Working in a war zone

Darfur
This girl from the Darfur region of Sudan spends her days in a refugee camp. Violence forced her family members to flee their home.
Photo by Scott Nelson/Getty Images

Jerry Farrell can tell you everything you'd want to know about the continuing violence in Western Sudan. Until September, the Minnesota resident was the director of the American Refugee Committee's relief program in Darfur.

In the field
The American Refugee Committee's Jerry Farrell (right) spent two years in Darfur. He worked with Sudanese sanitation specialists in the town of Donki Dreissa to rehabilitate water yards in the region.
Gideon Tesfay, American Refugee Committee

Jerry can tell you about the countless villages that have been torched and the millions of people who have been forced from their homes.

He can tell you about the women who are raped on their way to find firewood and the 200,000 people who have been murdered in the three-year-long conflict.

And he can tell you that he never thought twice about accepting the job in Darfur. He says he just knew it would be the right fit.

Reporter Nikki Tundel talked to Jerry Farrell about his time in Sudan and how he's adjusting to life back in the United States.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.