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WHEREAS, the Tents of Hope Campaign is a nationwide project to create tents to be displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on November 7, 2008, and then shipped to Darfur for use in refugee camps; and
WHEREAS, the event will show solidarity with the 2.5 million Darfuris who have been displaced by the conflict and forced to live in refugee camps, as well as promoting awareness, education, and advocacy; and
WHEREAS, Niemat Ahmadi is a Darfuri Liaison Officer for the Save Darfur Coalition from North Darfur who facilitates cooperation between Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition, or PDEC, and the Darfuri diaspora in the United States; and
WHEREAS, PDEC, for the last four years, has worked to raise awareness and promote activism to stop the genocide in Darfur; and
WHEREAS, on Sunday, October 12, 2008, PDEC, along with the Tree of Life congregation, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, and Global Solutions Pittsburgh hosted Niemat Ahmadi to kick off the Tents of Hope campaign in Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, a number of Pittsburgh organizations will be participating in the Tents of Hope campaign along with PDEC, including religious and community organizations and student groups from several area schools.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh commends PDEC's commitment to ending the genocide in Darfur; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby DECLARES NOVEMBER 7, 2008 "TENTS OF HOPE DAY" IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH.