Some people are sad when they do not get enough gifts for their birthday, can’t go to a party, or don’t have the latest clothing items. These are people who are privileged. Others will be pleased to get a small amount of presents, only see their friends at school, and have a few items of clothes. These people are the ones who are under-privileged children. Then some wish they could have their life back to the way it was antebellum, and wish their family was still alive, and have a pair of nice clothes. These are the children in Uganda, Africa.

In the spring of 2003, three teenagers, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole traveled to Africa to search for a story but came back with more than that. They found the longest running war against the Lord’s Resistance Army. It has been going on for 23 years. The guys saw kid soldiers with weapons in their precious little hands just trying to live through the day. These three teens were appalled. The boys wanted to help and learn about the people affected in the war. When the heroes got back to the States they had so much to tell that they made a movie, “Invisible Children” (Wikipedia).
Jason, Bobby, and Laren labeled them invisible for a few reasons. First, the government is not doing a lot to help about the war. Second, no one else in the world really knows about the Lord’s Resistance Army. Lastly, most of these childrens’ parents have passed away from sickness, so there’s nobody to stand up for them. The purpose of the movie is to stand up for these invisible children, and to show people it is happening.

The Lord’s Resistance Army’s (LRA) leader is Joseph Kony. He and his soldiers capture kids between the ages of seven and fifteen. They usually capture them at night, and train them to become soldiers. Some of the kids have been at the camp their whole life. When the three teenagers asked the kids to draw a picture, they drew war, blood, guns, and death. For them, that is all they see. For the children to get something to eat each day, they have to kill a certain amount of people. For them to survive, they kill innocent people. If they try to run away, first they will get caught, and second they will be shot and killed. The boys only found one person that had escaped, but he was on the run because they were looking for him. Would it be better to stay at the camp and kill, or be on the run until the war ends and always be afraid? The Government of Uganda has tried several times to engage the Lord’s Resistance Army in peace talks, but Joseph Kony failed to appear and sign an agreement for peace (Invisible Children).

The children that have not been taken away yet are very scared. They are nervous at night that they will be kidnapped and the rest of their family killed. Most children go to the nearest train station at night, because they know they will be safe there. Some children walk miles to get there. So many children come to the station to sleep, that they are almost on top of each other. These people might not even know the name of the person to either side of them. Then in the morning, they pack up what they have and walk the miles back to their home, just to come back again (Invisible Children).

One child that was affected by the war is Okot Emmy. Emmy’s mother passed away from an advanced case of AIDS. Now he lives with his grandparents and his five other brothers and sisters. He goes to school at Larro Primary School. His favorite subjects are English and Social Studies. Most of the time he’s outside of school he spends his time at HEALS, an after school play therapy. They take photos and dance. One rough thing that has happened after his mother’s death was that someone set his house on fire. They lost all of their possessions. He thinks Uganda is normal and life is simple there; that is all he as seen (Official Website of Invisible Children).
Another child that has been through the war is Roseline. Roseline has a difficult life. Both of her parents have died from HIV/AIDS. It almost took her life. When you meet her though, she is a child filled with laughter and carefree singing (Invisible Children Website).

Lastly, another child that has been affected is Sunday. He has never known a day with peace. He does not even live in his own house. He is a 13 year old boy who is an orphan. He lives in a displacement camp where it is hard to stay alive, because of the effect of poverty, malnutrition, and disease. Sunday has to provide for himself. There is no one else to help him (Invisible Children Website).

I feel strongly about this matter. If that was me, I would want someone across the world knowing, praying and helping in any way they can. Also, a lot of these children are innocent and it is not their fault they are in the middle of the battle. Children are dying, crying, hungry, cold, and not educated due to the war. We need to help them. Children like Emmy, Roseline, and Sunday only know about how to live through a war. If more people learn about the invisible children, we could give thousands of children hope, hope for a better life.