By Erica Schneider
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s Invisible Children Club recently raised their collective voices about the longest running war in Africa by remaining silent for an entire day.
Beginning April 24 at 9 p.m. and ending on April 25 at 8 p.m., participants refrained from speaking to help the cause. Club members partnered with other volunteers across the nation to bring awareness to the use of child soldiers in the violence in Uganda.
The 25th anniversary of the rebel war waged by Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army was April 25, 2011. The nationwide event, “Break The Silence,” was an attempt to bring attention to the genocide occuring in central Africa.
“The purpose of the event is to bring awareness to the fact that there’s a war going on that involves thousands of young people,” Invisible Children vice president junior Riley O’Connell said. “We remained silent on the 25th for those who don’t have a voice, mainly the children.”
Students who participated in “Break The Silence” were required to raise a minimum of $25 for the event.
Mira Costa’s Invisible Children Club is a small part of a much larger community of volunteers and supporters who are attempting to shine a light on this neglected humanitarian emergency. The long-term goal of the organization is to help an entire generation of children to finally live in peace and to have a brigther future.
“Every day, children in Africa are abducted from their homes and forced to become child soldiers; our club is making the effort to stop this,” president senior Sylvia Hartley said.
The Invisible Children Club has been on campus for several years and currently has 25 active members. Hartley and O’Connell have worked this year to raise funds with the help of other students.
In addition to their participation in the “Break the Silence” event, club members sold shirts around campus in order to publicize the cause and educate students about the suffering occurring in Uganda.
“Not only are we helping kids in Africa who are forced to live through some of the most brutal civil wars, but we also learn a lot about the lives of the kids that we help, and I’ve learned that they are not that much different from us,” junior Kate Kious said.
Mira Costa’s Invisible Children Club meets on Thursdays in room 46. Those interested in joining should attend a meeting or contact Hartley or O’Connell. More information on the war in Uganda and Invisible Children can be found on the website, www.invisiblechildren.com.
“Invisible Children club a is an amazing way for high school students to get involved in something that is far greater than anything they are used to,” Hartley said.
Leave a Reply