New Violence in Uganda

Recently, the governments of Congo, Sudan, and Uganda have launched an offensive against the Lord's Resistance Army.

In response, the LRA attacked a church in Congo the day after Christmas. Reports are fuzzy, but witnesses point out that the attackers spoke the Acholi language, wore their hair dreaded, and had a large number of young boys among their ranks as evidence that the attackers were indeed members of the LRA. Between 30 and 150 civilians are reported to have been murdered.

See the full story here.

We have about a week and a half left in the winter break, so why not take some of your free time and write to your congressmen and some members of the incoming administration?

I know we ask you to do this a lot, but it does make a difference, and with the new surge of violence, now it is more important than ever to make sure that we cry out for the victims in this war.

Shalom.

Happy Christmas

It's the morning of Christmas Eve in South Korea, where I will once again be spending my Christmas holiday.

From this war zone to the war zone in Uganda, let us strive for peace.

Happy Christmas.



And good news everybody! The results are in for Schools 4 Schools - all told, IC raised over a million dollars this semester, and ICU@UGA raised more money than anybody else in our region!

Shalom.

Post Script: I apologize for the size of the video and its interference with the lay-out of my blog. I tried to manipulate the size of the video, but to shrink the frame is to cut off a rather large chunk of the video itself. So, until I add a few more posts, you're just going to have to guess your way around the blocked links.

the good, the bad, the ugly

The last couple of weeks has had many ups and down when it comes to the situation in Uganda.

the Good

A series of meetings have recently taken place in Uganda to discuss the future of the peace talks and their steps to resolve the problems in Uganda, but the violence that recently occurred in the Congo by the LRA still shows that the issue is just not regional, and needs an international response.

the Bad

The LRA recently attacked a northeastern town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo abducting 50 people, many who were women and girls, and displacing over 50,000 of its inhabitants.

the Ugly

The attack by the LRA has severely hindered many humanitarian organizations efforts to help the residents of Uganda and the Congo, while others have suspended their efforts all together.

Weekly Update #4

Hey, hey! Welcome back!

So, if you weren't at the meeting on Tuesday, here's what you missed.

1. The video embedded at the top of this post.
2. Fearless leader Josh Dunn (the one with the curly hair) gave a quick news update. As always, here are the links.
3. For all of you out there who wrote to your Representatives and Senators, thank you. President Bush signed the act into law. It's a huge, long over due step in the right direction.
4. We had several guest speakers, including: Fearless leader Josh Dunn on Nothing But Nets; Representatives from International Justice Mission; and Former Roadie Caitlin's friend now working with Falling Whistles.
5. Coming up in November, we will be teaming up with FIMRC, ONE, and SHOW to host Child Survival Night. Be on the look out for more information and how you can get involved.

Finally, I'd like to give a quick shout out to all of those who helped with the Benefit Concert - Amanda and Nadia, for all of your work in organizing it; all of the volunteers who showed up early or left late; all of our performers, because this wouldn't happen without you; and Starbucks - what a great venue. Readers, please, find time to find someone involved in the concert and thank them. It's a lot of work, and it so often goes unnoticed.

Until next week,
Shalom.

Benefit Concert

I'll have the rest of this week's update finished later, but for right now, here's the stuff happening TONIGHT!!!

The benefit concert is at Starbucks downtown (across from the arch and Five Guys). It starts at seven and will go until 10:30. Getting in is $8 - for three hours of amazing music, including Parker and the UGA Accidentals.

It'll be worth it - if you haven't been to one of our benefit concerts before, then you should definitely come. It never ceases to amaze me how talented student musicians are.

"But we want to be more involved. How do we do that?"

Excellent question. We need people to help set up, run the merch table and collect money from people coming in, and most importantly, we need people to help clean up afterwards. If you're interested in doing any of that, talk to Amanda and/or Nadia.

Shalom and see you there.

Week Update #3 - Week of 23 September 2008

Wow. I just realized how long of a hiatus this blog took - sorry about that folks. I shall try to do better in the future. But if it's any consolation, I am very well rested.

