Action in Africa, a Palo Alto High School club that aims to inform the public about Africa and raise $10,000 in aid, is gaining momentum in reaching its goals by hosting various speaker seminars and fundraising events.
Action in Africa invited Sudanese refugee Samuel Akau as a guest speaker in the club’s first speaker seminar Tuesday night in Paly’s English Resource Center.
"I was expecting a lot more people," senior Adam Whitfield, the president of Action in Africa said. "But the turnout was really good given the time frame we had." About 25 Paly students, Paly parents, and Castilleja School students attended the seminar Tuesday.
Akau, who graduated from Stanford University and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, identifies himself as a "Lost Boy of Sudan," a title given to all young Sudanese boys and girls who fled from their war-torn homes and villages to Ethiopian refugee camps, according to Akau.
While recalling his early life as a child in Africa, Akau discussed the difficulties of being a young Sudanese refugee.
"We had to start building from nowhere," Akau said, referring to the time after government troops forced his family and him to flee from his home village in Sudan.
Akau added that there are increasing tensions between various groups in Africa today. He also believes that extensive war in Africa is a possibility.
"The chances of war breaking out again are very high when you have widespread poverty and illiteracy," Akau said. "Nobody can really tell."
To place emphasis on his belief that aid for Africa is necessary, Akau is going to travel to Kenya and Sudan to take part in a school building project conducted by the Coalition of Willing organization (http://www.coalitionofwilling.org) on Monday, Nov. 13. The project will last until April of next year, according to Akau.
"It was cool to have an actual refugee here," senior Jessica Langston said. "It was a cool opportunity to hear him speak."
Although Whitfield believes the turnout for Tuesday’s seminar was smaller than expected as a result of insufficient advertising for the event, he said there are still many more opportunities to learn about Africa and contribute to Action in Africa’s purpose.
"We’re just starting," Whitfield said, of Action in Africa’s efforts to raise $10,000 to aid Africa. "The majority of our profits will be from the winter dance." Paly’s Winter Formal is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2007, according to Youth Community Service club president Caterina Yuan.
Action in Africa will also host a car wash this Sunday, Nov. 12, at Paly to raise money for the club’s cause. In addition, the club is hoping to conduct a winter toy drive and plans to invite new speakers from Kenya and various organizations to visit Palo Alto every two months, according to Whitfield.
With Action in Africa well on its way to increased fundraising for and public awareness about Africa, Akau voices one of the club’s main messages directed towards members of the Palo Alto community.
"What you do can have an impact on everyone else," Akau said.