By Staff
Will concentrate on women’s plight in African country
By CLAUD HODGES
Senior Reporter
The Rev. Melinda S. Moore asks that anyone interested in the fight for life in Darfur come to the Darfur Summit to be held at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church Saturday.
The event is open to the public and will begin at 10 a.m. There is no admission fee and a free lunch will be served at noon.
The Washington-Plymouth Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Metropolitan Community Health Services Inc. are sponsoring the panel discussion and summit on the plight of the women of Darfur, Africa.
She said it can have a lasting impact on anyone affected by the carnage that has afflicted this African country.
Rebels known as Janjaweed, who are backed by government troops, have carried out widespread killings of civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan in Africa since 2004.
At least 200,000 are thought to have died since 2004 and more than 2.5 million are believed to have fled their homes in the face of atrocities and the destruction of their villages.
Women and children have been especially affected by the carnage as thousands of babies have been orphaned each year.
Several guest presenters — Lou E. Walker, Peter Gabriel Omonde, Greg Meyer and Victoria Rolinsky-Rader — will share insights about the Darfur issues at a summit.
Walker is a registered nurse certified in psychiatric mental health, HIV/Aids and tobacco cessation.
Omonde was born in Tanzania, East Africa, and is a physician’s assistant at the Agape Community Health Clinic in Washington.
Meyer was born in Rwanda, Africa. He joined a PhD program in Coastal Resources at East Carolina University in 2004.
Rolinsky-Rader was an obstetrician/gynecologist in the former USSR, Moldova and Romania. She works at Metropolitan Community Health Services.
This initiative is supported by the Office of Minority Health Disparities and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with funds appropriated by the General Assembly to honor the memory of deceased members Bernard Allen, John Hall, Robert Holloman, Howard Hunter, Jeanne Lucas and William Martin.