The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Banaa seeks scholarships for Sudanese refugees

A student-run organization at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., called Banaa is working to provide college educations to Sudanese refugees.

"Banaa" is an Arabic word meaning "to sound, to build, to create," said Zach Hindin, a co-founder of the group. Within this one word lays the vision of a group ready to make a difference.

Justin Zorn, also a co-founder of Banaa, said the organization's goal is to have a "tangible impact on peacemaking efforts in Southern Sudan." Their emphasis is on long-term peacemaking.

Two years ago a group of students at GWU wanted to do something to help Sudan. Together they formed Banaa to provide Sudanese students with free college educations.

The university had promised to use its resources to help the war-torn nation, granting one Sudanese student a scholarship. Hindin said that along with his other co-founders, they began to wonder what it would take to set up a network of universities to do this.

After two years of organization, a scholarship was given to Makwei Mabioor Deng, who started at GWU this fall.

Banaa has come a long way since its conception. Thirty schools in total are considering implementing the program, Zorn said. In addition to Deng, five more students are expected to be studying at other schools next year, Hindin said.

Hindin described Banaa as being on a colossal scale compared to other student groups.

Although the program is new, it has positively impacted the students at GWU and the university itself.

Nick Massella, a public affairs associate at GWU, said the university is ecstatic that they were able to take in a student.

Hindin said it has been a "beautiful experience" watching people come together to help with the cause. They help out in whatever way they can, from donating computers to phone cards.

The work Banaa does complements the existing humanitarian and charity work being done in Sudan, Hindin said. According to the Banaa Web site, because Sudan has been at war for 40 of its 52 years of independence, long-term investments in the country are essential. However, not everyone finds Banaa's hope for the country's unification realistic.

Nadreen Bagoun, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences studying international affairs, was born in Sudan and lived there the first half of her life. Bagoun said she believes a unified Sudan would be difficult. She said it would be extremely difficult to find one government that can rule over all of Sudan, a country very geographically divided.

Bagoun said she blames the country's problems on the government. She said the people of Sudan are not evil. The population itself does not have any problems with each other, but it is the government that fabricates the divisions between people, she said.

Despite the tremendous difficulties lying ahead, Deng is working hard to shape his future and that of his country. According to his autobiography on the Banaa Web site, he hopes to become a lawyer in order to fix the judicial system.

"I want to replace battlefield with courtroom, guns and bullets with legal representation and open confrontation with negotiation around the table," Deng said.

The Banaa founders have gotten to know Deng very well over the semester. Hindin said that he is "so happy to have him here, to have met him."

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