Blog Updates and inspiration

Conversations around the LRA conflict are often focused on atrocity, abduction, combat, and defection; but there is a critical yet relatively sidelined issue that has been the backbone of all efforts towards sustainable peace in central Africa and reconciliation in Uganda: Amnesty. Uganda’s amnesty policy is what guarantees that when Ugandan LRA surrender, they can […]

The following information was obtained through Invisible Children and on-the-ground partners. We are working to gather more information on these events and are sending members of our team to get the full story: + November 11th at Duru, DRC: A 15-year-old boy, who was abducted by the LRA five months ago from Aba, DRC, escaped. He […]

The red-roofed buildings of Keyo Secondary School are situated high on a hill with a sweeping view of the surrounding scenery. It’s a peaceful atmosphere – making it hard to believe that the school was forced to leave its campus as a result of the LRA conflict not long ago. Keyo is a classic example […]

Leonard Oloya was seated on a bench underneath a large jackfruit tree. His grandparents sat on either side of him and all three were engaged in conversation with Richard Mark Ochaka, Leonard’s mentor from the Legacy Scholarship Program (LSP). Just last week, one would not have found Leonard at home. Instead, he was sitting for […]

After two years of no reported LRA attacks in South Sudan, the rebel army raided two South Sudanese communities between November 5-7, killing two people and abducting at least 12 more. These are troubling developments in an area long thought to be rid of LRA violence. We are taking immediate action and need to raise up to $30,000 within 3 days in […]

The seamstresses at Mend have been engaging in an emotional literacy lessons called Knowledge of Behavior and Self (KOBS). KOBS is intended to empower the ladies with a better understanding of themselves and their relationships with others. Since all of the women at Mend were affected by the LRA conflict during their adolescence and early […]

I love TED Talks of the self-help variety that force you to reexamine your life and then motivate you to be a better person. Simon Sinek‘s talk, “How great leaders inspire action,” falls under this category indirectly. Drawing on economical, biological, and sociological evidence, Sinek traces the simple yet profound strategies that famous leaders like MLK, […]

UPDATE: The first matching campaign for #zeroLRA was gone in just under three minutes. WOW. Here is a quick breakdown of who made up the $10,000: Laura Shkouratoff – $534 Monica Scanu – $102 Kristen Pedley – $5,000 Hayley Bengston – $50 Brenna Murphey – $529 Domenic Fish – $55 Nikki Gates – $50 Erica […]

I am now more than two months into my trip from Oregon to Patagonia, a full month into Mexico. We made it down the Baja peninsula but not without pain. The stretches of desert without towns or villages or visible life were emotionally exhausting. The heat and stress for water and food were not the […]

“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” –Steve Prefontaine Ambitious doesn’t begin to describe it. After speaking to Scot DeDeo, a 33-year-old software engineer from Belmont, Massachusetts, I’m never again going to use the excuse of being too busy to commit […]