The Rescue! and fundraising update.

Hopefully you have heard of Invisible Children's worldwide event "The Rescue". Yesterday, in 100 cities in 10 countries, thousands of young people "abducted themselves" and camped out waiting to be rescued by media and "moguls". The idea behind the event was to bring attention to the actions of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and attempt to get governments around the world to work toward 4 goals:

1. Rescue the child soldiers and apprehend the top LRA leaders.
2. Support the protection of civilians in LRA-affected areas
3. Provide humanitarian support for displaced persons
4. Support recovery and reconciliation initiatives in Northern Uganda

Here in Toronto, hundreds of people met at Dundas square and marched in groups of 20 holding to a rope to Queen's Park. Unfortunately 3 hours into the event, a severe thunderstorm rolled in. The sky darkened so quickly! Organizers handed out garbage bags which people wore to stay dry. The group were "rescued" by Olivia Chow, Jack Layton, and Rick Mercer.

Here is a brief video of the Rescue event in Gulu earlier this month.

It is hard to believe that I will be in Uganda in nine weeks! The time is going to fly by. Thanks to generous donations from friends and family, I have raised $3400 USD to date -- only $600 short of the $4000 USD originally to be submitted by Friday, May 1st. Since everyone at Invisible Children was busy with the Rescue event, we have been given until May 7th to submit our funds.

It is funny to think that hearing about the website freedocumentaries.org has led to me spending 6 weeks in Northern Uganda. I've been looking at photo albums of past participants in the Invisible Children's Teacher Exchange. I am so excited.

Second Submission of Funds and Itinerary

On April 1st, a further $1000 USD submission was due to Invisible Children. Thanks to generous donations from friends and family, I have raised exactly $3000 USD to date, and these funds have all been submitted. I am only $1000 USD away from the final goal!

My flights to and from Uganda on British Airlines have been booked.

To Uganda
depart 10:30 pm 27 June: NYC-London-Entebbe arrive 7:45 am 29 June

From Uganda
depart 9:05 am 10 August: Entebbe-London-NYC arrive 10:30 pm 10 August

I am still waiting on final word regarding my flight to/from NYC from Toronto. It will likely be 11 August when I get back to TO.

A few weeks ago I made a doctor's appointment to get my shots. I feel like superwoman right now -- impervious to all kinds of diseases. I just have to double-check that I am vaccinated against polio.

Uganda and Invisible Children are always on my mind. My sister gave birth to my new niece this week. While she was in the hospital getting the top care, I couldn't help but imagine how it must be for women in the IDP camps. My little niece came into the world and all our minds fill with the opportunities she will have in life. I think of how lucky we are to have access to excellent free health care and education and to generally expect a life with little threat of violence or disease. I noticed the life expectancy rates this past week, ~51 in Uganda vs. ~81 in Canada. A difference of 30 years!

For International Women's Day, I went to see Eve Ensler speak. She is the author of the Vagina Monologues and has been working to support Dr. Denis Mukwege in the Democratic Republic of Congo as he tries to save the lives and souls of women who are raped as a tactic in the ongoing conflict there. Read the article she wrote for Glamour magazine last August: http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2007/08/rape-in-the-congo

It may sound like she would be a depressing speaker, but it is just the opposite. She is inspired by these women who have lived through hell but still have hope for the future. It is her belief that the best way to help people living in such situations, is to support them in helping themselves. From everything I've read, Invisible Children takes this same approach. I am very interested in their Mentorship program for students in schools in the Gulu district.

On top of helping fund the building of new schools and providing scholarships for students, Invisible Children provides salaries to mentors for the students. Many students are orphans due to the war or AIDS. The mentors monitor students performance in school, monitor their health, and simply talk to them about life, the past and the future. The mentors also work to educate the students regarding Acholi culture and traditions.

Of course as a participant in the teacher-exchange, I will also be working to support my partner teacher and partner school in the work they are doing there. It is expected that my relationship with my partner teacher and school will continue beyond the six weeks I spend there. I can't wait to find out to which school I will be assigned.

I've included an earlier video produced by Invisible Children which highlights the desire to support the people of Gulu in helping themselves.