In high school, we did a project on getting people aware of worldly issues going on. One of them was the crisis in Uganda. After learning about it and becoming more educated on it, I have always wanted to learn more and find out what I can do. Here is a link to an article summarizing what has been going on in Uganda: http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=100
When I read articles about this issue and hear the devastating stories, I feel hurt and hopeless for these children. I wish I could go and help every one of those families. It’s also ironic to me that the LRA dislikes the government of Uganda because they feel the government is bad for the Ugandan people. The LRA thinks training and making children rebel against the government will help the situation. When in reality, in my opinion, is only leading to killing more and more innocent lives. It really makes me sick to my stomach that this is going on every day, while some of us are in a free country and are not thankful for what we have. I really want to do something for this country and I hope that people can become more aware of what is going on in other parts of this world.
How do you feel about this issue and what do you think as Americans we can do to help these people? Do you think this will ever be or can be fixed?
Do you think there will ever be change and prosperity in the 3rd world countries who are suffering? Explain.
1/21/09
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Reading this article and hearing of this issue for the first time made me feel many different things at the same time. At first I was sorrowful for the children in Uganda that are being abused, then I was angry towards the people that think this is something they can get away with, and then I was grateful for being an American, because instead of learning to shoot a gun at age eight I was playing soccer.
ReplyDeleteThis is the type of issue that Americans should be involved in fixing, but of course we come from a country that loves money and power. The war in Iraq is all about money and power. This issue will sadly probably never be looked at by the American government because it's not something that affects us directly. World war II affected us because we were on top and the war actually pulled Americans out of the Great Depression.
The violence in this 3rd world country may never be fixed, these problems seem to get worse before they get better. The Uganda issue has been going since the 1980s, hopefully this issue has gotten worse and will soon find peace. As the United States has recently found out, sometimes the best thing is too listen to George Washington and stay away from conflicts outside of our own homeland.
The situation in Uganda is unfortunate. As Americans this is not a problem that hits home for us and therefore, it is not on our list of priorities. Should it be? Why is it assumed that this is a problem that only the great U.S. can fix? I'm not sure if there is a solution, as far as what America can do. I think that sometimes things just need to run its course. Even America had a Civil War, not that I'm comparing the injustice these children face to that. As far as if there will ever be change in third world countries, I think that it is possible if we all band together as Humans. If we all put our selfishness aside then it may be possible to collectively come up with a solution.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to one possible "solution":
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1226297,00.html
I agree with the comments above! Third world countries are often over looked by Americans. Therefore, those third world countries receive little to no help from Americans. There are many ways to make donations to help children in third world countries. One example that I frequently observe is commercials that provide 1800 numbers where you can give donations. However, majority of these commercials are ignored for one reason or another. I’m not very optimistic as I would like to be about this problem being fixed. This problem has been taking place for years, and I highly doubt that it has gotten any better.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine the atrocities that these children have had to live for. Fearing constantly that they will be taken into servitude, whether it's becoming a soldier is or a wife, is not the kind of life a child should have. While America does have its own problems to deal with and other countries that we are involved in, we cannot overlook this tragedy. I want to say that there is an obvious solution to this problem, but I am unable to think of one. Could the American government barge into Uganda and demand that they give these children a childhood? Should we send a peacemaker over so that there would be no need for soldiers, especially not children? We may all read this article and think to ourselves how monstrous it is that these children must act so far beyond their years, I agree with Brittly's comment about how this problem might not get fixed in the near future. It would take a miracle for the LRA to realize the terrible nature of its actions against the children of Uganda.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick note: if you're interested in learning more about the issue Jeanne has raised, I recommend a fantastic book called "What is the What," which was co-written by one of the so-called "Lost Boys" of the Sudan. You will not be able to put it down, I promise.
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