To our supporters,

We are so encouraged by the signatures we've received on this petition!  It means so much to us that you are supporting us in this journey.  

This is indeed a journey.  For me (Angie Vredeveld, the founder of RISE, the US-based nonprofit that partners with HOCRAM, the Ugandan-based nonprofit founded by Linneti Kirungi), the journey started in 2014.  As I presume is the case for many of you, I had never heard of acid attacks happening in Uganda.  I started by helping one survivor and then, once back in the US, received requests to help more, and more, and more.  I kept saying yes, which is how I ended up the founder of a nonprofit.  I say 'ended up' because I had no particular skills in nonprofit management or advocacy.  I just followed my instinct to help and did my best with the resources available to me. 

On behalf of the RISE and HOCRAM teams, we invite you to be part of this journey with us.  We are small teams who do this work as volunteers.  The task ahead of us- getting the Ugandan Parliament to pass a law- is a big one but we're determined to see this through. We're going to need help and that's why we're inviting you to join the Facebook group called Journey for Justice for Acid Attack Survivors in Uganda.  We just created this today, so if you don't see much material yet, that's why.  But in this group, we'll be sharing photos and videos of the work we are doing in Uganda to get this law passed, including meetings with survivors, hospitals and police across the country.  You will also hear from many different acid attack survivors in Uganda.  

I really hope you will join!  It would mean so much to me and to my acid attack survivor friends to have you walk alongside us in this.

- Angie