By Scott Brinton
"Imagine a tsunami each day," the screen said. A photo of a tidal wave crashing into southeast Asia followed.
Finally, a photo of a child with crystalline eyes appeared. The child was behind bars. "This is Africa," the screen said.
This is how four Kennedy High School students -- Michael George, Zachary Ehrlich, Matt Perlmutter and Andrew Banr -- began their PowerPoint presentation on the genocide in Darfur, in western Sudan. On their own time, and not for school credit, the four produced a 10-minute PowerPoint documentary presentation to kick off a fund-raiser they are organizing to help alleviate the suffering in Darfur.
Last Thursday, in a succession of assemblies lasting the whole day, the four presented their show to Kennedy's entire student body. Their classmates were mesmerized.
The four began their work last November. They are now selling T-shirts for $15 each, with $10 from each sale going to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an international partnership of governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses and African communities affected by disease and poverty.
For now, the four seniors are selling the T-shirts only in school, but they plan to set up a Web site in the near future where the shirts will be available, and potentially set up a non-profit organization of their own. On the front of the shirt, the word "Help" is written above a circular symbol of Africa with the words "Restore, Relief, Rescue, React" encircling it. On the back is a rendering of a gas mask, with the slogan, "It's not charity. It's an emergency," written below it.
Kennedy Principal Lorraine Poppe said students would be asked to wear the T-shirts on one day in May to commemorate the 400,000 men, women and children who have died in the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese government and two rebel groups in Darfur.
Jennifer Carne, a Kennedy assistant principal, and Karen McGuiness, the social studies chairwoman, helped the four students organize the day of assemblies. "You have a wonderful opportunity today," McGuiness told students in the audience. "We are gathering as a Kennedy community to raise money for the Global Fund."
Ehrlich, who says he is interested in helping the world find alternative-energy sources, told his classmates, "We're so fortunate to have the kind of opportunities we have. The lives we live are so privileged. You just can't compare it to the life of an African child."
Ten dollars, he noted, can cure an African of tuberculosis for life.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
