[Peace-discuss] United For Uganda

[Shara Esbenshade]

Dear friends,

I am emailing you to invite you to join United For Uganda as we have
finally been able to open up into the community. We will no longer be only
within Uni High, where United For Uganda (UFU) was formed. UFU will now
meet on campus in room 205 Gregory Hall from 4-5.30 pm on the second and
fourth Saturday of every month. Our first meeting will be a week from this
Saturday, on April 28, although many of our members will be out of town
for Displace Me in Chicago (more info at www.invisiblechildren.com)

UFU's website is www.uni.uiuc.edu/~eford1/ufu and hopefully we will be
able to post information there about meetings, etc. If you are interested
in hearing about UFU's future events but would not like to be part of the
group, email me back and let me know. If you would like to be on UFU's
mailing list which will include planning emails, just reply and let me
know.

This past school year most of our events have been fundraising and
awareness raising events at Uni High. We have recently joined the project
called Schools For Schools directed by the Invisible Children (more info
at s4s.invisiblechildren.com) and at the end of the year our nearly $4000
in funds will go to help develop the Layibi Secondary School in Uganda. We
have also held awareness-raising events in the community- flyer days, film
screenings, and one very interesting panel. Several members of the club
are doing independent studies about Uganda and as a group we try to keep
up with the news and developments in Uganda.

Our goal now, however, is to step up the education aspect of this group.
We have done a good job raising money and in my opinion that is important,
but UFU was originally started to educate ourselves, our peers, and our
community about the situation in northern Uganda. Understanding is crucial
to making real change. Hopefully as we expand into the U of I community
and draw in other high school students, we can work on that aspect of this
- panels and teach-ins and films and research.

Hopefully we will see some of you at our next meeting (Sat. April 28
4-5.30 pm Rm. 205 Gregory Hall). Please tell friends and bring anyone who
is interested- you are all invited. Pass the word around. Thank you,

Shara Esbenshade
United For Uganda