“My family and I live in fear every day, and every night.”

These were the first words that Grace Nimaro, who grew up in the northern part of Uganda, spoke at the Invisible Children event on Sept. 29, hosted by Student Activists for Africa. She launched into an account of how the Lord’s Resistance Army abducted her cousin when they were young.

“I have no idea if he’s alive or dead, or his whereabouts,” she said, calmly explaining the details of her cousin’s abduction.

She also described how she missed school for two weeks due to depression and a lack of funds.

It was because of Invisible Children that she was able to return to school and finish her education. She graduated in February 2011, mere months before she spoke at Castleton.

“I have a bright future before me, all because of Invisible Children,” Nimaro said.

Nimaro is only one countless people to receive the help necessary to gain independence through Invisible Children.

More than simply providing financial help, they’ve also aided the people of Uganda, southern Sudan, and the Democratic republic of Congo by installing warning towers so they are alerted when the LRA is coming.

Rather than becoming actively involved, they’re giving the people of Africa the means to defend themselves.

Castleton’s Student Activists for Africa club hopes to take on that same role when a select few of them travel to Kenya.

The group plans to aid in the teaching of students, make crafts with children, and help build a boy’s center to go along with the girl’s center that was built recently.

“We’re not just building it. We’re going to teach the people there. We’ll teach them basic skills like cleaning cuts,” SAFA member Brendan Beer said.

“We’re planning on teaching rather than intervening,” Treasurer Lily Derbyshire said.

Samantha Young, the president of SAFA, traveled to Africa prior to this trip and is very excited about the efforts they’re going to be making during their upcoming trip.

“We have a very realistic view of what we’re going over there to do. It’s something we plan on committing to,” Young said.