IF ANY UNI students entered Friday's United for Uganda assembly unfamiliar with the plight of Ugandan children, they left better informed not only of the problems but of the ways they can help as well.

The assembly, held in Uni Gym from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m., was the latest in a series of multicultural events sponsored by the school this year. UFU, the group in charge of the assembly, is a Uni student organization that originated two years ago to increase awareness of and raise money for the “invisible children” of northern Uganda.

Thousands of these children, members of the Acholi tribe, were abducted during the country's civil war by one of the armed factions, the Lord's Resistance Army, and forced to fight or serve as sex slaves.

Last year, UFU raised nearly $4,000 for the invisible children via two lock-ins. The first lock-in of the current school year — for juniors and seniors — began Saturday night at 9 and will continue until 8 this morning.

At Friday's assembly, UFU members Shara Esbenshade, Eunice How, Marika Iyer, and Sheri Grill provided an overview of the situation in Uganda, which also includes a rise in the number of children whose parents have died of AIDS. The members showed brief video clips that illustrated the problems.

But they also made sure that the assembled students and teachers heard about some of the more hopeful developments in Uganda. That was the topic that guest speaker Deb Adams addressed.

After an introduction by history teacher Bill Sutton, she discussed Come Let's Dance, an organization that her son is involved in and which UFU is now supporting through fundraising events such as this weekend's lock-in.

"Come Let's Dance is a grassroots organization created by young people," Adams told the audience. "They are trying to get young people motivated into one person at a time changing the state of Africa. So they have many different programs, and they are involved in many different projects.

"They're really about building community in Uganda and taking kids that have potential, that have the desire to learn, and sponsoring them and getting them into education and higher education and making sure they have meals and food and provisions and clean water and just helping this community of kids, not just the kids who are orphaned."

UFU members wrapped up the assembly by announcing that March would be "UFU Month." It will kick off with a hip-hop benefit featuring Ugandan-born rapper Krukid. A date and location have yet to be finalized, but UFU members said the benefit would likely happen in late February or early March. The venue will probably be the Independent Media Center in Urbana or the Channing-Murray Foundation on campus.

In addition, UFU will sponsor two movie nights during March. The first film will be the documentary "Uganda Rising." The other film will probably be "The Constant Gardener," a 2005 movie starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz about a corrupt pharmaceutical corporation doing business in Kenya. Both screenings will be free and will take place at Uni. Dates and times will be announced.

Finally, UFU will sponsor a personal sacrifice campaign throughout March. Anyone is welcome to participate by giving up something they like — such as a daily cup of coffee — and donating the money they would have spent on that. A prize will be given to the person who raises the most money through their sacrifice.