What if I told you that right now, the longest war in African history wages on, and it didn’t begin in Darfur? What if I told you that this war has been and continues to be fought by children, children big enough to carry guns, young enough to be brainwashed? What if I told you that this war, in northern Uganda, has been called “the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today?”
Now what if I told you that you have the power and influence to help stop this war? What if I told you that you have the ability to save the millions of displaced, suffering people in northern Uganda and now in the Congo? One BC student has already taken the initiative.
You’ll find Steve Pope watching a Bruins game and Celtics game simultaneously on adjacent TVs in his CoRo room. You’ll see him in Lower, surrounded by friends laughing hysterically. You’ll find him being the number one Superfan at every football, hockey, and basketball game. While sitting with Pope in Eagle’s Nest, you’ll laugh when 20 students stop by the table to give him a “what’s up?!” and a high-five.
But did you know that you’d also find Pope working at the Commonwealth Tenants Association for his Pulse placement? That you’d find him at the Arrupe photo exhibit talking about his experience in El Salvador? Or how about seeing him actively spread the word about his newest passion, Invisible Children?
The nonprofit Invisible Children began in 2003, after three young men from San Diego filmed their documentary, “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” on their return from an adventure in northern Uganda. The documentary, which reveals the horrors of the genocide in northern Uganda, was met with incredible passion. Everyone who saw the film was inspired to act. Thus, the nonprofit Invisible Children was born.
The organization works to spread awareness and activism about the ongoing war. “Our approach to humanitarian work is founded in the strength and intelligence of the Ugandan community. We learned early on it was not only important, but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it,” says their website.
Invisible Children has created opportunities for children in Uganda to attend secondary school and even universities. They have worked to build schools in Uganda through their Schools for Schools program.
According to the site, all of their “programming is a partnership between those of us at Invisible Children and those in the Ugandan community. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country.”
Pope joined the cause after he saw one of Invisible Children’s documentaries. The film lit a fire in him. Wanting to learn more about the war, Pope read a book called The Enough Movement, which supplied him with more political and historical information and inspiration.
“The movie was very emotional, and then the book really explained the background and what is possible on legislative terms that can get done,” says Pope.
That’s when he started exploring Invisible Children’s website and realized there was something he could do to help. “[Invisible Children] is so successful because it does all the work for you, it shows you what you can do. It’s very user friendly.”
Pope began by donating $35.00 a month through the Tri campaign. He wears a bracelet made by a Ugandan as a symbol of the cause. But what does the money go towards?
Three R’s.
The first is a radio system that alerts remote villages when the LRA is coming. The LRA is the rebel group that is responsible for abducting children to fight the war. This helps the villagers escape before the rebels reach their towns.
The second ‘R’ is for rehabilitation. Often, the child soldiers, after being brainwashed and after having fought in the war, are not welcomed back into the community, Pope explains. Thus, Invisible Children is reaching out to these ex-soldiers to help them cope with life post-war.
The third ‘R’ is for rescue. “The biggest problem, besides the genocide in Sudan, is that hundreds of thousands of people are displaced in central Africa,” says Pope. “They hear the rebels coming, so they leave and end up 300 miles away from their homes in remote villages without food or water.” Invisible Children is working to rescue these people.
Most recently, Pope has begun raising money for Invisible Children’s newest campaign, the 25 Campaign. 25 is raising awareness of the 25-year-old war and is asking everyone to raise $25.00. The money goes towards the Tri campaign’s three R’s. Everyone who raises the money receives admission to the 25 Event, Break the Silence, on April 25. The campaign is asking everyone to vow 25 hours of silence on the 25th, and to then break their silence at one of their events in 18 cities across the US.
Pope started with raising $25.00. He has set his goal at $1,250.00.
“I started with $25.00,” he said. “Then I got to $100.00 and started talking to people on Facebook, e-mailing family and friends, trying to reach out and get people interested.”
Once he reached $700.00, he aimed higher, setting his goal for $1,000.00. Pope is trying to reach out by showing people the Invisible Children film. “It makes you want to find out more,” says Pope.
Pope explains how Invisible Children works to empower the people of Uganda. “Part of the reason their Schools for Schools program is so cool is that it is merit-based; they [the Ugandan people] are building their own leaders. Invisible Children is giving them a start and then letting them run with it.”
It’s the idea of teaching people how to fish, rather than simply giving them the fish. By educating people and teaching them various skills and trades, they are empowered to begin and continue to succeed. They no longer need to rely on charity action when they have the knowledge, skills, and ability to help themselves.
So having read this article, don’t just type Facebook into your browser and start creeping on “friends.” Visit Pope’s Invisible Children fundraising page and donate to this cause. Help Steve and the thousands of active and aware people, working to stop the war that wages on. You can also join him in vowing 25 hours of silence on April 25 in honor of all the victims in Africa suffering from the horrific genocide. For more information on the war and how you can help, you can visit www.invisiblechildren.com.