Write A Letter

Members of Congress respond to every letter they receive from their constituents. The more letters that come to their office about what's happening to children at the hands of the LRA, the more likely they are to start paying attention and do something to protect them. That's where you come in. Putting pen to paper is absolutely one of the best things you can do right now to help bring peace. Here's how:

Click here to use our Congressional Scorecards to find your Member of Congress and get their contact information.

Then:

• Keep it simple: Make sure to clearly articulate what specific action you would like your member of Congress to take. Doing this can help make sure that your letter gets into the right hands and also makes it a lot easier for you to then hold them accountable.
• Keep it short: It is best to keep letters of this nature under one page.
• Keep it sincere: The more personal your letter is, the better. Your representative wants to know why this issue is important to you and a personal connection to the issue increases the likelihood that he or she will respond.

Here's some sample text you can use (or click here for a sample letter):

Dear _____________________________,

I am writing today to express my concern about the atrocities being committed by the Lord's Resistance Army and to ask you to take immediate action to protect children from their attacks and bring peace. For more than two decades, all attempts to end the LRA insurgency have failed, leaving war-affected communities to suffer the devastating consequences of widespread displacement, abduction, and death.

Not limited just to northern Uganda, the violence has now rapidly spread into neighboring areas of southern Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, destabilizing the entire region. But with your action, a sustainable resolution to Africa’s longest running war is within reach.

Much greater investment, both financial and diplomatic, is needed to bring an immediate end to this violence and achieve peace.

I therefore hope you will:

1. Pass legislation aimed at ensuring long-term U.S. support for the comprehensive reconstruction of northern Uganda, authorizing at least $35 million in new funds for each of the next five years; and
2. Ensure the Administration leads multilateral efforts to address the continued threat posed by the LRA.

I hope that we will be able to work together to help make peace a reality for the children being victimized by this war. I look forward to your reply.

Thank you,