Witnessing the 'Invisible Children'

Often, students will attend mandatory cultural events that barely hold their attention and are soon forgotten after they are over.  However, last Thursday was different.  "Invisible Children" left all who saw it rocked to the core with images to last a lifetime.

"Invisible Children" is a documentary film made by three college students in Uganda.

This movie documents the endless suffering that children are forced to endure out of fear of rebel forces in Northern Uganda.

Watching these children live like this and still have the spirit to go on was heartbreaking.  The film allowed people to see the hardships they face while getting to know them personally.

"Invisible Children" was such a moving picture that many were in tears throughout the screening.  No one left the auditorium the same as when they entered.

These children have been ignored for decades.  Now it is time for their story to be told and for people to step up and help them.

The children are fearful that they will be taken in their sleep by rebel forces if they stay in their homes during the night.  Some children have already been taken from their homes and have escaped from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) after being witness to violent experiences no human should have to endure.

The LRA has been engaging in guerrilla warfare against the Ugandan people for two decades.  Since support for the LRA is lacking  and willing soldiers are scarce after such extreme and long-term violence, the LRA has turned to children for armed support.

With older children and young teens being so easily influenced, the LRA has resorted to kidnapping children from their homes and immediately desensitizing them by brutally murdering one of the children in front of the rest.  The children are then armed and trained to kill with threats of their own vicious murder if they try to escape or do not kill their quota.

Out of fear, children in Northern Uganda walk for miles every night and sleep in cramped, unsanitary conditions in "safe" locations.

The children are being given no hope for the future and being left to fend for themselves, since so many adults have died due to the conflict and AIDS.

"Invisible Children" is creating awareness of these problems in hopes that people will write representatives to push toward a conflict resolution.

Also, the supporters of "Invisible Children" are hoping that through the sales of the video and goods, they will be able to provide  money for an education and better conditions for these innocent, suffering children.

On April 29, those involved with "Invisible Children" have organized a Global Night Commute where people will walk to their local downtown in hundreds of cities and spend the night to raise awareness and support to help the children of Northern Uganda.  There are Commutes occurring near Elon, in Chapel Hill and Greensboro.

With all of this publicity from the documentary, the Global Night Commute and an upcoming full-length feature film, it is becoming increasingly hard to ignore the horrible crimes being committed in Northern Uganda and to not want to  help.

These children are just like the ones we see every day, except they are unprotected. The world community has left them in such a tragic situation.  These children shouldn't have to be invisible anymore.