Invisible Children aims to educate individuals about the war in Uganda and inspire activism through media. It provides scholarships and mentoring to students in northern Uganda who cannot afford education. Donations support the Legacy Scholarship Program, which helps 590 secondary and 195 university students through tuition, supplies, and mentoring. The organization is made up mostly of Ugandan staff and volunteers who work to understand community needs and prioritize rebuilding schools, providing jobs, and developing future leaders.

1. Invisible Children Lydia Prochmann

2. Our Mission Through the use of media, we document the lives of children caught in the middle of the war in Uganda, hoping to educate and inspire individuals to use their voices for change. We want to transform apathy into activism.

3. About Us Spring of 2003, three young men from Southern California, who were filmmakers, went to Africa in search of a story but discovered a tragedy that inspired them to make a change. When they returned to America they made a documentary called “ Invisible Children: Rough Cut”, which exposes the realities in North Uganda.

4. About Us It first was shown to families and friends but now it has been seen by MILLIONS and their response has been, “How can we help?”. Invisible Children was created to answer this question by giving individuals and effective way to respond to the situation.

5. What We Do We are story tellers. We use the power of the media to inspire young people to help. We are young citizens of the world making a stand for justice. We are making a DIFFERENCE!

6. Community Needs PEACE! End the 23-year war in Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU). 1.8 million have been evicted or curtailed from their own homes by the government and been put in the overcrowded Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps hoping to provide protection. People within the camps struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation. Access to clean water, economic opportunities, health centers, and education are a distress for all, and even more so for the people who consider returning to resource-barren villages. Invisiblechildren.com

7. Community Needs The LRA’s troops resorted to abducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks because of the lack of support. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children. Since September of 2008, LRA attacks have become more frequent and aggressive, provoking military action against the rebel group. Invisible Children remains committed to find a solutions to sustain an environment that encourages peace even though the LRA’s motives have become more dubious and their crimes more deadly. Invisiblechildren.com

8. Legacy Scholarship Program Provides scholarships and mentoring to 590 secondary and 195 university students from Gulu, Amuru, and Pader districts who cannot afford the costs of education. Develops the leadership and life-skill capacities of promising students. 100% of your donations go to the Legacy Scholarship Program.

9. Inputs We are comprised of a “tireless staff, hundreds of full-time volunteers, and thousands of students and supporters.” Our staff contains 95% Ugandan which helps us understand and prioritize their community needs. In the Legacy Scholarship Program, each scholarship requires different needs and financing depending on the “specific cost of tuition, books, supplies, boarding, transport, mentoring and necessary logistical costs.” Because of the specific financing, donations are combined with other donors to meet the financing needs.

10. Process We focus our programs around long-term development within the community. We seek to rebuild schools, educate future leaders, and provide jobs. Schools for Schools is a way to donate and help out the children in need of education. All of the money goes to building the children's schools and buying them supplies. The children accepted into the program receive a full paid, merit-based scholarship and mentoring from one of ICU’s full-time mentors.

11. Process LSP mentors are thoroughly trained before they are able to work with the students such as “psychosocial support, child protection, trauma counseling, and guidance counseling.” Each mentor is allotted one student to build a personal and professional relationship with them. The mentors “ensure academic accountability, encourage scholastic success, foster leadership skills, and provide parental and career-oriented guidance for each student in the program.” Secondary Student Stats · 45% of students are girls; 55% are boys · 91% of students are orphans—44.9% are partial orphans, 46.1% are total orphans · 26.1% of students are orphans because of HIV/AIDS · 23.9% of students are orphans due to war · 5.5% of students are members of child- headed families · 4.3% of students are child mothers · 13.7% of students have been abducted by the LRA at least once Invisiblechildren.com

12. Outputs As of right now, we employ 24 mentors and each mentor works with around 30 students. Each student gets a monthly visit to their home and school from their mentor “to ensure that the student receives the full support needed to seed their personal and academic success.” When problems arise at home and in school the mentor takes action right away and helps explicate to the student how to cope. When students achieve any kind of accomplishments their mentors take notice, congratulate, and speak words of encouragement. The mentors don’t just help children but adults and teachers as well and provide them with information and ways to be positive role models in their lives.

13. Outcomes In 2007, a program was set up to provide students with scholarships who were successful as LSP students. “ 195 students are receiving scholarships to pursue either a diploma or a bachelor's degree, at prestigious universities such as Gulu University, Makerere University, Kyambogo University and other tertiary institutions.” Invisiblechildren.com

14. How You Can Help You can go to our store and buy our products such as apparel and purses. You can also buy bracelets hand-made but the people in Uganda and when you purchase a bracelet you receive a story of the person who made it. You can donate to our Legacy Funding Program

15. How You Can Help Join TRI which is a monthly commitment in the hope of bringing Joseph Kony’s soldiers home. Or give a one time gift

16. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Action Our program promotes critically thinking because we are giving the children scholarships, building them schools, providing them with mentors to learn and change the world but for them to do that they have to read effectively and learn effectively. These children have such a drive to be successful because of their lives and they want change and we are helping them do so. To learn and relearn and to retain the information they are given, they have to practice what they are learning.

17. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Action They have to problem solve effectively and to become knowledgeable of what they are learning. To improve their critical skills they have to monitor their thinking process and correct mistakes. They need to switch between cognitive and metacognitive . They learn how to use these skills in everyday life.

18. Shuttleworth Foundation Inspired that it is the people who change the world. Look for social innovators who are helping to change the world for the better . Fund individuals/leaders who are making a social change. Invisible Children believe that if the children in Uganda get the help and education needed they could change the world. Invisible Children are trying to bring an end to the war by educating the children and bringing it to the worlds attention of what is going on in Uganda.

19. Shuttleworth Foundation “ hope that by freeing up 100% of a persons time to follow their dream, it will become a reality.” Needs funding to continue the help within the communities of Uganda. The dream and mission of Invisible Children is to bring peace in Uganda.

20. Invisible Children: Rough Cut This is a documentary that exposes the tragedies in Uganda. This is what started our organization and this is how we made it known to the world what is going on in Uganda. Most people have heard about Invisible children whether it was from our DVDs, clothing line, purses, and bracelets you’ve heard of the name.

21. Personal Connection I remember clearly how horrified I was when my church presented Invisible Children: Rough Cut. It almost brought my to tears to know that people had to live this way. It motivated me to make a change and stop the terrible horrors in Uganda.