Africa

My mom left for Africa last week. She is in Uganda teaching a course on counseling. Uganda has always been close to my heart and I did my best to go this year, but due to a lack of funds and conflicting exam schedule I didn't get to go. I now know why. All my life I had heard stories of the carnage left by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). They enter villages raping and killing as they go. They take children as young as six or seven years old and force them to kill their family members and other tribes people. These children usually do not survive (often being killed by their captors when they feel they are no longer useful). Many of the girls are treated as sex slaves or forced to marry soldiers in the army.
God has been doing something in my heart these past few weeks, He has been calling me to action. I did not know what He wanted me to do, or how He was going to provide me with resources to do it. However, I know now why I stayed home fro Africa and what He wants me to do. He wants me to raise awareness of this horrible disaster that is taking place on His earth. He wants me to wake everyone around me up from their "white suburban" comas and take action. This is what I propose. To whoever is reading this I want you to send letters. Send letters to your elected officials, but most importantly send letters to me!! That's right..to me. I want to have 40,000 letters, one for each child who walks for miles to escape the clutches of the LRA.
In the villages of Northern Uganda most of the children disappear everyday by a bout 4 o'clock in the afternoon. They all walk to the cities where it is safe, so that they may survive the raids of the LRA. The LRA rarely raids the cities. The children congregate in bus terminals, on the street and in vacant buildings, by the thousands. 40,000 children walk everyday, some as young as two. I want each of them to have a letter, so that they know that there are people out there who care and are trying to help. Please don't leave me to do all of those letters alone!!
How can we speak of social justice and human rights if we just stand by and forget that this is happening. Please stand up.... The change starts with you!!
Please contact me if you are interested in helping. I need action and not just words.
God Bless

my e-mail is quakergruau@gmail.com
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/uganda0303/uganda0403-03.htm Read this article for more info