Lobby Day for Northern Uganda February 24-26, 2008 Washington, D.C.

Fellow group member, Jenny Smith, Jessy Pratt, and Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO).

"After two decades of neglect, peace may finally be on the horizon for the people of northern Uganda. Current negotiations between the Ugandan government and Lord's Resistance Army 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 unsettled by 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, policymakers can now show decisive leadership to support the people of northern Uganda in their unwavering desire for peace." (Text taken from http://www.ugandalobbyday.com/about.html)

Who Cares? LLC founder, Jessy Pratt, traveled to D.C. with her sister for this event. We were able to view an incredible documentary our first night there: War Dance (http://www.wardancethemovie.com/). We spent the second day in various groups to educate ourselves about the issues in Uganda. The third day, we hit Capitol Hill with fellow concerned citizens from Uganda, including Eric Glustrom and Katherine Conway of Educate! (http://www.educateafrica.org/index.htm) Our goal was to encourage Members of Congress to take action towards the situation in Uganda.

Here’s an article about the Lobby Day in World Vision News online: http://www.worldvision.org/news and also on their blog: http://wvus.blogspot.com. My sister and I met with World Vision’s Assignment Editor Laura Reinhardt for the interviews and pictures. Thank you Laura!

Jenny Smith and I in front of the White House.

What is the What?

Valentino Achak Deng and Jessy Pratt at local coffee shop in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Dave Eggers's What Is the What is the novelized autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, from his pre-war life in southern Sudan to his resettlement in the United States. (Text taken from website: http://www.valentinoachakdeng.org/)

Who Cares?LLC founder, Jessy Turnell, had the privilege of meeting Valentino Achak Deng while he made a visit to a local coffee shop. He shared some experiences and answered questions from the audience. Mr. Deng was a great speaker, who showed his wonderful personality to be very loving and forgiving. He talked about the power of forgiveness and how it has made an impact in his life.

Please visit his website at http://www.valentinoachakdeng.org/. His foundation, the VAD, is working in Southern Sudan to develop communities, helps Sudanese who have relocated to the U.S., and works on advocacy for Sudan.