This month we will be building on the Social Action Committee’s Justice Sunday theme of Darfur. While this topic as a whole is daunting to children in elementary school, it is important for us to share that some people in our world live in very scary and unsafe situations - such as Darfur. Keeping in mind that we do not want to introduce traumatic information for our elementary and middle school children, we will be learning about Darfur from the angle of “A Year in the Life of a Young Girl in Sudan - Halima.” This is a Washington Post article that shares the everyday realities for families who have had to leave their homes in a hurry, taking only what they can carry. The article is well done and speaks in generalities rather than explicit details.
One of the focuses of our class will be to learn more about living in Sudan in any particular political setting. What is the climate like? What are houses in the rural areas of Sudan like? How do the possessions of Sudanese families compare to the possessions of families in Lincoln?
Another focus will be to promote awareness of the situation where families are being displaced and separated from their loved ones. Some of the children will be making paper doll cutouts that we’ll be posting our the front lawn of our church on Sunday, March 25, with a poster asking people to “Pay Attention to Darfur.”
These are only a couple of the activities that we’ll be working with during these two multiage Sunday experiences. As always, we need and welcome parents’ support for lesson presentation and/or support. You can reach Lori Allen at loriallen@inebraska.com or 402-483-2213 if you’d like to volunteer or if you have any questions. Or, you can comment to this post!
See you in church!
