The following videos and photos feature some of my involvement with organizations that stand for PEACE for the people of Central East Africa. |
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As a Street Team Leader for Invisible Children's The RESCUE: Grand Rapids, I worked alongside many people throughout Michigan who are dedicated to promoting awareness of the situation in northern Uganda. On Saturday, April 25th, hundreds of us gathered in Grand Rapids and "abducted" ourselves from Ah Nab Awen Park. In the pouring rain, we relocated to Rosa Parks Circle--our representation of an LRA camp--where we stayed overnight. 100 cities throughout the globe hosted these RESCUE simulations. Each abducted city was freed after obtaining media coverage and having a person of recognizable importance make a statement supporting the release of Kony's child soldiers. Upon release, many of the "freed" became "Rescue Riders" and traveled to cities still awaiting freedom. After being rescued in Grand Rapids on April 25th, I traveled to Chicago and lived among hundreds of fellow Rescue Riders from all over the US, and even Canada, Mexico, and London. We held out in the city until Friday, May 1st--when Chicago, the last city to be rescued, was freed after we made it on The Oprah Show. The week-long event showed the world that concern for the issues in Central East Africa stretches from continent to continent, city to city, and heart to heart. The week of The RESCUE was one that I will never forget...and one that has forever impacted the situation in Central East Africa and the status of the LRA.
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In the summer of 2008, I traveled to Uganda with World Help. We spent time in orphanages in the south, and also stayed in the north. In Gulu, we worked alongside Ugandans in their efforts to revive life in their war-torn land. The people of Uganda captured my heart, and I hope to return to their loving home in the near future. World Help is heavily involved in Uganda and other countries throughout the world. Check out their website and consider sponsoring a child! You can set up automatic withdrawals. If sponsoring a child on your own isn't feasible, I recommend pooling funds with others. It's a great way to impact the life of someone in need.
During college, I was an officer in a Grand Valley State University organization that was inspired by Invisible Children, called Students for a Peaceful Africa. We have connected with multiple student organizations and many community members to raise awareness and financial support for the situations and efforts in Uganda. We've held many events in our past couple of years as an official club, and our voices, raised for the people who've endured the wrath of the LRA, have been heard. Some events that we've held include Gulu Walk (a sponsored walk through Grand Rapids), Rock the RESCUE (a benefit concert to raise support for Invisible Children's The RESCUE event), Water Walk (during which we simulated a walk to retrieve water), and Nearly Naked Mile (a sponsored boxer run). |
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