The latest Peace and Conflict update is now online to fill you in on what’s happening in the Congo in relation to the recent LRA attacks.
Also in the news today, the British Red Cross just released an online video game about the war in Uganda called Traces of Hope. Kind of a blend of an adventure/detective game, you have to help a boy find his family by discovering clues throughout the internet. Interesting. Haven’t had a chance to play it yet but tell us what you think.
IC’s Web Director, Javan, takes you through a great webcast of the new IC app. Check it out (top right corner of the app’s homepage) to find out more about how to change the settings, use all the different features, and sign up to support a school in northern Uganda.
(If you haven’t yet, download IC’s new Facebook application here.)
Any other questions or problems, email s4s@invisiblechildren.com.
My first few weeks in Uganda have been jam-packed with unforgettable experiences—from rafting the Nile with incredible IC Roadies in Jinja to surviving the crazy, crowded markets in Kampala. From chasing our stubborn pet goat in Gulu to cooking spicy goat stew on a mountain in Patiko (not the same goat, of course).
But one occasion stands out above the rest—a day in the field with several VCSP mentors. I didn’t hesitate for a moment when invited to tag along; I was more excited than a high school freshman before a first date.
Mentor Patricia working hard at the IC office. (Photo credit: Adam Vail)
At the very end of the newest Invisible Children film, Go, there is a song playing over the credits that might feel familiar but is in fact a cover of the MIA song “Paper Planes” (which we also love). It is a mind blowingly good version of the song, performed by Esau Mwamwaya and it’s titled “Tengazako” which means, take what’s yours.
Check out our latest Peace & Conflict update and find out more about the 90 school-aged kids that were abducted last week by the LRA in the Congo.
writes a blog titled MyBook and recently wrote about her involvement in Invisible Children’s Schools for Schools campaign. Here’s a brief chunk where she lets people know what she’s been doing for IC.
This year, I’m participating in Schools 4 Schools, where our school raises money for a school in Northern Uganda. (You can check out the program here and follow us here). Our goal is to raise $20,000…and send a few [students] to Uganda to help out.
Hopefully, we can help those suffering in Northern Uganda…and help locally as well. By reaching out to the community here first, we can better reach out to those thousands of miles away.
And I couldn’t be more excited.
Check out the rest of the entry on her blog.
Last week, San Diego City Beat published a story that asked if the war in Uganda will ever end. Hannah Rappleye & Peter Holslin wrote the piece, which can be viewed at City Beat’s website. Along with some details on what IC is doing with some quotes from Laren Poole, the article goes in depth on the current situation in northern Uganda and what’s being done.
A few weeks ago, we posted an entry letting you know of a bill going through the senate. The passing of it would restrict U.S. military assistance to governments where children are used in conflicts.
A lot of you let us know that you made your voice known in support of this bill, but we’ve hit a snag: Congress goes on break after this week and the recent financial crisis has made it easy to ignore that this bill is even out there. It’s up to us to make sure our senators are aware that this bill must be voted on, and it must be voted on this week.
With over 250,000 child soldiers being used in 8 governments, and the U.S. providing some sort of military assistance to 6 of them, we can’t delay with this.
Here’s what you can do:
Earlier this year, one of the founders of Social Vibe got in touch with IC to let us know about their website. Their idea sounded promising enough; they wanted to make money for us. After 6 months, they followed through with that. Without our direct help, they created a community that currently has 15,000 members who have raised $10,000. With our help, we know those numbers can grow even more!
In the simplest explanation we can give: Social Vibe will give you an advertisement of your choice to put on your MySpace or Facebook, and the money they make will come back to us. On top of that, simply by registering for an account on their Invisible Children page, Social Vibe will give us $1… right out of their own pocket.
We realize that not everyone will be excited to put more advertising on their social networking profiles, but this is a chance to directly make an impact on the way the Internet advertises. If there’s a company you don’t support, don’t promote it. If there’s one you like, go for it! And the money goes to a non-profit of your choice – we’re hoping you pick us.
Get started now on Social Vibe’s Invisible Children co-marketing page. Just by signing up you’ll earn us $1. With the hundreds of thousands of people already supporting IC online, that could be a lot of money to go towards our work in northern Uganda.
One of our favorite ways to raise money for Invisible has now inspired one of the best songs on YouTube.
Go to 00:41. Priceless.
If you haven’t had a chance to sign up, check out Social Vibe + IC online. Sign up, get a sponsor, and (who knows) make your own Leona Lewis music video.
Social Vibe, you bring out the best in all of us.
