So, I just arrived home from the ‘Real Faces of Kony 2012’ seminar held at UTS. What a privilege to hear from two very courageous women, Alice Achan and Polline Akello. They both shared their stories as survivors of the LRA conflict in Northern Uganda and their current advocacy work in rehabilitating, educating and empowering other young women, child mothers, former girl soldiers, LRA abductees and sex slaves.
ALICE ACHAN – personifies (in my view) what people (especially young women) should see in a role model. She started the CCF Pader, a grassroots not-for-profit organisation responsible for the Pader Girls’ Academy. Her views resonate with my beliefs on the power of education:
“Knowledge is power. Education is the tool to get out of poverty, to fight population growth, reduce stillbirths, reduce maternal and child health problems. Child rearing should not be a reason for a woman to miss out on an education”
POLLINE AKELLO – a young woman not too much older than me, abducted from her village at the tender age of fourteen, was one of Kony’s wives and escaped after years of captivity. As a natural-born leader, she graduated as Head Girl from the Pader Girls’ Academy and is now completing her university law degree. When answering the question ‘What do you plan to do with your law degree?’ she absolutely blew us away with her passion to be a driving force in pursuit of equal rights for women as a Human Rights lawyer.
The conflict in Uganda may be over, but the country is now left to pick up the pieces in a war-torn and destructive state. There are a plethora of problems. Poverty is rife. Women are being more marginalised than ever. Women and children are being raped by members of the community. Maternal health. Little opportunity for the women to provide sufficient care for their children. The list is endless.
Now – the question lies on what we can do – as students, young professionals, #twentysomethings, people interested in human rights advocacy work. How can we channel our genuine, well-intentioned desires be part of the solution to the problem on a practical (and sensible) level void of the ‘slacktivism’ and ‘white saviour’ rhetoric, as criticised in the Invisible Children – Kony 2012 Campaign?
This reality-check and hit of inspiration couldn’t have come at a better time – amidst the final assessment/final semester of university flurry, #twentysomething career anxiety and the other #firstworldproblems.
Just to finish off, all I can do is reignite this thirst for learning, so please join me, dear friends:
Go to these events.
Read a book.
Watch a documentary.
Meet new people.
Engage in dialogue.
Learn something new.
Be inspired.
Take action.
the little wanderlust 