An Influx of Emotion

Things are still trucking along in San Diego. Living in a house with 50 people all getting home at the same time and cooking dinner has become a bit interesting for sure. I work from 7:15am to about 6 or 7pm every night. We are booking our tour which is exciting, but also exhausting. I always remind myself that it's to end a 23 year war that has been going on in Uganda and if we don't do something now it is going to get worse. I'm not working for free...I'm working for freedom of innocent people displaced from their own homeland.

After about 5 failed attempts through peace talks, that really had no backing, there is a realization that 1.) Joseph Kony, the rebel leader of the LRA isn't going to come out of the bush to sign the agreement after he said he would multiple times, and 2.) The U.S. and international communities need to back the effort to arrest Kony and rescue child soldiers. Just from September to now the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has massacred over 1,100 people and abducted 500 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This isn't a problem in only Uganda anymore. It is happening across borders.

Here is part of a report from January 28th that Resolve Uganda (our partner organization) put out:

We now face what is essentially a hostage situation. With Kony’s refusal to sign the peace
agreement and his decision to continue committing brutal atrocities throughout the region, it is
time for the US and international community to get behind a serious effort to attain his arrest.
Without US leadership, it won’t happen. Regional governments lack the capacity to do it on
their own, and the alternatives are to either continue supporting the indiscriminate offensive
that endangers countless LRA captives and innocent civilians, or to seek a return to the
negotiating table without indication that Kony would either sign this time or stop his brutal
attacks.
That’s why we are now advocating for the US government to develop a viable strategy to
apprehend Kony. Our government has the power to see him arrested by committing the
resources and diplomatic leadership needed to develop a targeted military operation that also
involves regional forces, the U.N., and our partners in Europe.
Any strategy to arrest Kony has to be designed to avoid harming LRA captives and civilian
populations. If such a plan succeeds, it will be possible to implement the peace agreement
and convince remaining LRA fighters to return home. Even if he is not ultimately arrested,
developing such an operation could pressure Kony to finally sign and adhere to the peace
agreement.
It is the first step on the straightest path to peace that exists today, and we think that we can
make it happen. But first, it has to be more of a priority for our leaders.
That’s where you come in. We’re going to need every man, woman and child who thinks that
the kids caught in the crossfire of this war deserve a chance at peace to speak up and say
so. It‘s going to require getting this crisis past the political tipping point, from a fleeting
fascination to a permanent priority. Until Kony is behind bars and the kids in this region can
sleep safely, we have work to do. There is no one else and no other way. Peace is still within
reach.

My team and I did our first screening for charter school high schoolers today. It was so much fun getting to show them media about what students just like their selves can do to change our world, especially Northern Uganda. I realized this is why I am doing what I am doing. I want to educate, advocate, and experience other people going through life change, realizing they can do something to change our world. It makes me excited.

Thanks everyone for all of your prayers and support. I couldn't do it without you.
Love and Peace-Shannon