Despite major, and exciting, changes at Kids for Kids (more later!) I have been conducting a One Woman Letter writing campaign.   Somewhere, somehow, someone will surely sit up and take notice of the children who are starving in Darfur.  I am writing to everyone I can think of - from President Obama's Special Envoy to Sudan, General Scott-Gration, to Mia Farrow, and friends of George (yes that George!) to ask if they will act.   Today I had a reply to my letter from Andrew Mitchell, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.  He said "You make a clear case about the terrible situation (in Darfur)  Sudan has been very much in my thoughts and I will keep this particular request you make .... in mind over the coming weeks".  

 But Kids for Kids is not like the others - we do not run campaigns for the sake of campaigns (it breaks my heart to see so much given by generous people - and so little seemingly getting to those in need in Darfur) - we seek practical solutions.

And today - 1st April 2010 - is the start of Solution Number One!   Dr Salim Ahmed Salim starts working directly for us today.   Our aim is for him to work with village leaders to identify where our help will be most effective - and to help them to deliver it.   We will need patience.   Dr Salim will need to teach people to report to him actual facts - and it will be difficult, as Sudanese people are reluctant to give bad news and of course it is often from problems that one learns the most!  It is going to be exciting - as I have every hope that things will happen much more quickly now.

What is going to happen however, is that my telephone bill will be much bigger.   This is serious - I need help to pay for Dr Salim, the office and our overheads so that donations can go in their entirety to the projects.   Please can you help?   Would you like to help buy his chair - his note books - his laptop even?   I would be so grateful!

But meanwhile -  it is almost Easter.   The time for chocolate and rabbits here - but for goats and donkeys in Darfur I hope.

 Happy Easter everyone - and Happy Easter Dr Salim.