invisible children

at church last week we watched a film called Invisible Children. it's a heartbreaking tale of the situation in Uganda. knowing that i knew nothing about this before, i'll assume you don't either (whoever you are that's reading this).

there's a rebel resistance group there called the lord's resistance army (lra) that has been fighting for years. the thing about the lra is that their recruits are forced into service. they do this by invading villages at night, and kidnapping children between the ages of five and twelve - old enough to carry things, yet young enough to be forced into service and brainwashed easily. they immediately subject these children to violence, to scare them into obedience. if a kid resists, they are killed. if they cry, showing fear or homesickness, they are killed. they are beaten, threatened, and the girls are raped and forced to marry older men.

to avoid these kidnappings, children from the villages commute into the larger towns on their own each night. they sleep in overcrowded verandas or hospitals with little to no adult supervision. traveling on their own, and facing such violence, they are forced into early adulthood. the older children experiment sexually, using things like used plastic bags as makeshift condoms. those who are lucky enough to go to school, have to study on their own at night by candlelight.

these kids have seen atrocities we can only imagine. they face risks each day just to survive and experience some sort of freedom.

the film was made by three college grads who just wanted to go out and experience something different, so they went to africa to film a documentary. this turned out to be a life changing experience for them. after seeing these kids and interviewing them, they haven't been able to leave them. they have formed an organization to help these kids. they offer counseling to those who've been forced to fight, education, and other resources. this is their mission statement:

Invisible Children, Inc. changes culture, policy, and lives through collisions of poverty and power.

The Mission is the ultimate goal of Invisible Children—the resources, skills, and funds that hit the ground in Uganda, providing healthcare, safety, employment, and education.

Invisible Children, Inc. believes that changing the lives of people in underprivileged areas is just as important as changing lives in the western world. The only way change can come in Uganda, and other places in need, is to educate and empower the rest of the world to do something. One of the darkest things about Africa is the rest of the world’s ignorance towards it. If you believe in what we’re doing, join us. We are unlike many other nonprofits: We take your donation, make it larger by plugging it into our programs in the United States, and send the greater amount to Uganda. Please visit the “Programs” page of our website for more information on the Invisible Children Bracelet Campaign and the Education Program.

i know there are millions of atrocities taking place around the world each day. i know none of us can solve all of them.

but i urge you to take a few minutes to look at their website, and get an idea of what's going on. i don't know, maybe you'll want to buy the dvd and watch it (and after seeing it, show it to others to expose them to what's going on as well). maybe you can't do that, but can give a donation, or buy a bracelet or find some other way to help these invisible children.

i watched the movie nearly a week ago, and those children's faces keep staring back at me. i don't know yet what Jak and i can do. but i figure that a first step would be letting other people know, so that maybe these kids wouldn't be quite so invisible anymore.