01/03: "We Need an Army of Francos"
So says Craig Walzer, editor of Out of Exile, a new book that tells the stories of abducted and displaced people in Sudan. Franco was part of a panel discussion on the book and on Sudan, organized by the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. The panel also included David Eggers, author of the best-seller What is the What, and was moderated by John Prendergast, co-chair of the Enough Project.
A video of the panel discussion is posted on viddler.com:
It's almost 100 minutes long, and it's all worth watching, but for those of you who like to fast forward, Franco speaks at 0:46:30, 1:16, 1:22, 1:27, and 1:34.
Those of us who are used to hearing Franco speak about the specifics of building Wunlang School -- how to make bricks, for example -- will be reminded how knowledgable he is of policies and politics at the international level. (At one point Mr. Eggers jokes, when it is his turn to speak, that Franco has taken all his bullet points!) All the panelist agree that efforts like ours are absolutely essential to any kind of lasting peace in Sudan. Without education, Southern Sudan will have no opportunity to make and to implement informed decisions about its future. With the work of Village Help for South Sudan, Wunlang, so close to the border to the north, has a better chance to help determine its fate of its country.
A video of the panel discussion is posted on viddler.com:
It's almost 100 minutes long, and it's all worth watching, but for those of you who like to fast forward, Franco speaks at 0:46:30, 1:16, 1:22, 1:27, and 1:34.
Those of us who are used to hearing Franco speak about the specifics of building Wunlang School -- how to make bricks, for example -- will be reminded how knowledgable he is of policies and politics at the international level. (At one point Mr. Eggers jokes, when it is his turn to speak, that Franco has taken all his bullet points!) All the panelist agree that efforts like ours are absolutely essential to any kind of lasting peace in Sudan. Without education, Southern Sudan will have no opportunity to make and to implement informed decisions about its future. With the work of Village Help for South Sudan, Wunlang, so close to the border to the north, has a better chance to help determine its fate of its country.
