Brenda’s birthday celebration may not have involved cake, ice cream or candles, but it was a special day nonetheless.

A social sciences major in the Legacy Scholarship Program (LSP) and a former Invisible Children (IC) roadie, Brenda could have chosen any number of ways to celebrate her day. But instead of celebrating with her friends from the university, she decided to spend the afternoon serving the community in her village. She called up another former IC roadie, David, and made a plan with him to clear away the bushes that had grown up around the water source used by most families in her community.

This spirit of community service was something they said they learned from the experience as roadies in the US. “We learnt that with giving and using the skills we have, we can serve the community,” Brenda said.

They plan on encouraging others to come on board and serve their people in any way they can. “Who are we not to do good by sacrificing for the community in which we live?” David added.

The next batch of roadies will be heading to the US shortly, to bring their stories and knowledge of northern Uganda to audiences in the US, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico (book a screening here). They also hope to be inspired with new ideas when they return to Uganda so that, like Brenda, they can bring change to their own communities.

Brenda identified a need in her community, and with the help of a friend set out to make a difference by clearing the tall grass from around the neighborhood water source.