Event Resources
Though it may seem a little intimidating to go to these meetings, you'll soon realize it's easy to do, and can make a big difference.
Or, click here to download an mp3 recording of the leaders conference call from Friday, August 10th to hear presentations from experts on the current situation in Uganda and with child soldiers around the world, as well as a Q&A section. For a list of the links and facts referenced in the call, click here to scroll to the bottom of the page.
Here are the instructions:
- Introductory letter
- Knock, Knock 101
- Background reading
- Tips for getting media coverage (download only)
- Print-offs with further information to leave behind (download only)
Dear fellow northern Uganda advocate,
Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for not only your concern for what’s happening in northern Uganda and the plight of exploited children around the world, but your willingness to back up that concern with action.
By taking part in this local lobbying initiative, you are directly sending the message to your leaders that you’re keeping tabs on what they’re doing, or not doing, to help bring peace to northern Uganda and put an end to the use of child soldiers. When you knock on the door of your local representative and meet them face-to-face, you’re moving us closer to a peaceful resolution to the 21-year war in northern Uganda and at the same time, advancing the notion that our politicians’ actions should reflect our concerns.
During the week of August 13-17, advocates from around the country will all be carrying the same message of hope and the same demand for action to their policymakers. And here’s exactly what we’ll be asking for them to support:
- A peaceful resolution to the war in northern Uganda, and
- An end to the use of child soldiers everywhere.
With ongoing peace talks aimed at ending the war in Uganda moving closer to success and legislation that would restrict military funding to countries who use children as soldiers currently before Congress, the timing could not be better to bring these messages home.
The information included in the rest of this packet will give you a better understanding of how you can expect the meetings to go and everything that you need to do to get ready for them.
So thanks again for willing to give up part of your summer vacation and make a contribution to securing a peaceful future for children around the world. Your efforts are making social justice an actionable part of U.S. foreign policy, an achievement that extends far beyond your contribution to long overdue peace in northern Uganda, and are demonstrating that the real power for change lies not in Washington office buildings, but in local communities.
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Alison Jones, Director of Advocacy for Resolve Uganda
Everything you need to know about your lobbying visit – start to finish.
Q: What do I need to do to set up the meeting?
A. If you signed up to join a delegation, then you don’t need to do anything. We’ll be in touch with you and let you know the time and place of where your meeting will occur. If for some reason you can’t make it, you can consider setting up your own meeting at another time, or doing it when it works best for you.
If you signed up to lead a delegation, then we will send you the contact information for your local congressional office, and you will need to call them to set up the meeting time. You’ll report back to us the details, and we’ll then let everyone in your group know where the meeting is and when they need to be there.
Then, everyone will meet at the designated office and enter the meeting together. It’s important to be on time.
Q: What should I wear?
A. It’s important to show the member of Congress or staff person that you meet with that you are serious about your concern for northern Uganda. Therefore, we encourage you to dress up and avoid jeans and t-shirts.
Q. What do I need to do to prepare for the meeting, and what should I bring?
A. The only thing you need to do to prepare for the meeting is read through the materials in this packet, try to remember the two key messages (read below!) that you’re sharing, and print out the documents at the end of this packet to leave behind with the person you meet with. If you want, you can also bring a copy of Invisible Children or anything else you think that you could leave with the person. Remember, you’re doing something great that will help advance the cause of peace for the people of northern Uganda.
We have also included resources in this packet to help you spread the word through your local media about what you are doing. You don’t have to do this, but it sure helps raise awareness about the war in Uganda. Especially if you are going to the meeting with a school, church, or other group, this is worth considering.
Q. Who will my group be meeting with?
A. Some groups may be able to arrange meetings with their member of Congress in person. But don’t fret if this isn’t possible. If your member of Congress isn’t available to meet, you’ll meet with one of their staff people who advise your member of Congress on this issue. That person may know a lot about the war in northern Uganda, or they may have never heard of it before. Either way, they’ll report to their boss the results of the meeting.
And everyone is nervous for these meetings, so don’t worry about it! The most important thing is that you are showing your elected representatives that you care about northern Uganda, which is all the impetus they need to do more about it. If you don’t feel like you said exactly what you wanted to say, it’s nothing to worry about.
Q. Who will talk in the meeting, and what will be discussed?
A. Each meeting will be different, so it’s impossible to say exactly. But generally, here are a few tips.
- GROUP INTRO: The leader can introduce the group, and the purpose of the visit (being two-fold, supporting peace talks in Uganda and an end to child soldiers).
- INDIVIDUAL INTROS: Each participant can then introduce themselves, where they are from, and why they are interested in the crisis in northern Uganda.
- DELIVER THE MESSAGE: Then, someone (perhaps the leader) should deliver the two key messages (see next question) about what exactly you want their office to do to support peace talks and an end to child soldiering.
- LET THEM TALK: The person you meet with may want to tell you what they know about the issue, and what their office is already doing about it.
- THANK THEM and HAND OFF MATERIALS: At the end of the meeting, be sure to thank the person you meet with, and if you haven't already, to hand off the leave-behind materials. Then inform them you will be in touch with their office to follow up.
The meeting should last between fifteen minutes and an hour. After the meeting, you can all walk outside and discuss how it went, and someone should report back to the organizers your feedback for posting on the website.
