February 28, 2009

Itinerary...

With my first payment due date approaching, I figured that it was about time to share some more trip details...and then ask for your money.

My Itinerary for the Exchange
June 12--Last day of school--Woo Hoo!
June 13--Depart Chicago for NY, switch planes, Depart NY for Uganda
June 15--Arrive in Entebbe UG (after a layover at Heathrow in London)
June 16--Drive many hours on dusty and VERY bumpy roads to Gulu Uganda and rub my buns to try to regain some circulation
June 17-19--Orientation and Workshops
June 20-July 24--Observing, Planning, and Teaching at School sites.
July 25--Begin making our way back to Entebbe with a stop in Jinja to tempt fate on the Nile, and a stop in Kampala for one final celebration dinner--shisha anyone?

We have not received our official placements yet, though I do anticipate working more closely with Amy Cordileone on research projects this year. My guess is that this will keep me nearer to Gulu. I do, however, plan on making a trip out to Pabo to visit with old friends from last summer's trip.

Now comes the beg for money part...

On March 1st, I will be making a payment of $2000 dollars to Invisible Children. If you are able to help support my service in Uganda, you can make a donation by doing the following:

1. Use a credit card by clicking on the link to the left titled "Chip-in." You won't be able to make a tax deduction, but you do get the distinct pleasure of seeing the little thermometer go up a bit ("It's getting hot in here"...but only if you help).

2. Send me a check made out to "Invisible Children." I will send this check in with a future payment and you will receive a receipt from IC for next year's taxes. My address is

Matt Michelin
104 Burr Oak Ln Unit B1
Schaumburg, IL 60193

3. Send a check directly to Invisible Children. Make sure that on the memo line you write "T/EX-Matt Michelin" Send the check directly to Invisible Children. You will also receive a tax receipt if you use this method.

Invisible Children
Mission: Teacher Exchange
1620 5th Ave, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92101

4. If you are not a check writing person (but still want a tax receipt), then try donating with your credit card! Donations may be made by calling Invisible Children directly at 1-619-562-2799 or faxing your CC information to 619-660-0576. If you use this method, please ask for Cara Pryor and mention my name and that I am a part of the teacher exchange. Cara will be making sure that all funds are documented and managed appropriately.

Thank you to everyone who has already donated! I have collected just over $1000 towards the trip so far because of your generosity!

Stay tuned for more fund raiser maddness...St. Judes Dolls, dinner party, summer celebration, auctions and raffles... If you have any other fund raiser ideas, or would be willing to make a donation of an item to be included in a raffle at a later date, please contact me through the e-mail or comment link below.

Thanks,
Matt!

February 26, 2009

Uganda Update

It has been a while since I posted last. Unfortunately, there have been few major developments in Uganda's hunt for Joseph Kony and the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here is the most recent update from the Invisible Children website:

Ugandan Army to End Operations in DRC
After two months of hunting Joseph Kony’s rebel army through the remote jungles of Garamba Forest in the DR Congo, Uganda will end the deployment of its forces to the region leaving United Nation peacekeepers and Congolese troops to hunt the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and to protect civilians. “Operation: Lightning Thunder,” the joint offensive a multi-national force against the LRA, has been the target of sharp criticism in recent weeks as the civilian causalities, which many experts believe a reaction by the LRA to the “Lightning Thunder,” have grown to an estimated 900 Congolese civilians in the four months alone. These developments come as African leaders have begun to call on western governments to directly take part in arresting Joseph Kony and end the atrocities of the LRA in eastern Congo. Archbishop of Sudan Daniel Deng told officials in the United Kingdom that the governments of the United States and the UK should support and participate in efforts to “bring (Kony) to the book” as Kony’s capture seems beyond the abilities of regional governments. The Rwandan government began to pull their forces out of DR Congo over the weekend of February 21st.

