This weekend, Madison restaurants and Memorial Union will participate in a fundraising effort for the children of Uganda and the Invisible Children Organization, capping a week of support for the cause by Madison businesses.
Friday night, Casbah Restaurant and Lounge, 119 E. Main St., will donate 10 percent of drink and appetizer sales; Saturday, Brocach Irish Pub, 7 W. Main St., will donate $1 for each bottle of beer sold; and on Sunday, Memorial Union will show a documentary on Uganda at 7 p.m.
Matthew Sobocinski, the bar manager at the Casbah, said Invisible Children promoted the event very well, so he is expecting a 'great turnout.' He said the Casbah decided to participate two weeks ago and it was a great decision.
Part of a movement spreading across the country, the event is one of many participating in the effort to increase awareness of the struggles of Ugandan children.
The effort began in 2003 when three young American filmmakers went on a trip to Africa. They discovered disturbing conditions in Uganda's refugee camps and captured their experiences in the documentary entitled 'Invisible Children.'
As a result of this documentary, at least seven groups traveling in RVs have embarked on a cross-country mission to raise both awareness and money for the Ugandan humanitarian crisis. 'Think 'Road Rules' with a purpose,' said caravan member Michelle Larson, whose road-trip left Feb. 1 from Green Bay, Wis.
In Uganda, a 20-year-long civil war has displaced more than 1.5 million residents, yet the world community has paid little attention to it.
'Northern Uganda is the largest neglected humanitarian crisis of our time,' a press release said. The release came from UW-Madison junior Matson Contardo, who organized the Madison events.
Over two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army abducted 30,000 to 50,000 children, some as young as 3 years old. In fact, children comprise up to 90 percent of the LRA forces, Larson said.
'40,000 children flee their homes every night seeking relative safety in filthy, congested streets,' Contardo said in the release.
The children, if not already orphaned due to AIDS, must choose between abandoning their families to live in the 'relative' safety of the city or face grave dangers posed by the LRA in local villages, Larson said.
With the fundraising money, Invisible Children hopes to expand student enrollment in Uganda and to provide much-needed jobs and refuge to displaced Ugandans.
