Maryland Teen Doing More For Darfur Than US Government

The struggle in Darfur is so depressing, most people simply don't discuss it. It briefly penetrates the collective conscience of Americans in bumper stickers and shamelessly in a Jonas Brothers photo op (as if hordes of screaming pre-pubescent girls can stop genocide). Then it is replaced by some other distraction. Maybe a sports event or game show. But not for 17 year old Spencer Brodsky, who read the tragic stories about women being raped and murdered while leaving their makeshift homes to gather firewood (yes, it gets cold there too). Seeing as wood is not plentiful in the desert, he decided to raise money for fuel efficient stoves to be shipped to Darfur, enabling these women to remain in their homes for far greater periods of time. To the average American, this may seem like a miniscule effort, but most Americans don't fear leaving the house because they might very well be killed or at least attacked. It just goes to show that creative thinking can in some way protect these women from thousands of miles away.