MHS students lobby Congress for peace talks

St. Tammany News

While most area students were busy preparing for the typical school day last week, two seniors from Mandeville High School were meeting with Sen. Mary Landrieu in Washington D.C., lobbying for Congress to encourage the United Nations to support peace talks and reconstruction in northern Uganda.

Part of a nationwide movement promoting peace in the African country, particularly the destitute school system in the northern region of Uganda, Rebecca Davis and Johannes Oberman traveled to Washington D.C. after they got involved with the nonprofit organization Invisible Children.

They learned of the 20-year war occurring in the northern sections of the country between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government that has left 200,000 people dead and nearly 30,000 children abducted and forced to participate in the LRA.

"We're involved with the chapter at our school to help raise awareness and use fundraisers to raise money to be used for school children and pretty much people of all ages in Uganda," Davis said, adding MHS has collected $5,000 but students are continuing their efforts to raise more money.

The students joined eight other students from St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge last week in D.C., where they united with 800 other lobbyists from across the country with the hopes of getting a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon signed by members of Congress and the Senate. The letter urges Ki-moon to "press for more diplomatic and material support from the UN in Juba and northern Uganda."

Davis said after addressing their first goal of getting Sens. Landrieu and David Vitter to sign the document, Landrieu agreed to meet with them.

"Meeting with Landrieu opened up a lot of doors for us," she said. "She has such a big heart and was willing to help us out. I feel like we learned so much."

Landrieu became a supporter for peace in Uganda after traveling there in 2004 to witness the suffering first-hand.

"The international community must step up to the plate, and our Louisiana students are pushing to make that happen," Landrieu stated in a press release. "The students rightly pointed out that it is the United Nation's responsibility to get more involved, which is why I was proud to sign the letter they brought me."

The students also lobbied Congress to dedicate $25 million for the reconstruction efforts. Davis said future plans include more fundraisers at the high school and to also begin an Invisible Children chapter at the college she attends upon graduation.

Just before the students traveled to Washington, the Ugandan government and LRA signed a permanent ceasefire in Juba, but talks will continue until a permanent disbandment of the LRA materializes.