With Stamina and Determination, Heroes Run Their Course

There was no lack of symbolism in the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, least of all Lopez Lomong, a former Lost Boy of Sudan adopted by a family in Tully, N.Y., being the bearer of the American flag. He was just six years old when his family was attacked by the Janjaweed and he was forced to become a child solider.

Lomong is a long-distance runner. He acquired the stamina for this skill by running the 30-kilometer stretch around his refugee camp every day.

The track-and-field events of the Olympics are always one of the favorites. During the last few weeks, they have been a staple of NBC's prime time schedule.

There are many reasons why people run, but few of them can land you on prime time television. In Darfur, as we watch these events, there are women running for their lives from armed attackers. They are breathing hard and sweating, unable to speak, but we do not hear or see them.

Gadija and her two young sons are running. Before the Janjeweed came to destroy their village and kill her husband, they were very well off. They owned 120 sheep and 3 horses. Now they are living under a collection of rags, held up by four sticks. After the attacks, they ran to the hills, but there was no food or water, so they were forced to enter a camp in South Darfur.

Each day Gadija leaves her small sons to work in the fields near her camp, so that she can earn enough money to buy food. She has been in her camp only a short time. So far, she has not received any food aid. As a result, she is forced to face the hurdles of danger as she leaves her camp to earn money. She is forced to sprint to a safe destination. She has acquired the stamina to survive, although there are no cameras or reporters to capture this feat.

Just as Lomong's determination to compete in the Olympic Games came from seeing the 2000 Summer Games on a black-and-white television in Kenya, I hope that Gadija's story will inspire you to reach out across the world and do what you can to help protect women and girls in Darfur.