Discover the unseen: Invisible Children
Service is an invaluable part of student life here on campus. The influence of USU’s clubs is felt all over the world, as students donate time, money and energy for the well-being of others. Aggies for Africa is one such a club, an organization dedicated to giving all kinds of different aid in Africa.
“The purpose of the club is to raise funds and awareness for and about various issues in Africa, ranging from kidnapped child soldiers in Uganda to young Malian girls not being able to go to school,” said Dawnica Lauritzen, Aggies for Africa’s president. “We generally meet monthly to plan our fundraisers and touch base with everyone who is volunteering.”
Last year a separate club, the Invisible Children Club, joined forces with and became a part of Aggies for Africa. They brought with them a rather large following of volunteers and an awareness of a unique problem on the rise in Africa. According to the club’s website, www.invisiblechildren.com, the invisible children are child soldiers who are taken from their families at young ages and trained in combat for the warlord Joseph Kony.
“Invisible Children is a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with people affected by Africa’s longest running war,” Invisible Children’s mission statement stated. “We focus on improving the quality of life for the most vulnerable members of the community and raising up future leaders through providing access to quality education, enhancing learning environments and creating innovative economic opportunities within communities across northern Uganda.”
The Invisible Children’s organization does most of its work through media exposure. It’s made several documentaries and exposé-type films to make more people aware and ready to support the cause.
“We have screened their documentaries at the school several times,” Lauritzen said, “and hosted fundraisers and events for their organization. We have written letters to legislators several times, as well, about issues raised by invisible children.”
In addition to raising awareness and providing education for former child soldiers, Aggies for Africa works hard to build schools for under privileged girls.
“For the past two years we’ve been raising money for a nonprofit organization called Mali Rising,” Lauritzen said. “They build middle schools in Ouelessebougou, Mali, where educational facilities are few and far in between, and the girls are usually the ones nominated to stay home and not attend school. It costs $50,000 to build one of these amazing schools, and we have been working hard to raise as many funds as possible for Mali Rising.”
The most important thing to remember about these types of clubs is that they are only as good as the amount of people they have contributing. Aggies for Africa is always looking for more volunteers, which has been made incredibly simple. Student just need to e-mail aggiesforafrica@gmail.com or stop by the Service Center on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center. If students cannot volunteer, they can donate $10 for a T-shirt and help raise funds and awareness by wearing the shirt.
“What the club needs most is volunteers who are willing to help with a fundraiser or even just tell their friends to attend our events,” Lauritzen said. “We just hosted a three-on-three basketball tournament and a mini-golf night that were loads of fun. We always send out invites to everyone on the Facebook group, which is easy to find, named Aggies for Africa. It’s an extremely easy way to stay in the loop.”
Any student out there can become more involved in charity aid for Africa. USU has amazing student groups available to do some good in the world and this is one of them. Volunteer today and change a life, generation and society.
“While leading Aggies for Africa this last year,” Lauritzen said, “I’ve come to realize that these students genuinely want to make a difference. You just need to give them a way to do so. And if you can have fun while you’re at it, then it’s all the better. Another thing I’ve learned is that simply inviting a few friends to a charity event can make a difference in someone’s life across the world.”
– jess.wallace@aggiemail.usu.edu