The camps stunk of donkey dung and urine. It was the only smell in the hot, dry heat of Darfur that Robert Lankenau remembered. The clean, colorful clothes of the women stood in stark contrast to the corrugated tin roofs of the makeshift dwellings in the camp, providing a modicum of joy in the most desolate region of Sudan.
For in this vast desert the size of France, punctuated by pockets of urban activity where camps for the internally displaced have sprung up, the 21st century’s first genocide is taking place.
After more than a year working in Darfur, however, Lankenau, who is the Darfur field director for CHF International, has not lost faith in the work he and his fellow aid workers do.
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About the author
Courtney Radschcourtneyr
Courtney C. Radsch has been a freelance editor and writer for Devex. Currently, she serves as associate editor and senior journalist for Al Arabiya's English-language Web site. She is a doctoral candidate at the American University's School of International Service, where her research focuses on the political impact of new media and blogging in Egypt. Courtney holds a master's degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a bachelor's in mass communications from the University of California in Berkeley. She is fluent in French and proficient in Arabic and Spanish.
