September Journal

Wednesday, September 28, 2005
GuluWalk October 22

On Thursday, September 29, GuluWalk co-founder Adrian Bradbury will return to his alma mater,
the University of Ottawa, for a discussion on the 'night commuters' of northern Uganda and to
screen a short film about the Act for Stolen Children of northern Uganda campaign. The event will
begin at 7 p.m. at the University of Ottawa's Fauteux Hall in room 227.

The war in northern Uganda has been ravaging its people for nearly 20 years and has gone
largely unnoticed by the mainstream media and the general public. In the past three years alone,
over 20,000 children have been abducted by the rebel-led Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to be
used as soldiers and sex slaves and over 90% of Acholi people have been displaced in camps
that offer neither security nor basic provisions. This war has paralyzed an entire nation with fear,
forever altering families, cultural traditions and way of life for an entire generation.

Children are lucrative resources for the LRA rebels. The atrocities committed against these
children are impossible to imagine: in captivity children as young as seven years old are tortured,
beaten and raped. They are then forced to become rebel soldiers, sexual slaves, porters and
laborers. Some are forced to kill, maim, beat or abduct innocent victims, including family
members and neighbors, or to look on as these abuses are committed. Girls are used as
domestic servants or forced into sexual slavery as LRA commanders' "wives." They are subject to
rape, unwanted pregnancy and the risk of infection, including HIV/AIDS.

Child abduction is clearly a major security concern for northern Uganda. Every night as many as
40,000 children living in rural northern Uganda walk into the town of Gulu and other urban centres
to sleep in relative safety and to avoid abduction by the LRA. Desperately afraid of abduction,
vulnerable children as young as four years old will walk from their homes or displacement camp
to sleep on porches, in school yards or other open areas. These 'night commuters' walk from as
far as 12km away and make the return trek home every single day.

In July 2005, Bradbury and Kieran Hayward conducted their own 31-day 'night commute', the
GuluWalk, in Toronto, ON. Every evening they walked 12.5 km into downtown Toronto to sleep in
front of city hall. After about fours hours sleep they made the trek home at sunrise, all while
continuing to work full-time and attempting to maintain their usual daily routine.

There was a worldwide response to the GuluWalk that has resulted in GuluWalk Day on October
22, 2005, an event that will take place in over 35 cities around the globe.

Bradbury will be joined on Thursday by Kathy Vandergrift, the Director of Policy at World Vision
Canada. Vandergrift is one Canada's foremost policy experts on northern Uganda and is
co-author of the report Pawns of Politics: Children, Conflict and Peace in northern Uganda. The
University of Ottawa's International Affairs Association is hosting the evening.

Along with GuluWalk, Bradbury also founded Athletes for Africa, charitable organization that uses
the profile of sport to raise awareness and funds for sustainable development programs on the
ground in Africa. He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and a former Gee-Gee with the
men's basketball team.

GuluWalk Day is an international civil movement initiated by the efforts of two average Canadians
and their 31-day GuluWalk earlier this year, which aimed to raise awareness and show support
for the 'night commuters' and child victims of northern Uganda's all but forgotten 19-year civil war.

GuluWalk Day is a proud partner of the Act for Stolen Children in northern Uganda campaign. The
Act for Stolen Children of northern Uganda campaign will bring together policy and research
advocates, UN actors, government representatives and NGOs to raise public awareness,
galvanize policy support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, promote justice, and forge a
process for the return, reintegration, and rebuilding of Acholi society post conflict. The campaign
also supports activities such as GuluWalk for stolen children to engage critical mass support and
raise funds for on the ground programs in northern Uganda that directly provide aid and support
to those affected by the crisis. The campaign will act as a catalyst for change by providing a
platform for collaboration among media, policy and research advocates, and civil society, to
facilitate increased awareness of and to increase capacity to respond to the humanitarian crisis
in northern Uganda.

For more information please visit www.guluwalk.com and www.actforstolenchildren.org or contact:

Adrian Bradbury, Campaign Director
2005 GuluWalk Day
adrian@guluwalk.com
416.426.2787

or

Pamela Smith, Media Relations
Act for Stolen Children of northern Uganda
elevatedcomm@shaw.ca
604.787.8872

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Monday, September 26, 2005
SKWID (Skills for Working in Development)

Last night I returned from England where I was taking courses on preparing and delivering
training courses & participatory approaches to working in development. The courses were
interesting and really helped put me into the right frame of mind to head off on my journey.

When I arrived I spent 2 days in London visiting with friends before heading to Harbourne Hall,
VSO's training center, in Birmingham for my courses.

While I was in Birmingham I got to meet Evelyne who is also headed to Nigeria with VSO for 2
years. She will be in Cross River state working as a facilitator for HIV/AIDS community programs.
She is a Canadian who was born in Uganda and has visited back there many times so we had
lots to talk about.

I also got to meet 9 Nigerians who had just arrived from various regions in Nigeria. They are
participating in a new VSO program, Global Exchange. Young people, 18-25, from around the UK
are partnered with the same from a developing country for a 6 month exchange program. They live
with a host family for 3 months in Birmingham doing volunteer work, then do the same for 3
months in Jos, Nigeria. It was interesting to talk to them and learn more about Nigeria. They told
me Ilorin, where I will be living, is a nice city.

On the last night of training we all went out for Balti. It was a great dinner and a lot of fun. The other
participants in the course were volunteers from UK, Netherlands, Wales, Ireland, & US headed to
Philippines, Papa New Guini, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, & Cambodia.
They were all great people and so interesting to talk to. It's amazing all these people are headed
off to help around the world.

So back to the reality that I am leaving very soon. There is lots to get done to get ready and I want
to spend as much time as possible with my friends and family. Sent my passport off today to get
my visa and if all goes smooth it looks like I'll be heading out on the 7th.

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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
National geographic

Thanks to my optometrist I discovered that this month's National Geographic magazine is all
about Africa. I bought both the regular issue and the Adventure issue and they are fantastic! I
highly recommend you go out and buy it. The information will give you insight to the realities of
Africa and help you understand my journey better. There are beautiful pictures and incredible
stories as well as a large fold out map which includes Ilorin, Nigeria, my new home town.

You can also check out the site at: http://www.ngm.com/africa Be sure to enter to win a trip for two
to Tanzania while you are there!