Valentino and Dave Eggers speak in Portland, Maine. (Photo courtesy Laura Lewis.)
The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation seeks to improve U.S. policy toward Sudan by educating the public and policy makers on the situation in Sudan. The Foundation does this primarily through public speaking engagements; in addition, we distribute small grants to organizations working in Sudan advocacy; and we collaborate with leading advocacy organizations, such as citizen action groups, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations.
PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Valentino and Dave Eggers have made nearly a hundred public appearances in the United States, Europe, and Australia in the last year to share Valentino's story and educate audiences about southern Sudan. They have spoken at colleges, high schools, literary festivals, rallies, bookstores, community centers, and other civic events to inform people about the current state of affairs in Sudan, and discuss actions that individuals and groups can take to help the people of Sudan.
Valentino will be in Southern Sudan for the majority of 2008, working on the educational center that he is building in his hometown of Marial Bai. To invite Valentino for future speaking engagements, please email info@valentinoachakdeng.org, or see our Speakers Bureau to learn about other Sudanese speakers in the United States.
COLLABORATION WITH ADVOCACY GROUPS
In addition to public speaking engagements, Valentino collaborates with groups that are actively working to improve the situation in Sudan.
Throughout 2007, Valentino participated in various forums aimed at policy makers and international development professionals. In June, he spoke on a panel at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) World Refugee Day in San Francisco. In September, he was a panelist at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting's plenary session on the "Promise of Education in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations." In October, he and Dave Eggers spoke at the International Rescue Committee Annual Bay Area Dinner in San Francisco, which included the presentation of the 2007 Sarlo Foundation Distinguished Humanitarian Service Awards, honoring five extraordinary humanitarian workers.
SMALL GRANTS
The Foundation makes a small number of grants available to organizations in the United States that share our goal to educate people about Sudan. A recent $10,000 grant was made to Voice of Witness to help fund a research trip to southern Sudan, Darfur, Egypt and Kenya. The Voice of Witness book series allows those most affected by contemporary social injustice to speak for themselves. Using oral history as its foundation, Voice of Witness seeks to illustrate human rights crises through the voices of the victims.
With the assistance of our grant, Voice of Witness editors interviewed dozens of Sudanese survivors of slavery and forced displacement and will record those narratives in an upcoming book. To read an excerpt, please click here.
For a list of other organizations working on Sudan policy and development projects in Sudan, please see our Links section.
This book by Dave Eggers tells the life story of Valentino Achak Deng, from his pre-war life in southern Sudan to his resettlement in the United States.
