Jacob Acaye’s presence was both shy and confident as he spoke to an auditorium packed full of University students Wednesday evening.
Acaye is a former Ugandan child soldier, yet his past has not hindered his dream of becoming a lawyer. In fact, his story has put him through school.
With the help of the non-profit Invisible Children, Acaye has been able to fundraise money for his school fees, as well as many other displaced children of Uganda.
Since its film “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” was released in 2003, the non-profit company has been able to transform into a powerful representation of the children it serves.
The movie has been shown across the country for the past few years and has gained a faithful following. The passion to help with the cause assisted Invisible Children’s influence on U.S. officials to help bring peace and a cease-fire to the northern Uganda region.
However, after the peace negotiations with the Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony failed, Invisible Children decided to take a different route with their fundraising.
Invisible Children started the “Schools for Schools” program as a way to help rebuild the lives of Ugandan children.
A student mentor and speaker at the Wednesday event, who went by the name Peace, said providing refugee camps and basic necessities is not enough.
“Education can truly save lives,” she said. ” If you can provide hospitals, then why not doctors as well? If you can build a school, then why not send teachers to it?”
Acaye, Peace, and the rest of the Invisible Children crew have been traveling across the country for the past eight months to share the message and inspire others to take notice of what they can do.
Acaye was featured in the original film, and the organization has been following him since.
When he was kidnapped, he deeply believed fighting was not a way to solve a problem, and his determination and courage helped him eventually escape from the LRA.
When Acaye met the filmmakers of Invisible Children, he told them about his passion to go to school and become a lawyer, but that he did not have the money. So, Invisible Children encouraged him to go on tour with them to raise money not only for his tuition, but for many other children like him who have been displaced as a result of war.
In the fall of 2010, Acaye will be attending college, and though he has been offered several scholarships for U.S. universities, he wants to go back home to Uganda. The conflict has inspired him to fight for social justice.
“There is a lot of division back home,” he said. “I want to work to unify it.”
University student Laurelin Au was moved by the Invisible Children movement.
“It is important to take note that education is the foundation for change in Uganda,” she said. ” You can change a whole generation with education … It is a positive way to save the child.”
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Invisible child finally seen after years of pain
Daily Emerald
April 14, 2010
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