A Fight for Rights in Uganda

By Broadside News Editor Asma Chaudhary

On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Uganda Help, a club formerly known as Invisible Children, held their first official meeting in the Women’s Center. The meeting was relocated to Johnson Center Room 240K, instead of the JC Meeting Room C on the third floor. More than a dozen students were in attendance to discuss the current situation in northern Uganda.

The meeting began with a brief quiz about an African region, which demonstrated the knowledge that students had about the situation.

Co-chair Maryam Sodeifi discussed a few past events, including Displace Me, which inspired the event titled, Displace Mason and also Open Mic Night, which were both organized by Invisible Children.

“We created Uganda Help because we wanted to work with more groups so that we can spread our resources by including Amnesty International and Resolve Uganda,” said Sodeifi, a sophomore sociology major with a minor in Women and Gender Studies.

Students viewed a brief movie trailer from the 2007 film, War Dance, which follows Ugandan children interested in entering a national music competition.

The Academy Award nominated film is expected to be shown on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in the JC Cinema. Currently, there is not a confirmed plan to charge students and faculty for viewing the film, however, a system may be set up for donations. The film will also be co-sponsored by Amnesty International, which has a Mason student chapter led by President Erin Neff.

“We are off to a fresh start and we are only as strong as our members are who can promote and spread the word,” Sodeifi said. “It is also refreshing to know that members understand the issue.”

Also, the group discussed a campaign titled, Schools for Schools, which holds competitions to encourage different schools across the United States to raise money for children in northern Uganda.

According to their Web site, “The money is used to bring people clean water, books and supplies, help train the teachers, and rebuild the schools foundations.”

With a certain amount of schools combined into a cluster, that collaborative effort will raise funds for a particular school in Uganda. The group currently raised $2,445.50 for Samuel Baker elementary school, which placed Mason as No. 10 out of the cluster.

“We are the exception that our generation is considered apathetic,” said Justin Fogata, a junior communication major with a concentration in politics and persuasion.

In addition to viewing the film, students may visit ResolveUganda.org for more information.