Speaking Up for Children of War
World Vision has launched a campaign to halt the use of child soldiers in Uganda. Click here to add your signature!
Want to do more to help? You can sponsor the rehabilitation of a child soldier with a monthly pledge. Click here for details!ÂÂ
From the website:
Children in northern Uganda risk abduction by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), currently fighting a protracted war against the Ugandan army. The children are forced to become laborers, soldiers and sex slaves for LRA commanders. Frequently they are compelled to commit atrocities in their own villages and against their own families.
World Vision runs a rehabilitation center in the town of Gulu for those who manage to escape, providing food, shelter and Christian counseling. During its 10 years of operation, World Vision’s Children of War Rehabilitation Center has helped nearly 11,000 children.
April 21st, 2006 at 9:29 am
And of course there is always the Invisible Children effort as well. Thanks for posting the links.
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
April 21st, 2006 at 11:05 am
Taking Stir (the young adult ministry I lead) to a screening of Invisible Children tonight actually.
Also had the Gulu Prayer Project last month and the Global Night Commute event in a week.
It’s great that awareness is rising… oh God may it be followed by action.
One of those situations where in your heart you want to chuck it all and head for northern Uganda…. but if you wait long enough till the feeling goes away.
nooc
April 23rd, 2006 at 6:56 am
I just saw invisible children with my wife last night… i’m totally disturbed.
April 23rd, 2006 at 8:14 am
Well definitely do consider what Mel has posted her as a way to turn outrage into action. If nothing else, letters to your senators and representatives are important as the focus is already shifting away from this situation and money allotted for this by various countries is falling short of promises.
April 26th, 2006 at 7:10 am
Last night I finally saw Invisible Children. Wow. So I, um, couldn’t sleep. I mean I slept, but I had nightmares and woke up every hour or so. And then I felt guilty about that, because I was in a nice warm bed and nobody was about to come kidnap me and draft me into a blood-thirsty army. Those kids…my God, those poor children…what must their sleep be like?
So yeah. Global Night Commute. Saturday night. If you’re in Cincinnati, see you out there; if you’re elsewhere, keep the faith, and sleep well. On the cold hard ground, for this one night. Saturday, we are all night commuters.
April 26th, 2006 at 8:42 am
Today, the guys who made the mfilm Invisible Children are going to be on the Oprah Show! So if you have access to a TV this afternoon, watch it. Then, send her an email or a letter saying how much you loved the segment and how you’d love for her to do a follow up later to see how the Global Night Commute worked out, what a success it was, etc.
Let’s hear it for the Oprah love! And please be patient and understanding Saturday night, as this has the potential to bring out a lot more people than any of us had expected, and some of them won’t be the sort of demonstrator that the organizers of this event are used to dealing with. The set of all average demonstrators and the set of all average Oprah viewers do not necessarily have a wide over-lap.