Zoé's Ark (french: link=no, L'Arche de Zoé) is a French

charity organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

with the aim of increasing awareness of the crisis in Darfur and providing aid for children affected by the conflict. The organization was brought into the public's awareness in 2007 with the arrest of six members and 11 others in

Abéché Abéché ( ar, أبشه, ''Absha'') is the fourth largest city in Chad and is the capital of Ouaddaï Region. It has within it the remnants of the ancient capital, including palaces, mosques, and the tombs of former sultans. History The city of ...

, Chad accused of abducting 103 African children.

History

Zoé's Ark was formed "by motoring enthusiasts from the French

four-wheel-drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

community to aid victims of the December 2004 Asian tsunami".''Profile: Zoe's Ark''
BBC News, Last Updated: Monday, 29 October 2007. Consulted on 29 December 2007. More specifically, Zoé's Ark was founded in 2005 by volunteer fireman Éric Breteau, former president of the French 4x4 Federation, who named it after a girl orphaned by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. The group, registered as a non-governmental organization with the French authorities, sought to aid children affected by the tsunami, and brought one boy to France for an operation.

2007 controversy

On Tuesday, 30 October 2007, six members of the charity organization Zoé's Ark were formally charged by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

for child abduction. Three journalists, seven SpanishFrench Charity Workers Sentenced (Times Online)
Accessed 26 December 2007 flight crew members, and four Chadian and Sudanese nationals, including two Chadian officials, were also charged for complicity. Despite the group's claim that the children were orphans from Darfur who were being taken to be fostered in France, most of the children have been found to be Chadian, and to have at least one living parent or guardian. French president

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

successfully negotiated the dropping of charges and release of the journalists and flight crew members prior to trial. Six members of the group were convicted on 26 December 2007 and sentenced to eight years of forced labor, although under an accord between Chad and France they will serve their sentences in France, which has no

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

in its penal system. Each of the six was also ordered to pay each of the 103 victims restitution equal to approximately $87,000, which amounts to $8.9M total. The founder, Eric Breteau, is among the six. A Chadian national and a Sudanese national were each also sentenced to four years. The two Chadian officials were acquitted. In March 2008 the president of Chad pardoned the convicted aid-workers. They were then released from the prisons in France.Chad president pardons French charity workers
ny Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian, 1 April 2008

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoes Ark Adoption-related organizations Law of Chad Children's charities based in France Organizations established in 2005 Foreign charities operating in Sudan