Invisible Children enlightens NAU
Robert Otsubo - February 28th, 2008On Thursday, Feb. 21 and Friday, Feb. 22, three representatives from Invisible Children Inc. arrived at NAU to talk about the tragedies going on in Uganda.
Invisible Children Inc., a non-profit organization based in San Diego, has 10 teams made up of “roadies,” each assigned to a specific area of the U.S. and aimed to spread awareness about the atrocities occuring in Africa.
Of the many issues plaguing Uganda, the abduction of sleeping children and forced enlistment into the 21-year-war is of specific concentration to the organization.
“Nightly, kids walk miles to sleep in bus stations or any other locations of refuge to prevent from being abducted to join a rebel army,” said Molly Kirk, an Invisible Children roadie. “Sixty thousand kids have already been forcefully enlisted to fight.”
The Invisible Children movement was registered in 2005 after three Americans – Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole – traveled to Africa in search of a captivating story and found one in the events occurring in Africa. Together they produced the film Invisible Children, a documentary showcasing that story.
Dan Roge, an Invisible Children roadie, said the film was created from the three men’s confrontation with the realities of child abduction.
“Basically, in 2003 three guys discovered these kids and what they were going through and were compelled to share their lives with the world,” Roge said. “It’s called Invisible Children because no one knew about what was going on with these kids.”
The Invisible Children story is spreading across the country as students and communities everywhere who have seen the documentary contribute their time, money and efforts in hopes of making a difference in Africa.
“I can’t watch a film like this and do nothing,” said Katherine Harris, a roadie for Invisible Children. “I want to be a part of peace and justice anyway I can. I want to do this.”
Roge said his motivation is to educate the public about the inhumanities in Uganda.
“We travel around the country spreading the word by hosting the film,” Roge said.
The movement aims at getting political attention from the U.S. government, urging them to focus efforts and take action in Africa.
Aside from merely showing the film, the organization hosts events such as 2006’s Global Night Commute, where people in 126 cities nationwide, approximately 80,000 individuals, march to a camp site, signifying the nightly commute the children in Uganda are forced to take to ensure their personal safety.
“Since then, the amount of children making the commute has dropped from nearly 40,000 to only 200,” Roge said. “So this past year we focused more on Displace Me.”
Displace Me, another major event hosted by Invisible Children, concentrates on aiding the nearly 2 million displaced people in Uganda.
“These people have been ripped away from their lives, displaced from their homes and put into internally displaced people camps (IDP camps),” Harris said. “In these camps there’s no running water, no electricity and no way to earn a living.”
Roge said during Displace Me events, supporters camp out in cardboard boxes, in a cramped quarters, symbolizing the environment the displaced children are forced to occupy.
Kirk, who went to South Africa and witnessed people living in a similar fashion as those in Uganda, said it was heartbreaking.
“I went to South Africa, saw how they lived, and I knew after seeing something like that I couldn’t just walk away,” Kirk said.
In 2005, the organization created the Invisible Children Bracelet Campaign, which was designed to spread awareness and provide jobs for displaced communities.
Handmade reed bracelets are packaged with short, in-depth films featuring a child living in an IDP camp. Each package is sold in the U.S. for $20.
“Proceeds from the project goes to support the education system for children in Uganda,” Harris said. “So far, the project has provided 700 children with one-on-one mentors.”
Cline featured such a film this weekend, portraying the life of a child, Sunday, and his daily life in a IDP camp.
“It is horrible that kids should have to suffer like this,” said Prisca Johnson, a freshman dental hygiene major. “Kids should be able to have a childhood, not live in constant fear.”
Kristal Delacon, a sophomore chemistry education major, talked about problems other countries experience.
“I totally support the efforts in Uganda, but I’m also concerned about issues elsewhere,” Delacon said. “This is a great spark for those other causes.”
While the U.S. government has acknowledged the problem in Uganda, the road to peace is slow.
“It’s getting a lot better,” Roge said. “Peace is a five-step process and we’ve gone through step three. What we need is for the peace process to continue.”
Roge said the task is daunting but it all starts with awareness. After that, it is the responsibility of the current generation to make change happen.
“The generation of people who lived during World War II are remembered as the ‘greatest generation’ after sacrificing their lives, time and income to aid the war efforts.” Roge said. “But what will our generation, a generation who’s probably the most well-equipped, be remembered for?”