UN Secretary General to Visit DRC

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, will visit DR Congo this week will to meet with President Joseph Kabila, leaders of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Congo and with the victims of the recent displacement and sexual violence in eastern Congo. On February 19th, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated that 15,000 Congolese are externally displaced in South Sudan, 150,000 Congolese are internally displaced within DR Congo while another 900 civilians have been killed by violence perpetrated by the LRA. UN spokesperson Hassan Yusuf gave a dire depiction of the growing internal displacement crisis in the region telling the international press corps, “we have seen the worst in recent months, seeing thousands of new refugees both externally and internally.”

To read this post in its original format, click here

Though there have been few recent news reports (Some take this as a sign that the LRA has been unable to make any progress in their escape and rebuilding efforts), Newspapers today are reporting that the LRA is moving even further into the heart of Africa based on attacks committed in the Central African Republic. We will all have to sit back and wait to see what happens when Ugandan troops pull out of the DRC. Let's pray that some resolution comes to this situation soon.

February 3, 2009

It's that time again...SHAMELESS SOLICITATION!!!


If you haven't already guessed it, I'm going Back to Africa! Uganda (and the fantastic people I met there) treated me so well the first time that there is no way I couldn't return (though the pleading of my parents and girlfriend weren't easy to ignore)! My trip last year (please browse through my archived blog posts for all the dirty details...) provided me with the opportunity to work with teachers in the northern part of Uganda on exchanging and developing curriculum, strategies, and practices that addressed the unique needs of schools in the north. I spent most of my time in Pabo, the largest Internally Displaced Persons camp in Uganda, and returned to Gulu on the weekends for training and workshops (and the ocassional game of volleyball) led by the awesome charity Invisible Children. I am not sure where I will be stationed this year, but will fill you in on all the details as I receive them.

Now for the real purpose of this post...MONEY. My trip last year wound up costing a little over $6000. Through your generosity, I was able to raise a little over $2000 towards the expenses, spending about $4000 on travel, program fees, and other expenses. This year, I have set the goal a bit higher--I would like to try to defray as much as $4000 dollars of the trip--but I can only do that with your help.

I know, I know. You must be asking yourself, "Gee, How can I help such a decent (and modest) guy get halfway around the world to work with teachers and admistrators on developing practices to elevate the quality of education in northern Uganda?" Well, don't fret. The answer is simple. Show me the MONEY!!

There are several ways to donate this year. First, I am running a ChipIn donation event. Any time you donate through the link below (or on the upper left hand side of the blog) you will have the distinct pleasure of watching the temperature rise on the donation thermometer. Whoopee! How fun! You can make donations with a checking account or credit card. If you donate this way, it is not tax deductible.



If you want to be able to take a deduction on your 2009 taxes (sorry, too late for this year), then try one of these super easy methods!

1. Write out a personal check to Invisible Children with my name in the memo. Give it (or send it) to me. I will submit this check with my portion of the payments, and you will receive a receipt from Invisible Children

2. Mail a check directly to Invisible Children. It MUST be addressed as follows (or your donation will go directly to IC, which wouldn't be a bad thing):

To: Invisible Children
Mission: Teacher Exchange
1620 5th Ave, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92101

In the memo line of the check, you must write T/EX-Matt Michelin
or the donation will not be credited towards my account.

3. If writing a check is too much of a hassle, then try donating with your credit card! Donations may be made by calling Invisible Children directly at 1-619-562-2799 or faxing your CC information to 619-660-0576. If you use this method, please ask for Cara Pryor and mention my name and that I am a part of the teacher exchange. Cara will be making sure that all funds are documented and managed appropriately.

Fianlly, if you haven't yet subscribed to my blog yet, then please do so. I'll be updating about the situation in Uganda, my fund raising efforts, and eventually, my experiences in Uganda. The best part of it all is that it's FREE! My blog posts will be delivered to your e-mail box any time I add an update! You can enter your e-mail address in the box to the left, or subscribe below. And for Pete's sake, tell all of your friends about this fantastic opportunity!

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Again, thank you for all of the support as I prepare to return to Uganda. Your help makes all of the difference in the world to me (and hopefully a bit of difference for the people of northern Uganda too).

Best wishes to all!
Apwoyo Matek!
Matt Michelin