Archive for January 22, 2010

The Issue

A 9-year-old boy in the suburbs should not be kidnapped from his home and forced to fight as an abducted soldier. If this is true in the United States, we believe it is true in Uganda and in the Congo. We have discovered that young people across North America believe this as well, and are uniting in their local communities to fight this injustice a world away.

For the last 24 years, a rebel leader named Joseph Kony has been waging war in central Africa, terrorizing communities and abducting 30,000 children to be his soldiers. Over 2 million people have been displaced in central Africa as a result of the violence.

This crisis continues today with minimal international attention.

Our big idea is big indeed: rescue the child soldiers of Northern Uganda with the help of young advocates across North America, end the longest running war in Africa, and rebuild what was lost.

The Plan

The plan is to bring this war to an end and return these children to their homes by expanding the youth movement already in motion. Invisible Children makes documentaries about war-affected kids in Northern Uganda and tours them across the continent, exposing the youth of North America to their stories. We then equip them to band together and become activists seeking to end this war. Hundreds of thousands of people have already risen to the call. With donations of less than $20 from students across the world, we have managed to put 760 Ugandans in school, rebuild 11 war-destroyed schools, and implement microeconomic programs to jump start village economies. With the Chase grant, we can dream bigger and finish what we started. We will finally spread the story of child soldiers into theaters, dramatically increasing exposure and improving our advocacy efforts. With exposure and program funding, we can rebuild more Ugandan schools, provide more education, and better economic development.

The Outcome

The outcome is peace in Uganda and an end to this war. The outcome is a generation of young Americans believing in the power of their voice and hard work.

Nothing unites a community like a common goal. Invisible Children has found something that brings every one together: pursuing freedom and justice for abducted children. It is in forgetting ourselves to help another that we discover our own power and value. When communities work together, they become what they were meant to be: a collection of individuals who live, work, play, and care for the mutual good of the community and beyond.

If we are awarded this grant, we can prove that these communities of dedicated young people and families can work in concert to change history and set a precedent for justice like never before. We can end this war, help restore Uganda to prosperity, and help these child soldiers find a new life of peace.

We are already doing it, and with this grant we will see it through. Join us with your vote.

via Chase Community Giving on Facebook | Invisible Children Inc.