Invisible Children “We use the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa. Our model has proven effective, and hundreds of thousands of people have been called to action through our films and the volunteers that tour them.” Invisible Children is a non profit organization that brings awareness about the war in Uganda and it’s affects on the citizens, particularly children who are abducted and desensitized to become brutal soldiers. Website: / / Youtube:

The War  Africa’s longest running war; fought between the Uganda government and the Lord Resistance Army (LRA).  War began in 1987 and originated as the Holy Spirit Movement led by Alice Lakwena who believed Holy Spirit enlightened her to overthrow government for unjust treatment of Acholi people.  When Alice Lakwena was exiled, Joseph Kony who claimed to be the cousin of Alice took control of the army and transformed it into the LRA.  LRA does not receive the same amount of support from the Acholi people resulting in the abduction of children to use as soldiers in order to continue war efforts.  War has expanded into the Congo.  In the hope to offer some protection, the government has forcibly removed millions from their homes and into overcrowded camps.  Roughly one million people still remain in these camps today.  They struggle to survive due to abject poverty, diseases, and near starvation.  Villages and displacement camps are terrorized so more children can be abducted.  Those who were suspected to side with the government had their hands, ears, lips, etc. cut off. Children massacred in the warRotting corpses discovered by film makersRehabilitated child fighters of the LRAPeople in an internal displacement campChildren sitting in the field of a displacement camp

 They engage in aggressive play such as games of rebels versus government  They only draw pictures of war, weapons, and murder.  Some say that they feel physically nauseous if they don’t see blood.  During the height of insecurity in 2002 over 25,000 children walked miles in order to sleep under the verandas of hospitals due to fear of being abducted. The Children  Estimated that 90% of LRA soldiers are abducted as children.  Approximately 30,000 – 60,000 children abducted throughout the war.  Prime victims are ages 5 – 12; big enough to carry guns but small enough to sneak into schools to steal more children.  Abducted children are brainwashed and trained to become brutal fighters through desensitization and violent in doctrines.  Forced to watch many people be killed in front of them and were commanded to kill a certain amount of people.  Those who cried were killed by rebels.  Violence becomes the only thing the abducted children think about and know. Child soldiersChildren sleeping on the streets to avoid abductionDrawing by child soldier

How You Can Get Involved  Get Informed: Watch the documentary and witness the hardships that these children have to live through. Visit the Invisible Children website and find out the current campaigns that are running  Spread the Word: One of the main goals of Invisible Children is to bring awareness to the situation. Inform others about the cause, talk to your friends and family members.  Donate: Contribute by donating some money that could help build rebuild a school or put a child through post-secondary.

Donations  Where Your Proceeds Go: All proceeds go towards the Invisible Children organization in order to restore LRA affected communities in Central Africa to peace and prosperity. The money is used to fund tours in order to raise awareness for the situation and create numerous education opportunities for children in Uganda and the Congo. Proceeds will be used to provide better communications between villages to warn it’s inhabitants of LRA activity in order to prevent more LRA massacres and abductions.  Reasons to Donate: end=1&ob=5#p/u/3/fcaH8llJxE8 end=1&ob=5#p/u/0/z8bXlW9Zkus