Invisible Children

A year ago today, I didn’t know anything about Invisible Children. If someone had asked me what it was, I wouldn’t have been able to answer them with a single correct, solid fact. Last October, when I was at a leadership conference, I saw an Invisible Children presentation and was deeply moved. The videos I watched made me cry because of the atrocities that the people of Uganda were living through everyday - children not being able to sleep in their own home out of fear that the LRA would come and kidnap them in the middle of the night, being orphaned because their parents die from disease or their older siblings have been abducted; these videos also made me smile because of the strong spirits that these people had - having the will and drive to go to school everyday in order to educate themselves and be able to change something about the world in which they live, the creators and volunteers of Invisible Children who continue to risk everything to help people who they don’t know anything about but by helping, create some of the strongest relationships they have ever had and develop a truly unbreakable and strong drive to do everything they possibly can to help the people of Uganda; even if it seems insignificant to someone else, everything they do is helping.
This was my first exposure to Invisible Children and it made me want to do something, anything. Tonight, I went to another presentation; this one was held at my school. When I entered Kilworth Chapel [a few minutes late] I was extremely shocked and ashamed that there were only a handful of people present. I know my college is extremely small [a total of less than 2500 undergraduate students], but how could there be only 30 people on this campus who actually care about this and are interested and concerned about what is going on? I really couldn’t believe it. This presentation was another very moving one. There was even a young woman from Northern Uganda who came to tell us a little bit about her story. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to go to a group project meeting. But, before I left, I made sure to do something to help, even if it is something small. Invisible Children is an amazing organization and it’s definitely one that I would love to be more involved with in the future. So, I took my first step to doing so tonight. I purchased the 25 Campaign kit. By doing so, I have promised to raise money for The Protection Plan [a minimum of only $25] and awareness. On April 25th, I will go silent. I will wear my IC shirt, and carry around small cards explaining why I am silent, why we need to raise money for The Protection Plan, and why I am a part of 25. So what is The Protection Plan?
The Protection Plan is a program set forth by IC in Central Africa. Through this program, they are able to set up radio towers to connect remote villages in Central Africa. This allows the villages to receive radio announcements telling them where the LRA is and where they are heading. This way, people can take any precautions they may need to in order to keep themselves, their families, and their friends safe and away from the LRA. In addition to this, The Protection Plan has established a search and rescue plan to find children who have been abducted by Joseph Kony’s forces and have been required to join the LRA. After they have been found, The Protection Plan will place the children in rehabilitation centers. These are meant to counsel the children in any way necessary and, after spending a few weeks here, reunites them with their families.
This is the first step I have taken to help and be a part of Invisible Children and I hope to continue my participation. So now I’m asking you to help me with this. Please, do what you can, raise awareness, donate time or money, anything will help. 100% of the money I raise through the 25 goes toward The Protection Plan. Help me reach the goal of raising $25 by going here and donating money on my page. Even if it’s just one dollar, every little bit helps. And, if you are so inclined, buy your own 25 kit and spend one day in silence and raise awareness amongst your family and friends. Horrible things are happening everyday in Central Africa and we can actually help. Seriously, do it.