invisible children.

i would like to share something that i don't think people know enough about. i learned about invisible children late last year and became fascinated. here's a little background regarding one of the most heinous injustices imaginable.

it began with the war in northern uganda. this war has been referred to as, "the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today." the lord's resistance army [lra] and the ugandan government have been waging a war for the past 23 years. the government has failed in many attempts to protect its citizens from this rebel militia, which has left nearly two million innocent civilians trapped.

the lra rebel movement started with alice auma lakwena in the 1980s. lakwena believed the holy spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the ugandan government for being unjust. she soon gained many followers and the became known as the holy spirit movement. much happened through the years, and the rebels resorted to abducting children and adding them into their army. children in uganda have become both weapons and victims of unspeakable atrocities – all perpetrated by one man, joseph kony. over 30,000 children have been abducted in uganda since 1986. many of these children have been trained and transformed into child-soldiers. they were were forced to kill 10, 20 even 30 people each day or be brutally murdered themselves. the details of what happens are alarming and brutal.

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as a response to the attacks , the ugandan government began forcibly evicting thousands from their homes starting in 1996. they began relocating them into overcrowded camps. here, they struggle to survive among the effects of poverty, rampant disease and starvation.

in recent years many acts were passed including one which declared the lra to be a terrorist organization. to this day, the ugandan government and the lra are still yet to find a peaceful solution. the motives of the lra become more ambiguous, while their crimes only become more horrific.


the documentary film invisible children [2003], directed by jason russell, bobby bailey and laren poole, revolves around this war, where children have literally become invisible. the story of these children saw the beginnings of a grass roots movement, which saw thousands of young americans campaign and raise money to help rebuild war-affected schools in northern uganda. additionally, scholarships were founded.

from this action, the not-for-profit invisible children was initiated. by using film, creativity, social action and word of mouth, the mission of invisible children is bold: to prevent the large rebel force – led by kony – from continuing their abduction of children and creation of child-soldiers. invisible children is committed to "seek sustainable solutions to foster an environment that encourages peace." the organisation addresses the need for education and economic development. there are thousands of families suffering everyday from starvation, rape and other forms of violence. so you might like to donate.

the documentary is not available in australia - apparently it is illegal to stock them in video stores. you can watch the documentary here. [though it would be nice to buy a copy and support the project. there are lots of other goodies in the store to excite you.] also, have a peep at other invisible children videos + films.