Pictures of my village (Ikotos)

Virtual tour of Southern Sudan

Alright, well I'm not going to lie, this virtual tour made by the World Food Programme is kind of boring, however there are some good scenes of Southern Sudan. So check it out if you want to get a feel for where I'll be living.
Click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjL0sL8tShU

War Dance...the children's story

Okay, I know that these blog entries are starting to look like a mini you tube site, but here is one last video. It shows the stories of some of the children from Gulu (N'n Uganda) who are preparing for a National dance competition. Its a very moving film. I suggest you watch it. These stories are not that far off from the children of Sudan that I will be teaching. One more update: my coordinator in Ikotos says that the people in their mid-20s, who have spent their entire lives in IDP or Refugee camps, are suffering from severe apathy. They have no hope and show a lot of bitterness towards the government. Please pray for those folks. I now see a venue well-suited for me to work in-- part-time from teaching.
Enjoy the video:

Video journal

This is a video journal from Bobby Bailey, one of the founders of the Invisible Children Organization which promotes ending the civil war in Northern Uganda. Bobby lived for 2 weeks in an Internally Displaced Persons camp as a DP would actually live. Watch his first journal:


Journal 2:



Journal 3:

Displace Me video

Hey everyone, for those who were and weren't at the Displace Me event, here is a you tube video made by a church in Ohio that I extremely enjoy for its artistic features as well as its docuementorial qualities.

Breakfast

This Friday I am having a fundraising breakfast for the teachers at my school. Many props to Martins Grocery store for supplying free bagels for the event. At the breakfast teachers will eat doughnuts/bagels and watch my 5 minute powerpoint presentation and learn more about what I will be doing in Sudan. I'm excited for the teachers to hear about the situation in Sudan and how important education is all over the world. I'll add to the blog for updated information after the event.

For the most recent news to the north of where I'll be, here's an article from today's BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6632959.stm (Don't worry, I will be VERY far from here...imagine the eastern U.S. and Darfur is in Michigan and I'm in Florida...yeah that far).

Displace Me

This weekend is a big event for the lives of Ugandans and for our nation. Starting Saturday afternoon thousands of people are participating in "Displace Me." In a city near you, those people, you could be one of them, will recreate an Internally Displaced Persons camp. The purpose for this is to create empathy in those who participate. Empathy for the children and mothers and fathers who live in "IDP" camps in Uganda. The other mission of the night is to let the government know that we the people gotta help end the war in Northern Uganda! Could you live on nothing but a ration of a little raw grain and a jerry can of water? Can you imagine having to starve as you wait for the next UN or USAID ration arrives? I know that I would neither like that nor would I want to go through that pain. So why is it okay for Africans to feel that pain. To live that pain? Are they a lesser people? Are they somehow deserving? BY NO MEANS! Where you live and where you were born should not determine whether you live or if you are born.
So, this weekend, see what it is like to sleep under a cardboard box and to hunger a little. VISIT Invisible Children to find out more information about which city you can attend the event or to know more about the issues of Northern Uganda.