There are two philanthropic worlds.

There is the world of $400-a-plate charity dinners, galas and old-money board members.   And then there is the world of Invisible Children.   Invisible Children is an organization established to help the children of northern Uganda, a region that has suffered through civil war for 21 years. It is an organization specifically directed toward American teenagers.

Invisible Children began when three college students from California traveled to Africa and discovered the story of the children of northern Uganda, displaced by the civil war or forced to fight in it.   The organization has grown since the film. Now that there is hope for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in northern Uganda, Invisible Children has shifted its focus to rebuilding the region.

Schools for Schools is an international campaign that brings together students from across the world to raise money to rebuild and supply schools in northern Uganda.   "The goal of Schools for Schools is to build adequate schools for these kids, schools with desks and running water and books with the binding still intact," said senior Meghan Dhaliwal, a member of SPFHS's own chapter of Schools for Schools, founded this year by juniors Paul Spicer and Zac Chapman.                                

Schools for Schools is an Internet-based organization - donations are made online, visitors can track the organization's progress in real time and schools can post fundraising ideas right on the website (www.s4s.invisiblechildren.com).   The website connects the 13,208 students involved in the program by showing the school in Uganda that each chapter supports and the different projects at each school.   SPFHS Schools for Schools is raising money to construct a perimeter wall for the Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School.            

Schools for Schools' reliance on youth   and the Internet is part of a larger trend in charity.   Some new charities focus on creativity and enthusiasm, raising awareness in addition to funds.   "I don't think there is a definite answer to why Invisible Children is run mostly by youth. What I do know is that we have passion in our hearts and that's what matters most," said freshman Lauren Berk, who helped bring the cause to the high school when she spoke at an Amnesty International meeting last year.

The Internet has made the world smaller, allowing you to buy books for a school in Uganda one minute and sign your name to a digital petition the next.   You can see evidence right here at SPFHS with the Schools for Schools organization.   The importance of young people and the connection potential offered by the Internet have stimulated a charitable revolution, and you can be a part of it.