Coastal Carolina University students have raised $11,119 for Schools for Schools, a national aid program that raises money for schools in Northern Uganda. The money will benefit the University's sister school, the Awere Secondary School, which is located in a war-torn region of the country. More than 2,000 high schools, colleges and universities around the United States participated in the Schools for Schools program and raised nearly $1.08 million.

The fundraising effort to aid education in Africa was prompted by the University's recent "Big Read" program, which requires freshmen to read Ishmael Beah's, "Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." Beah's personal account of his war experiences as a child in Sierra Leone made students aware of the need for improved education in undeveloped countries.

Freshmen, as a part of their First Year Experience course, held bake sales, raffles in the community and yard sales to aid in the collection of funds. In addition, several local restaurants joined by giving a percentage of their sales to the cause. Their efforts have raised more than $9,000.

"This is a great opportunity for Coastal Carolina University to be an advocate for human rights," said Trevor Arrowood, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), "and to help give these children an education that they desperately want and deserve." SGA held screenings of the movie "The Invisible Children" and co-sponsored "A Global Night of Commute," an all-night peace rally.

Schools for Schools addresses the need for improved learning environments and a larger investment in higher education. The organization is rebuilding 10 of the most promising secondary schools in Northern Uganda. The idea in rebuilding these schools is to help prepare the children for their future and future of their country.