Sophomore Eva Danielson lives over 3,000 miles away from Uganda. Yet every Monday, she and a small crowd of students gather in a corner of the Jupiter campus’s The Burrow to talk about this small East African country.
For the past 20 years, the children of northern Uganda have been embroiled in civil war. They have been displaced, taken as slaves, and have even been forced to fight on the front lines. In order to escape the endless cycle of conflict and poverty in the region, many children have dedicated themselves to their education in hopes of getting into a university.
Yet for many individuals, the ongoing conflicts in Africa are viewed with a sense of detachment, if they are even observed at all.
Danielson doesn’t see it that way. When she looks at Uganda, she sees more than just a “civil war” or a “conflict.” She sees the victims of an ongoing tragedy that has displaced millions and killed countless others. She sees invisible children, and she would like us all to see them, too.
Danielson is president of FAU Jupiter’s Invisible Children club, a local chapter of the non-profit organization of the same name. She and her fellow students have dedicated their time to helping the victimized children of northern Uganda, primarily by raising money to build safer education facilities in the region.
“Invisible Children is kids helping kids,” said Danielson, a biochemistry major. “We’re directly affecting the lives of people in our own age group halfway around the world.”
For many of these children, acceptance into a university may be their only means of escape. However, education facilities in the region are inadequate at best, and the ongoing conflict forces many children to make a treacherous nightly commute to the city in fear of their village being raided. Invisible Children Inc.’s goal is to provide more adequate education facilities in the region, while simultaneously providing these young “night commuters” a secure place to sleep at night.
Initially founded in 2004, Invisible Children Inc. has since expanded to include numerous regional clubs, including FAU Jupiter’s newly formed chapter. Yet despite its supporters, Invisible Children Inc. and the issues it tries to address have received little to no media attention. Danielson thinks she knows why.
“People don’t want to hear about Africa anymore,” she said. “They’re sick of it. They’re like, ‘Oh, people dying in Africa, that’s been happening forever.’ Because it’s been happening forever, they suddenly seem to think that it’s okay. It’s just the way things are supposed to be apparently, but it’s not. People need to realize that just because [people live] in Africa doesn’t mean that their lives are expendable.”
Danielson was originally made aware of the tragedy in Uganda after seeing Invisible Children’s documentary, Invisible Children: Rough Cut, in her high school English class. After graduating, Danielson brought the Invisible Children message to Jupiter, where she was joined by freshman and chapter Vice President Kristi Beroldi.
While their chapter is still in the formative stages, the members of the Invisible Children club have been working to raise awareness of Uganda’s plight. Their current project is the Schools for Schools program, more commonly known by its fund-raising branch Change for Change.
“Currently, we are just starting our Schools for Schools campaign,” said Beroldi. “[Schools for Schools] lasts for 100 days and all the money goes toward rebuilding a school in Uganda. The cash part of it is called Change for Change. There is also a book drive component of Schools for Schools. The goal of the book drive is to collect books in good condition that will be useful for the Ugandan school children.”
By collecting money and textbooks from around the Jupiter area, the Invisible Children club hopes to contribute to a nationwide fundraiser to help build new schools in the northern Ugandan region. Their first major event is planned to take place at Jupiter’s Homecoming Carnival on Oct. 26, where they will run a pie tossing booth to raise money for Change for Change. They’re hoping to raise at least $500 at a dollar per pie, which is what they consider to be a modest goal for their initial endeavor.
“We are hopefully [also] going to be placing Change for Change jars around at local businesses to try and raise money, as well as joining up with some local businesses [for fundraisers],” said Beroldi.
According to Danielson, the best thing a person can do to get involved is to find a local chapter. The Jupiter chapter meets every Monday night at 8 p.m. in The Burrow on the Jupiter campus. FAU students wishing to found a chapter on their own campus can find more information at www.invisiblechildren.com. Individuals wishing to make a donation to the Schools for Schools program may visit s4s.invisiblechildren.com.
Who is behind the war in Uganda?
Joseph Kony, the man responsible for abducting thousands of Ugandan children for use as soldiers in his crusade against the Ugandan government, and the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, heads this war.
Kony has been deemed “unforgiveable” by the International Criminal Courts and is wanted for 33 criminal charges, 12 of which are considered crimes against humanity.
The Ugandan government is currently trying to pass the LRA Disarmament Act, which, if passed, will allow the government to form a comprehensive plan to arrest Kony.
“At our next meeting, we will be decorating our own Change for Change jars and writing letters to our representatives about the Northern Uganda Recovery and LRA Disarmament Act,” said Kristi Beroldi, vice president of FAU Jupiter’s Invisible Children club.
Prior attempts to arrest Kony have been unsuccessful, and he continues to launch attacks against Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Invisible Children hopes that the passing of the LRA Disarmament Act will allow Kony and his commanders to finally be brought to justice.