Lynbrook High School raises money for Ugandan schools

Lynbrook High School’s Facing History and Ourselves Club has launched its second annual campaign to raise money for impoverished schools in Northern Uganda. They will once again be working through an international relief organization called Invisible Children that builds schools and provides scholarships for poor and orphaned children who would otherwise not receive an education.

Representatives from Invisible Children joined club members, who organized a schoolwide assembly to kick off this year’s fundraising campaign, and to expose students to the plight of a generation of children in Northern Uganda who had been kidnapped and forced to fight in their country’s civil war. Through a video presentation, students were introduced to a child called Opwonya Innocent, who grew up as one of his country’s many “Night Commuters”—children who were forced to travel miles each night to sleep in safe camps to avoid being kidnapped by rebel forces. At the end of the presentation, students received a special surprise. Mr. Innocent, who is now grown, appeared in person to thank them for their support of Invisible Children, the organization that made it possible for him to complete his secondary education. Now that the civil war has ended, he looks forward to 2016, the year he will be eligible to be elected to his country’s Parliament.

Invisible Children is a volunteer organization dedicated to spreading international awareness of the plight of the war-affected children of east Africa through the creation of documentaries and numerous other initiatives at home including scholarships, the rebuilding of schools, and microeconomic, health and educational programs. LHS students will be working all year, selling T-shirts and bracelets, and organizing other fundraising activities to help Invisible Children continue its work. Last year they raised $2,000 and collected more than 7,000 books to help this worthy cause.

The Facing History and Ourselves Club engages students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. Club members meet weekly to discuss important issues that affect people in the local and global communities. Each year they choose a different cause to champion, raising awareness and money to fight social injustice. Students work under the supervision of club advisor Laura Calderon.