What comes to mind when you hear "invisible children"? Do you think about that imaginary friend you had when you were 5? Or about some ghost in a horror movie? Well I bet you do not think about child soldiers in northern Uganda. CHILD soldiers. FIGHTING in a WAR. In northern Uganda. Crazy right? You probably have never heard or seen this before. Maybe you think that because it is not going on around you that it is not important. However, that is false. And apparently, I am not the only one that thinks so.
Since the 1980s, a group called the Lord's Resistance Army, or the LRA, has been terrorizing the people of Uganda. This group abducts children and forces them to fight for them as child soldiers. If these children resist or attempt to escape they are killed. The LRA invades villages and leaves a path a destruction, blood, and tears behind them. The LRA was said to be created by a woman named Alice Lawkenwa. She said that the Lord spoke to her and told her to rebel against the Ugandan. Alice Lawkenwa gained followers as resentment toward the government increased. Later on she was exiled, and her so called cousin, Joseph Kony, took over the army. Because the actions of Kony caused the support of the LRA to dwindle, Joseph Kony began to abduct children to use in the war. Today, Joseph Kony is still the leader of the LRA. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Kony.
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| The Founders of Invisible Children |
In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers, Jason Russell,Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole, from southern California traveled to Uganda. Uganda is a country in central Africa. The three filmmakers thought that it would be the trip of a lifetime, and it was. The things that they saw in Uganda would change their lives forever. Throughout their trip to Uganda, the filmmakers from southern California recorded video footage of what they saw. They then used this footage to make a documentary called "Invisible Children: Rough Cut". This documentary received attention from people all over the nation. The attention caused the young men to found the Invisible Children foundation.
The Invisible Children foundation is a non-profit organization striving to attain peace in Uganda and all over central Africa. By using various forms of media, Invisible Children hopes to inform people of the western world about the situation in Uganda, and also give them information about how they can help. The creation of Invisible Children has already helped out the cause. Peace talks have been made. President Obama has sent advisory troops to help stop the LRA. The trouble in northern Uganda has ended.
However, there is still a lot more progress to be made. Joseph Kony and his army may have left northern Uganda, but they just moved to more areas of Africa. That means that there are a lot more people that need our help.
How can you help?
- Donate money
- Take part in the 25 Campaign
- Create a Frontline page via the Invisible Children website
To learn more about Invisible Children and to help support the cause visit the Invisible Children website!
http://invisiblechildren.com/
1 NATION SAVED
900,000 RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES
5,000,000 PEOPLE AWARE
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