A coalition for the refugees
There are about 20 member organizations in the Israeli Coalition for the Refugees of Darfur and Sudan, launched this week. 'Our goal is to coordinate the work of the different organizations helping the refugees in Israel,' say the initiators. They also note that about 500 refugees have no medical insurance
"The State of Israel was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust," notes the Israeli Coalition for the Refugees of Darfur and Sudan website, and goes on to state that the organization has "established a joint headquarters to enlist the Israeli public, in all its diversity, to act for the benefit of the victims of the ongoing genocide in Darfur and Sudan."
The coalition is composed of 20 local member organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, Brit Olam, The Humanitarian Fund of the Kibbutz Movement, MDA - Magen David Adom, Women to Women Association, and many other groups.
Dr. Mike Naftali, who serves as the campaign chairperson together with Henry Elkaslasi, said: "One of the organizations' goals is to coordinate the efforts of the dozens of aid organizations operating in Israel."
On the agenda is strengthening the support for refugees in areas of education, health, employment and housing, and obtaining an official refugee status to those who comply with the standards set by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Another project is the Israel Won't Forget campaign, whose goals include providing humanitarian relief directly to the refugees of Darfur who have escaped to specific regions in Northern and Central Africa.
At the same time, the activists point at the plight of about 500 Sudanese refugees, including dozens of children, that have no medical insurance.
"This population requires medical treatment like any other group, and at times even more," said Tzika Gottleib a member of the Beersheba group of students that assists the refugees. "Since most of them are unemployed, they are not eligible for medical insurance."
For more information about the Israeli Coalition for the Refugees of Darfur and Sudan - click here