Q. What is the key message to get across?
A. There are two key messages that, if nothing else, should be shared during the meeting. The first is that you want them to call the State Department and ask that they increase their support for the ongoing Juba peace negotiations. The second is that you want them to co-sponsor and support the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007. For more details on this, read the leave behind materials at the end of this packet, particularly the one titled “U.S. Action for Peace in Uganda and an End to Child Soldieringâ€. If you memorize anything before you go, memorize that one page!
Q. What do we do afterwards to follow up?
A. Following up is one of the most important parts of these meetings, as it sends the message that you’re still watching to see if they’re doing what you requested. The organizers of Knock, Knock will be in touch with you about how to follow up. But basically, we’ll ask you to make one more phone call to the office you met with, and ask whether or not they have done what you asked (remember, YOU are THEIR bosses, because they rely on the vote of you or your family or your friends to stay in office!).
It would also be great if at least one person in the group could write up a quick report on how they thought the meeting went and what happened, and email it to alison@resolveuganda.org along with any photos that are taken. We'll post them on the website!
This is what you need to read to prepare yourself for the meeting you attend. It lays out the basic facts of the issues that are important, and explains why we’re advocating for support for peace negotiations and an end to child soldiers.
Northern Uganda: Increase Engagement of the Juba Peace Talks
After two decades of neglect, peace may finally be on the horizon for the people of northern Uganda. Current negotiations between the Government of Uganda and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) present the best opportunity yet to achieve an end to this war, which has displaced millions of people and condemned generations of children to lives of insecurity violence and fear. But international support and engagement is urgently needed to ensure a peace agreement is reached and to address the longstanding consequences of displacement and insecurity. Having long overlooked the conflict, our leaders can now show decisive leadership to support the people of northern Uganda in their unwavering desire for peace.
The Consequences of War
The toll of this crisis has been massive, not only on the people of northern Uganda, but also on the surrounding region. The LRA is currently wreaking havoc in three countries, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and causing widespread instability. The Ugandan government’s strategy of moving northerners into “protected villages†has turned into a displacement nightmare for 1.7 million people – over 80% of the region – who now live in squalid camps and lack access to basic resources. According to recent reports, 1,000 people are dying each week as a result of camp conditions. And children are the primary victims. One-half of those displaced are under fifteen years of age. Tens of thousands of children have been abducted by the LRA. And for many years, upwards up 40,000 children “commuted†up to two hours every night to sleep on town streets to avoid abduction.
Attempts to Resolve the Conflict
Last summer, the Government of South Sudan agreed to mediate peace talks between the warring parties, a development widely hailed as the best opportunity for peace since the war began in 1986. In August, a breakthrough ceasefire brought relative calm to the region for the first time in years. Yet, negotiations have remained fragile due to lingering mistrust and a lack of international support to keep the parties at the negotiating table.
Role of the United States
Given this unprecedented opportunity for peace, the United States has a critical role to play in building confidence and supporting the negotiations. Despite this potential, the U.S. Government has remained largely silent. For the Juba Peace Process to succeed, it will require that U.S. politicians overcome this legacy through serious engagement. That’s why we’re asking for the U.S. to support the negotiations diplomatically, and make sure that this opportunity for peace is not lost.
*For further information, feel free to visit www.resolveuganda.org/get-informed
Support for the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007
One of the most shocking aspects of the war in northern Uganda is the forced abduction of children into the ranks of the rebel LRA. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not limited to northern Uganda. Children all over the world are exploited in armed conflict.
Child Soldiers Today
Today, thousands of children are serving in armed conflict in 20 countries around the world. These "child soldiers" include boys and girls, sometimes as young as eight years old, serving in government armies, government-linked militias, and armed rebel groups like the LRA. They serve in all aspects of contemporary warfare--as spies, messengers, guards, cooks, porters, security officers, and too often, as front-line combatants. Many female child soldiers are forced to serve as sex slaves or "wives" of military commanders.
Of nine governments worldwide implicated in the recruitment or use of children as soldiers, eight receive US military assistance, including Uganda. The government of Uganda has been found to accept children into its own military. Many of these children are former LRA combatants, who are recruited into the Ugandan army after escaping rebel captivity.
The other countries found to be recruiting children as soldiers include Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, and Sudan. The U.S. government provides military assistance to these countries in ways that range from small amounts of funding for military training to hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons, training, and military financing. U.S. tax dollars should not be used to support the exploitation of children as soldiers, and U.S. weapons should not end up in the hands of children.
Building U.S. Support for an End to Child Soldiering
The Child Soldier Prevention Act is bipartisan legislation that would restrict US military assistance to the governments described above until they end any involvement in the recruitment or use of child soldiers.
This bill will provide clear incentives for governments currently implicated in the recruitment and use of child soldiers to end this practice. It also encourages the United States to increase its funding to rehabilitate former child soldiers and to bring to justice rebel armed groups that kidnap children for use as soldiers.
Many members of Congress don’t even know about this important effort yet, which is why it is so important that you bring them this message, and express your conviction that children should never be soldiers.
*For further information, feel free to visit www.child-soldiers.org
TIPS FOR GETTING MEDIA COVERAGE (DOWNLOAD)
WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU (DOWNLOAD)
- Report on northern Uganda released this week by the Enough Project
- State Department, and the State Department's Uganda Human Rights Report
- Additional information on child soldiers from the Center for Defense Information, Human Righs Watch, Amnesty International, and World Vision