History was made last week as the European Parliament hosted an LRA-focused forum attended by local leaders from LRA-affected areas of central Africa, European human rights organizations, U.S. human rights organizations — including Invisible Children — and Invisible Children activists from across Europe. Representatives from the European Union (EU), African Union (AU), and United Nations (UN) also participated in the event to discuss current efforts to address the LRA conflict and to listen to the perspective of local representatives from the affected region.
Fifteen of Invisible Children’s most dedicated activists from across the continent to participate the event, entitled The LRA: Where state security and human security meet. The activists, who hailed from Poland, England, Belgium, Holland, Scotland, Germany, and France, all made sacrifices of time, money (and sometimes sleep!) to get themselves all the way to Brussels in order to show leaders in Europe that they are committed to a world with zeroLRA.
Invisible Children activists with Mariya Gabriel (EU Member of Parliament), Abou Moussa (UN), and Rosalind Marsden (EU).
In addition to meeting with top officials in the European Union, United Nations, and African Union, the activists had a chance to hear directly from from local community leaders representing LRA-affected communities of DR Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and northern Uganda. Together, the local community leaders and Invisible Children activists called on international governments to take action that will not only help end LRA violence but also ensure that affected communities are able to recover and rebuild.
Invisible Children’s own Lisa Dougan and Jolly Okot were also part of the event and had the opportunity to meet these impressive and dedicated European activists. Lisa and Jolly encouraged the group to continue to amplify the messages of the local leaders that they met in Brussels, as they returned to their home countries.
We’re confident that we haven’t seen the last of these remarking Invisible Children activists — and we’re counting on leaders like them to make sure European governments help achieve #zeroLRA.
Meet our European Activists:
Aqsa Hussain // England // 20 yrs old
She worked as an office intern with Invisible Children in San Diego until being called to the road a few weeks into the fall of 2012. She learned about IC from KONY 2012 in her hometown of London – cried with her dad, shared it, loved it, doubted it, researched it, and decided to apply for an internship while in China during her gap year. She still has friends who give her a really hard time about “working for a scam,” but her confident personality welcomes adversity as she takes every opportunity to educate her friends. She’s now studying Biology and International Relations in Amsterdam with an interest in public health.
Nicki MacGregor // Scotland // 19 yrs old
This girl traveled 20 hours by bus in order to arrive at 12:30 for lunch on the day of the event….then hopped back on the bus and rode 20 hours home immediately after. Learning about IC in 2009, she has tried to contact universities and host screenings, but has been shut down time and time again. Her bank account is still bruised from traveling to the States twice in one year to attend MOVE:DC and the 2013 Fourth Estate Leadership Summit, which she says were two highlights of her life. Her tenacity is actually unrivaled.
Maja Howgate // England
Maja is a mother of two who heard about Invisible Children through KONY 2012 and knew there was a lot more to it than just a documentary. She has been to the DRC with her church a few times and witnessed firsthand the effects of poverty and distress produced by the LRA. She’s very excited to take the news of the conference back to her community and hopefully host a few screenings at her church.
Malou den Dekker // Holland // 17 yrs old
Living near the Holland/Belgium border, Malou attends high school at the International School of Brussels. She learned about IC through KONY 2012 and joined her campus club immediately after. Now, with help from her friend Charlotte, she has started a club focusing on general social issues and is excited to use that as a platform for spreading the word about European advocacy for IC.
Abraham den Dekker // Holland // 16 yrs old
“Bram” was a last-minute addition to the team and a great contributor to our discussions. He learned about KONY 2012 through his sister Malou and was excited about IC doing something that the European activists could participate in. He was our youngest advocate at the event.
Willemijn Louise de Wit // Holland // 22 yrs old
A native of Amsterdam, she spent one month living at a family-run orphanage in Nansana, Uganda, where her host family had directly been affected by LRA violence. She did not know very much about Invisible Children at the time but promised her Ugandan family that she would do something to help end the situation when she returned home. She is currently studying in law school and is completely committed to stopping Kony’s reign through #zeroLRA.
Jakub Soroko // Poland // 21 yrs old
Jakub’s walls, Facebook page, conversations, and future plans are filled with Invisible Children. Learning about the conflict through KONY 2012, he wasted no time creating his own initiative and movement to promote awareness in his community. Having been so active on Facebook, he caught the attention of the IC office and his name quickly became known among office interns. One of his greatest wishes came true when he met Jolly Okot at the conference in Brussels. Jakub is hoping to intern for us in the near future.
Camille Marie-Regnault // France // 23 yrs old
Camille saw KONY 2012 when her American friend sent it to her right before it went viral. She has spent the last year liking and sharing every Facebook and Twitter post that she can get her eyes on regarding the LRA conflict. She says her friends are tired of seeing her IC posts, but she refuses to stop spreading the message. She is committed to being a part of the European IC movement and bringing #zeroLRA to her community in France.
Tabitha Buchner // Germany // 22 yrs old
Tabi learned about Invisible Children three and a half years ago through another organization called Falling Whistles. She often felt alone in the fight against human rights atrocities and didn’t know what more she could do all the way in Europe. She said the past couple years were difficult without any close fellow supporters, but Tabi’s perseverance paid off as she was able to attend the 2013 Fourth Estate Leadership Summit in Los Angeles this year. She said the Summit changed her life and re-inspired her to get her German community on board with zeroLRA.
Aline da Silva Voos and Tiago Pereira Voos // Brazil + Germany
This beautiful married couple from Brazil has wanted to get more involved with counter-LRA efforts since first learning about the conflict a few years back. They have maintained awareness through following Invisible Children’s activity online and reading news stories. They are especially excited about participating in the European Parliament conference because they just relocated to Germany and have a community they are determined to include in #zeroLRA efforts. The dynamic duo will surely be an integral part to maintaining European momentum.
Charlotte Richardson // American (kind of) // 16 yrs old
Charlotte looks Swedish, lives in Holland, goes to high school in Belgium, and is a U.S. citizen although she has never lived there. Her strange cultural experiences have led her to be the perfect leader at her International school of Brussels, where she is also in Malou’s social justice club. She says that she often receives negativity from people who know she cares about IC, but she just points out the facts about the conflict and leaves it at that.
Brit Kees // American // 25 yrs old
This undercover European is a familiar face among many in the IC world. Known to everyone as “Kees,” she is an IC alumni who happened upon the conference while backpacking through other parts of Europe. She’s originally from West Philadelphia (born and raised), but her impeccable timing has been wonderful and led her to Brussels at the right time. She currently continues to venture across the continent spreading happiness and #zeroLRA awareness to every person she encounters.
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