Harriton's 'Gems Not Genocide' Aims to Raise Awareness of Darfur Crisis

Abri Bernstein, a sophomore at , saw a documentary when she was a seventh grader in Harrisburg that made her want to take action.

The Devil Came on Horseback is about the genocide in Darfur that has now been present for the better part of a decade.

“She kept thinking about it, and she wanted to do something about it,” said Abri’s father, Ted. 

She did.

In its second year, “Gems Not Genocide” is the most popular student group at Harriton, with 180 members signed up, Bernstein said.

“Our No. 1 mission is to raise awareness about the genocide going on in Darfur,” she said. 

The group raises awareness and funds by selling jewelry it makes from other broken and recycled jewelry. 

As a new student to the district, Bernstein went table to table during lunches last year to garner support from fellow students, said Christine Jawork, the adviser of Harriton’s World Affairs Club. Gems Not Genocide is part of the World Affairs Club’s activism branch, the other two being current events discussion and debate and Model United Nations.

“Abri’s one of a kind,” said Jawork, who teaches African and Asian studies in her 16th year on the job.

On Thursday afternoon, the group presented a check for $2,000 to the visiting Darfur Peace and Development Organization, which is based in Washington, D.C. and works in the Northern State of the Darfur region. The organization's program director, Susan Burgess-Lent, talked to students about the crisis.

“Humanitarian work in a crisis like this is helping neighbors in need,” Burgess-Lent said. “In an environment like this, the most serious casualty is hope.”

The Darfur Peace and Development Organization is building a school – Gangy High School – that will serve about 450 students. Burgess-Lent showed pictures of the progress on the school, adding the school will include what is very likely the first computer lab in Darfur with 120 computers.

Tuition will be free for 60 percent of students, such as those who have been displaced or have no family.

“Every milestone is a pure miracle,” Burgess-Lent said. “My boss grew up in Darfur, so for him it’s going home and fixing what he can.” 

Gems Not Genocide is asking those who vote at the Harriton precinct to bring unwanted or broken jewelry to the polls with them on Election Day to donate to the group.

You can connect with Gems Not Genocide on Facebook and Twitter.