a days, when Saleyma arrives home after her morning at Little Ripples, she is excited and talkative, telling her mother, Mariyam, stories of what she did and learned at school. Her mother said this has been a big change in her daughter and reports that, since attending Little Ripples, Saleyma “counts more and sings songs and poems at home.” She has also learned about hand-washing. “After she goes to the bathroom, she cleans her hands. She [Saleyma] likes to be more clean now,” says Mariyam.

These changes are visible when entering Little Ripples school grounds. The children are interactive with each other and the teachers. They line up for the latrines and hand-washing. During outside play, they smile and laugh, taking turns in the games. In the classrooms the children are focused and alert, listening to the teachers and participating in each activity.

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36 female preschool teachers trained in camp Goz Amer and empowered to deliver play-based and peacebuilding early childhood education 14 female teachers employed to

serve as leaders and teachers for Little Ripples program

Little Ripples teachers assisted with 2 days of peer-to-peer training with existing female preschool “Kiosk” teachers in refugee camp Goz Amer

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SPORTS

i-ACT continued to use the power of sports to create a movement for hope for the people of Darfur. Through an all-refugee soccer team and a children and youth academy, Darfur United offers an opportunity for refugees to play, move, heal, and be empowered.

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SPORTS

THE DARFUR UNITED SOCCER ACADEMY (DUSA)

In co-creation with the refugees, DUSA successfully provided a safe place in refugee campDjabal for children ages 6 to 13 to learn soccer and the foundations for health and peace. Trained male and female refugee coaches implement DUSA six days a week. Darfur United Soccer Academy was awarded the Beyond Sport 2014 Sport for Social Inclusion Award and is now part of the global Beyond Sport network.

First Darfur United Soccer Academy was implemented

in refugee camp Djabal

2 men and 2 women were trained and employed to serve as DUSA Coaches and leaders

12 men and women were trained in soccer, leadership, health, and

peacebuilding curriculum

1,000 refugee girls and boys were enrolled in DUSA

in camp Djabal

In-depth interviews were conducted with DUSA

coaches and their families

10 qualitative interviews were conducted with children

participating in DUSA

CURRICULUM

Coaches are implementing the DUSA Kicks and Hope curriculum. It consists of three core elements: soccer, health, and peacebuilding. Kicks and Hope emphasizes the development of fundamental soccer skills, while promoting physical, social, and emotional wellness.

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SPORTSDARFUR UNITED

In June, the Darfur United men’s team participated in the ConIFA World Football Cup (WFC) in Östersund, Sweden. WFC provided the team the opportunity to represent Darfur on a global stage and connected them with players from around the world. Perhaps most importantly, WFC amplified the voices of the refugees. Dozens of media outlets highlighted the story of the team and the refugee crisis in eastern Chad, including VICE News, BBC, The New York Times, NBC News, and Huffington Post.

Brought together 43 men from 8 different refugee

camps in eastern Chad for tryouts and training for the Darfur United men’s team

The Darfur United Coach Ambassador program grew to 6 members, 3 of whom have traveled to eastern

Chad with i-ACT

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“I get to play soccer for the first time with my friends. I want to be the best player so when I grow up I can teach other children football.”

Arafa Mohamed, 10 years old and one of the first girls to enroll in DUSA

SPORTS

“Now I feel a new responsibility. I feel like a leader, and I feel confident talking in front of large groups of people in the community.” - Leila

“I now feel responsible for informing my community about the [Darfur United] Academy and the importance of football for the children. I have learned new football skills, and now for the first time, I play football with the boys!” - Habiba

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StaffGabriel Stauring, Executive DirectorKatie-Jay Scott Stauring, Director of Operations & Community InvolvementSara-Christine Dallain, Director of ProgramsSean Toshima, Multi-Media Specialist

Core TeamJames ThacherRachel VeermanDr. Hollie Nyseth BrehmFelicia LeeJennifer WellsBrian HarperAdrienne LiuJeremiah ForestFrancesca FreemanCarolyn AuCourtney McCaddenErin BresnahanIan HarringtonKathleen ScottLindsay Helén Sanders, Esq.

Board of DirectorsEric Angel, ChairYuen-Lin, TreasurerWillow Angel, SecretaryStacey MartinoGabriel Stauring

Darfur United Coach Ambassadors and TeamMark HodsonAlex Nuttall-SmithRachael RapinoeMargo BakerDean WardBrian ClevelandWoodie Milks

THE i-ACT TEAM

Little Ripple Expert Teacher Advisors and TeamIrma VazquezJocelyn TuckerMelissa HolcombeDr. Olga WinbushIjumaa JordanTim SundeenDr. Regena BoozeChristine FrancoRachel KleinMartha KermottSari AbramsGabriela GonzalezCindy RodriguezCorinna MillerGunter Reig

Carl Wilkens Fellowship Advisory BoardCory WilliamsMartina KneeMelanie NelkinKiel MajewskiCarl and Teresa Wilkens

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i-ACT remains committed to staying small, nimble, and efficient in order to create a big impact. In total, we are a staff of four based in Los Angeles, but without the interns and voluntary team members—including our Little Ripples Expert Teacher Advisors, Darfur United Coach Ambassadors, Mamas for Mamas, and i-ACT Ambassadors from around the country—none of our work would be possible. Here are a few of our teams that are essential to our work:

We are incredibly grateful for all of our supporters and partners: Pam K. Omidyar Trust, Jewish World Watch, MANXIFA, Triangles of Truth, Bellybuds, VICE News and Budweiser, Beyond Sport, Evolution Soccer Programs, Rapinoe Soccer Camps, Genocide No More: Save Darfur, and all of the supporters of Darfur United and Little Ripples.

CONTACT i-ACT

www.iactivism.orginfo@iactivism.org

1732 Aviation Blvd #138Redondo Beach, CA 90278

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