Ben Franklin students aid Ugandan children
A two-month-long after-school project about the war-torn country of Uganda made some Ben Franklin School students grateful for the comforts and family one could easily take for granted. Guided by a handful of Uniontown Area School District teachers, more than 50 Ben Franklin fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders since December learned about the culture of the African nation and its nearly two-decades old war.
Students created clay and wooden ornaments, Christmas cards and paintings and, through the sale of their artwork, raised more than $850 to benefit war-affected children. With community support, the fund-raising total was brought to $1,603.19.
All proceeds from the event benefited the Invisible Children nonprofit organization through its Schools for Schools program, and the Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Uganda. The all-boys boarding school has 745 students, 90 percent of whom are displaced, and a student to teacher ratio of 55 to 1, according to fourth-grade teacher Tara Dunham.
Through a moving, yet graphic documentary, the project’s culminating event locally brought to light the reality of the situation in Uganda, where a 17-year-old war continues to be waged. An estimated 200 people were in attendance.
Students, some of whom watched the entire film for the first time at the event Thursday, said the experience opened their eyes to another way of life besides their own.
Fifth-grader Sarah Parker said the lesson on Uganda made her feel grateful for the food, clothes and shelter she has at home.
“They have a lot less and I’m thankful for what I have,” said Parker.
Fifth-grader Rachel DuBreucq agreed, adding, “I’m thankful for a lot more. I now realize how much more we have.”
Rachel’s mother, Miya DuBreucq, said her daughter’s experience was definitely beneficial.
“It’s amazing,” DuBreucq said. “(The students) realize there’s a whole other world out there. A world unfortunately where children are abducted, without homes and forced into war.”
Stephanie Roberts, also a fifth-grade student at Ben Franklin, said she cried during the part of the movie where a little boy wept after revealing to filmmakers his brother was killed in the war.
Roberts said she couldn’t imagine being without her sibling. Eye-opening parts of her learning experience, she said, were realizing the difficultly of life for some children and the sheer number of children who are pressured to fight in the war.
Fourth-grader Alison Batovsky, whose teacher selected her as a student announcer for the event, said the project was a good opportunity to learn about how other people live.
“I wouldn’t want to be without my parents or siblings,” she said.
According to the film, rebel soldiers abduct children between the ages of 5 and 12 and train the boys how to use guns to kill.
The footage amateur filmmakers Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole captured moved to tears several people in the audience and also made them appreciate what they have.
“It’s sad,” said Ben Franklin student Holly Guthrie. “It makes me think about all I have.”
Poignant images showed thousands of black children sleeping huddled together in a common area, sharing blankets; pictures children drew of rebels bloodying civilians by shooting them with large guns; civilians holding signs proclaiming “Stop the War” and “Stop the Abductions”; and a child breaking down and crying after revealing his brother was killed.
One child said in the film that he used to go into the forest to eat mangos without fearing the rebels. He said he’s unsure where a good friend of his is, whether he’s dead or alive and he wants to go to America because “it looks so nice, like in the video.”
Another child said he had nothing but the clothes on his back and he’d rather die than stay in Uganda.
Journalists, a historian and a member of parliament told the filmmakers “the children are above fear, that fear is an understatement.”
The children have witnessed horrors, according to the film.
The documentary said some children grew up in “the bush” or the desert where the rebels train them to kill and have never gone to school. They know only violence, the documentary reported, and have witnessed other children shot and killed.
Children who escaped to refugee camps are without a home or their parents, and most didn’t have enough medicine or clothes, according to the documentary.
“They wanted our address so they could come to live in the U.S.,” the filmmakers said.
Despite the adversity, the children of Uganda are resilient, according to the documentary. The film showed the children dancing and singing even though they face serious challenges and grave consequences as a result of the conflict.
Some of the country’s civilians used the film as a vehicle to ask America to incite the Ugandan government to end the 17-year-old war – a war for which, according to the filmmakers, there is no end in sight.
Fund-raising Update
Since last week’s final fund-raising event, Ben Franklin School has neared its goal to raise $2,000 to contribute to the construction of a perimeter wall for the Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Uganda. The latest report showed the fund-raising total at $1,603.19.
Teachers who helped organize the local event thanked the community for their support.
Dunham said, “We have been receiving donations from people that were inspired by the documentary and wanted to do more. …We are so pleased to receive such a positive response.”
In one example of community kindness, Dunham said one of her former students, now in ninth grade at the high school, sent a letter about how she was moved by the presentation and decided to donate $70 from her work money.
Because of the community who supported the cause, said teacher Kate Webster, the children of Uganda are now visible in Uniontown.
Donations are being accepted until Friday. Any donations received after then will go toward the Invisible Children general fund.
To donate, visit http://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/school/ben-franklin. For information about movie screenings, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.