If you missed the meeting this week, you missed a lot. So here I am to catch you up.

First, the size of Tuesday's crowd surprised me. There are a lot of people coming in, which is great. Keep it up, guys!

Second, the proceedings of the meeting:

First, we watched two videos. Because of the room taken up by embedding videos, I'll give you a link instead.

• Uganda: The Long Wait - produced by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. This video focuses on the return of the internally displaced from camps to their home villages and many of the challenges they face. This video sums up the purpose of Schools for Schools - even when the war is over, there will still be plenty of work to be done.
  
• IC/DC: Calling Out East Side - with Tim Shortley, the State Department's adviser for the Northern Uganda peace talks, promoting last semester's Lobby Days in Washington, D.C. , and discussing the role Invisible Children is playing in the peace process. The government has taken notice, and it's because of us.

Second, Parker gave us the news update, which, as always can be found at the Invisible Children site and Resolve Uganda. Unfortunately, the LRA abducted 90 children in a raid in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Almost immediately, President Bush scheduled a meeting with Ugandan President Museveni to discuss the problem.

Third, we heard from both sides of this year's election - where do Obama and McCain stand on Uganda, Darfur, Africa, and the issue of child soldiers? We encourage you to look into both candidates' foreign policy platforms and take their stances into consideration when you vote in November. But above all, we encourage you to vote.

Fourth, events. On Friday (3 October), we will be hosting International Coffee Hour with FIMRC (see Facebook for details). The event will last from 11 until 1. We need volunteers, so if you're interested in helping out, contact Josh Dunn (the one with the curly hair) to see what you can do: jadunn1@gmail.com. And, get excited! Our first benefit concert is coming up on Wednesday, 8 October. It will be at the Starbucks downtown (next to Five Star Day and across the street from the Arch). It's bound to be a good time for a good cuase.

Fifth, we wrote to our senators and representatives (find out who represents you). Congress is working on the Child Solders Accountability Act and we need your help to encourage them to pass it. Please, write a letter. Get your friends to write letters. The voice of the voters will be heard, especially in an election year.

Finally, we watched another video, TRI: Invest in Peace.


Shalom.

Meeting Update #2 - Week of 2 September 2008

First of all, sorry about the late post. This week's been slightly crazy.

Second of all, for new members: We want to get to know you better. In order to accomplish this goal, we ask that you do one of two things. First, you can pick up a form at the ICU meeting on Tuesday and fill it out. Or, secondly, you can email us the info on the form - we would like your name, e-mail, a list of talents and interests, and a list of other organizations you participate in. This way, we can help you find the group(s) that best fit your personality. It also helps us coordinate screenings. For example, if you are involved with the Presbyterian Student Center, we would love you forever if you helped us set up a screening there. Or in your dorm. Or sorority/fraternity. Or anywhere else. Finally, it helps us make sure everybody is on the LISTSERV - our mass e-mail list.

We opened the meeting by watching the trailer for War/Dance. If you missed it (or just want to see it again), here you go:


After the trailer, Parker gave a quick update of the news from Uganda, available online here and here. A brief note on the news: I cannot stress the importance of staying up-to-date enough. Whether you're tabling, hosting a screening, or just talking to someone who has commented on the awesome IC shirt you're wearing (yes, it happens), knowing the latest breaking news is of inestimable worth.

Oh, yeah, and upcoming events.

• On 10 September, we are working the Activities Fair. If you're walking around the fair, stop by and hang out for a little why. We'd love to see you.
  
• On 11 September, we are hosting a screening of the Rough Cut in Brumby at 8 pm. This will be a blue card event, so if you're a freshman in Franklin, stop by, hang out, and work your way towards early registration. And bring your friends.
  
• On 13 November, the Southeast Roadies from IC will be stopping by to show us the new documentary, Go!. This will also be a blue card event.

In addition, we have several things we are trying to set up: a Starbucks benefit concert, a date auction, and several bake sales. Talk to Nadia for more information and to volunteer.

One last note: We would like to thank Five Guys Burgers and Fries downtown for hosting the percentage night, as well as everybody who stopped by for dinner.

Shalom.