Local woman returns overseas to help children

As a student at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., Michelle Staggs majored in theater and minored in health care missions.

Even before she graduated in 2007, the minor had become the major.

Staggs, also a South Aiken High School graduate, participated in internships in Ghana and Tanzania. Earlier this year she completed work with a Christian youth hostel-based ministry in Amsterdam, assisting homeless people and refugees from Iraq, Iran, Rwanda and other countries.

After a few months in Aiken, Staggs will return overseas next month for a five-month assignment with the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, which is working to help severely disadvantaged and displaced adults and children in war-torn northern Uganda. Staggs will serve on a team in Great Britain and Ireland, educating people about the plight of the Ugandan families.

She has the possibility of landing an internship later in 2009. Her initial appointment with Invisible Children is not a paid position, and Staggs is seeking contributions to help her with living experiences.

Her eventual goal is to return to Africa to aid the development of improved health care and meet other needs for people in poverty.

"The internships were life-changing experiences," said Staggs. "It was my first time out of the country and getting exposed to other cultures. We are so blessed here with so many opportunities. For those who don't have such chances, I want to give them a voice."

At the youth hostel, homeless persons and refugees could spent a month there, providing cleaning services in exchange for room and board. Staggs helped supervise their efforts while also sharing the gospel and assisting them through their transition to the Netherlands. Some refugees who were well educated and had been forced to flee their countries are now trying to start over and get through language barriers.

The organization Invisible Children may sound familiar to Aiken residents. In recent years South Aiken High School teacher Sherry Shipes and 2007 graduate David Neira coordinated projects to create awareness about the nonprofit organization. Staggs actually learned about the program in Amsterdam when staffers stayed at the hostel while doing outreach activities in the city. After returning to Aiken in June, Staggs hosted a group of Invisible Children on tour in the United States, and they encouraged her to get involved.

"I could see how passionate they were in talking about what was going on in Uganda," she said. "I felt the same way about it and found their work inspiring. After we screened a film about Invisible Children, a woman told me that this is what I'm supposed to do."

Originally, the organization's mission focused on the night commutes of northern Uganda children. They would flee their homes at night to escape abduction by Lord's Resistance Army soldiers planning to force them into army service against their own families.

That specific threat has abated, said Staggs. Yet as many as 1.5 million people still live in unsafe and unsanitary camps. Invisible Children now concentrates on health care and education, which includes arranging scholarships and mentors for kids.

"What I love about Invisible Children is that we want people to stand up for something, whether it's Invisible Children or not," said Staggs. "There's a world outside their door, and they do have the ability to help."

When she arrives in England next month, Staggs will work in a London office and go through training before going on the road to introduce people to Invisible Children's efforts.

"I do want to go back to Africa," she said. "My heart is definitely there to work with kids, hopefully in Uganda. If God opens another door, I will walk through it."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.