St Catharines Native Travels to Sudan
Amos Doornbos is flying into the world's worst humanitarian crisis with trepidation and a heavy heart.
The St. Catharines resident journeys today from Toronto to Sudan as part of a World Vision Canada mission to help hundreds of thousands of suffering Sudanese in the Darfur region. "I think what's happening there is really sad and it's devastating the lives of thousands of people," said Doornbos in an interview.
"It's so complex, yet my heart really breaks for people who really want to work the land and lead an ordinary life. At this point, they're unable to." The United Nations and international aid organizations have accused pro-government Janjaweed militias of waging a brutal campaign of killings and rapes to drive Sudanese people of African origin out of Darfur. An estimated 30,000 people have been killed in the 17-month conflict and one million have been forced to flee their homes. An estimated 2.2 million people are in urgent need of food, medicine and other basics. While his latest three-month assignment could be his toughest yet, Doornbos has been involved in other international aid efforts and projects since 1998. He has been on missions to Nicaragua, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Uganda. Most of the travelling has been volunteer work for local organizations including his congregation, the Southridge Community Church on Glenridge Avenue. The work he's done ranges from orphanage and playground construction to collaborating with foreign organizations and churches to conduct leadership seminars. Doornbos, 28, grew up in St. Catharines and graduated from Beacon Christian High School. He later graduated with a bachelor of theology and Bible education from Iowa's Dordt College. He recently obtained a certificate of international project management at Humber College. In his new assignment, he'll continue his work as a program officer for World Vision Canada's emergency relief and disaster management department. He'll work out of a World Vision office in the capital Khartoum and in a refugee camp near Nyala in the Darfur region. In Darfur, he will collaborate with a World Vision team to talk to refugees in the camps and find out what help they need. He'll also assist with other emergency relief efforts. "We're also focusing on child-friendly spaces," said Doornbos. "It creates a spot for kids to come -- they're safe and can receive help trying to get back into the normalcy of life. "They'll have education activities and receive trauma counselling."
Doornbos said he was going to Sudan with "some apprehension."
"I'm sure some of the things I'll see and have to deal with aren't everyday occurrences," he said. "Yet, I'm really confident I have a great team to work with at World Vision.
"They have great policies in place to make sure programming is done professionally and staff are taken care of."
"It's a wonderful feeling that I know I'm not going alone -- there's my church, other people and family supporting me and thinking about me.
"I don't know if I could do it without them."
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian relief and development organization that is active in more than 90 countries.
It provides help to more than 85 million people each year. World Vision Canada has also launched a Canadian appeal for $1.3 million for Sudan.
To support World Vision's work in Sudan, click here.
With permission from The Standard (St. Catharines), originally published Friday August 5, 2004.
