It's official...

(Image borrowed from Andrewsteven's flickr album under creative commons license)
Photo of Gulu from the air

I sent my first check to Invisible Children today. The travel agent finally came through with our booking. We will be flying out of JFK on Emirates air on the evening of June 21. Now that we have our tickets, the reality of this trip to Gulu is setting in. I have yet to make all of my medical arrangements, but will be jumping on that horse soon. I will also be submitting program fees by the end of the month. Speaking of which... Invisible Children has sent me the list of people who have donated to my cause, and I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. If you are still considering sponsoring my trip to Gulu, you can make a donation through the link to the left; or, you can still send your donation directly to the program. Here is how to do that:

Checks should be written in the following manner:

Pay to the Order of: Invisible Children
Amount: (big money, big money, no whammies!)
Memo: T/EX- Matt Michelin

The "T/EX-Matt Michelin" is very important. If it is omitted, the donation goes to the general charity (which would not be a bad thing either). Checks should be mailed to:

Invisible Children Inc.
Mission/Teacher Exchange
2705 Via Orange Way Ste B
Spring Valley CA 91978

(Image borrowed from Mike Todd's flickr album under creative commons license)
Photo of Gulu High School and Invisible Children Project box

I also have some good news about the school supplies drive that I will am running. I have received a donation or two from some awesome individuals at my other blog (Supply Uganda). The Amnesty International club at Rolling Meadows High School has pledged a donation to the Supply Uganda Fund, and I will be working with our Amnesty International club here at Hersey to raise awareness and possibly raise some funds as well. You too can be a part of this awesome effort to improve the quality of education for some fantastic (I'll tell you if I find out otherwise) children in Uganda. You can find instructions on making donations to this cause on the Supply Uganda Blog. (http://supplyuganda.blogspot.com)

Quick Update

The peace process is looking better in Uganda. There has been a tremendous amount of back and forth between President Musevini and Joseph Kony's negotiating team since the deadline was again extended (this time until March 28). Kony has verbally agreed to sign the final peace agreement in person. Hopefully we will see that come to fruition. Musevini has been in the UK talking with delegates from the International Criminal Court (ICC) pleading with them to drop the International charges against Kony and his top advisers. Kony has said that he will only sign the agreement if the international charges are dropped. He has, however, agreed to being tried in a special court in Uganda that follows traditional means of allowing victims to seek justice. Also, it has been decided that the attacks that occurred in the Sudan several weeks ago that had been attributed to the LRA were actually committed by another group. Though the LRA has been accused of several attacks since (including recently abducting 80 people in the Central African Republic), this sheds doubt on many of those claims. With all of the progress in Uganda, I am trying to stay optimistic. Here are a few articles detailing the advancements in the peace process:

Museveni remarks excite LRA rebels (New Vision)
Uganda offers "blood settlement" to LRA rebels (Reuters)
Museveni rejects Hague LRA trial (BBC News)
Uganda's LRA Rebels Welcome President Museveni's ICC Comments (Voice of America News)
Uganda’s LRA rebels abduct 100 children in CAR-report (SomaliNet)
Uganda: Sudan Reluctant to Hunt for LRA Rebels (AllAfrica.com)

Best,
Matt