Do you see them or are you looking the other way?
Imagine this: You are a 5 year old. Maybe you are outside playing with the neighborhood kids, playing a game of soccer. Maybe you are helping around your house. Then about 2 in the afternoon, you have to leave. To where? You have to go to town. But wait, there is a catch. You don’t get to go with your parents, you have to walk there (5+ miles), and you have to stay there all night. Oh, and you might just get kidnapped.
This is the story of everyday life for tens of thousands of children in a region of Northern Uganda, known as Darfur. Each night, thousands of kids flock to the towns from their villages, just to hopefully avoid the “Lord’s Resistance Army”. The LRA kidnaps thousands of children at night, and forces them to kill. Immediately they are forced to kill, usually one of their friends. Over 90% of the LRA forces are believed to have been kidnapped as children.
For the children that make it safely to the towns at night, they still don’t have it easy. Many of these children have lost their parents to the AIDS epidemic, forcing them to take care of their younger siblings and somehow, attempt to provide food for them. This is where we come in. The wonderful people over at Invisible Children send aid over to Uganda. They have many humanitarian efforts, as well as shipping food and clothing over there as well. We here at journeys feel that Invisible Children is a phenomenal organization, and we are proud and honored to support it.
More info can be found at Invisible Children.
The original documentary can be found on YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
God Bless,
Matt
