NORWICH – “The seeds of hate start small,” is more than just a turn of phrase to Norwich High School Second Language teacher William Guiffre, as he explores and explains to his students the mass genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

The Darfur situation is an ongoing armed conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed – a militia group recruited from the tribes of the Abbala Rizeigat – and the non-Baggara people of the region.

The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, is believed to have provided money and assistance and has participated in joint attacks with the group, systematically targeting the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur. The conflict began in July 2003.

Guiffre teaches students about French-speaking regions around the world. When his students started to learn about French-speaking Africa, he said it would have been impossible not to introduce them to the conflict the nation is currently enduring.

The students watched “Hotel Rwanda,” a film about the mass genocide in Rwanda led by Hutu extremists against the Tutsis minority over a decade ago, and from there decided not to turn away from the problems beyond their borders, but to create a project that would bring attention to the fact that millions of people are dying in a nation that needs help.