Sudan interview

Name: Mickey Kovari
Age: 19

How did you find out about the crises in Sudan? And how did that make you feel?

I new about the crisis in Sudan just from the media. I found out the details of the problem when a friend of mine enlightened me about the situation. I then research information about the issue on the internet. The more I learnt the more distresses I became about the nature and extent of the problems in Sudan. It made me feel insignificant and useless, like I couldn’t do anything to help. But then I realised I could make a difference and I should not disregard these people just because they are so far away. By raising money I could pay for people to protect and feed the refugees, that seemed by no means insignificant. So I set out to raise money to help the Sudanese refugees.


What made you want to act specifically against this problem?

The fact that this problem was so perverse and such a reminder to all about the problems facing humanity, really made me want to act on it. The conflict in Sudan is based on religion and power, artificial constructs which divide humanity. Because the problem is so pervasive in Sudan with over 4 million people displaced over the passed 20 years, I felt it would be great if we could change the lives of a few of them by providing aid. Because Austcare is such a great organization I know the money is going to being put to good use, building sustainable elements which benefit as many people as possible.


What did you do about it (what were you actions)?

So I decided I wanted to raise money for the Sudanese refugees. I began thinking about ways of doing it. After a bit of research and some thinking I thought of “party for the other people”. I knew I had friends who were fairly well off and where always down for a party, I also knew my friends who are in bands would perform for free. I thought I would be able to put on a rockin party with a cause and raise a significant amount of money. So I got my performer friends on board and went about organizing the gig. The hardest part was getting the venue. Because I am an amateur and have never organized an event before, managers were reluctant to work with me in full faith. Luckily I picked a good date with no other major contenders and after six weeks of continuous pressure they final gave me the venue I was after. In the mean time though, I looked at a range of possibilities and approached about 8 clubs and bars in total.

Promoting the event has been relatively easy; you’ll be surprised how much everyone wants to help when you are doing something for a good cause. Businesses have printed fliers and posters for free, people have offered to help hand out fliers and spread the word, and radio stations have been totally supportive along with magazines. They have all donated time or effort to raise awareness for the event and ensure we raise as much money as possible. Making the total cost of the whole promotional campaign zero dollars.

I hope to raise over $3000 from the event through entry fees and various donations. I will be giving the funds to Austcare because of their good reputation and their support of the event. I am confident that my work will be worth the difference we can make. The process has been hard but incredibly rewarding and I have learnt so much on the way, about myself and my fellow citizens. I will definitely become even more involved in actions like this as I have realized the potential for making a difference and the rewards of helping others. I hope the night goes well and we raise a lot of money but the real issue here is the situation in Sudan. While this is a relatively small initiative I know the money will make a difference to some people over there and I know by raising awareness I may have helped even more by inspiring others to act.

Get out there and make a difference don’t let apathy get the better of you, everyone has the ability to improve the lives of others and that is never an insignificant task, even if you only improve the life of one other person.