End of Atrocity

The new year typically brings a sense of renewel; of second chances and opportunities to change. For many right now, however, the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be well beyond reach. Like every year, 2013 had its challenges. In Syria, the refugee crisis exploded with numbers swelling from around 500,000 in January 2013 to 2.2 million by December 2013 while in Sudan, Mali, and Somalia, thousands more were displaced due to ongoing famine and sectarian violence. In the Phillippines, Typhoon Haiyan left relief groups scrambling to provide for the thousands who lost their homes while in Myanmar, massacres targeting the Rohingya Muslims have continued unabated. As we enter 2014, new crises have quickly emerged as the Central African Republic and South Sudan draw closer and closer to civil war and potentially, genocide. The list appears to be never ending. So what do we do? 

Back in 2011, 3 Generations launched 'The End of Atrocity' project in which we commited ourselves to building a collective vision of what our world would look life without genocide, crimes agains humanity, an atrocity. The project was inspired by a comment made by the Dalai Lama who said, "if we cannot imagine a better world, how can we create one?" We decided to address this question head on and since 2011 we've interviewed numerous visionaries, each of which has unrelentingly pursued their commitment to eradicating intolerance and atrocity. Take for example, John Prendergast whose organization, the Enough Project, conducts intensive field research and produces practical polices to address crises in countries plagued by genocide and crime against humanity. As the situtations in South Sudan and the Central African Republic continue to worsen, Prendergast's work and the reports published by the Enough Project, have proven invaluable. Likewise, James and Stephen Smith, co-founders UK Holocaust Centre and Aegis Trust which manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, continue to work towards providing survivors and future generations with the education necessary to prevent genocide from reoccurring. As the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide approaches, Aegis Trust and the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre have much to prepare for. 

Each of these people have a vision and each is doing extraordinary work to make that vision a reality. Help us share the stories and visions of others like John, James, and Stephen by donating today. 

Thank you for being a supporter of our film project, End of Atrocity. Before you leave the office for the weekend, mark you calendar for October 23rd. Next Wednesday, Global Giving is running a Regional Bonus Day for projects based in North America. This means that for every donation you make, Global Giving will match 30% of your donation. PLUS the project that raises the most money on that day will win an additional $1000 from Global Giving.

As you may remember from our last update, we have big plans for our End of Atrocity project. This spring, we are hoping to travel to Dharamshala, India where we will interview Tibetans who have unique visions of the world without human rights abuses. Through our Tibetan contacts, the 3 Generations team has secured rare interviews with high-ranking Tibetan rinpoches, as well as other lamas and spiritual leaders, who have powerful visions for the future. With these interviews we will be able to expand our End of Atrocity project enormously, but we need your help!

The trip to Dharamshala will be expensive so please consider donating next week and support our project once more. All you have to do is log in anytime between Oct. 22nd at 9:01 pm and Oct. 23rd at 8:59, and donate. It's that easy! 

Once again, thank you all for your continued support and enjoy the weekend!